It’s summer, it’s hot, and in Germany there is talk of heating and a botched reform that is destabilizing German politics. Focus on our German neighbors, with Kai Littmann, director of the Eurojournalist site, the Franco-German daily newspaper of the Upper Rhine.
European microphone today welcomes journalist Kai Lttmann, director of the Eurojournalist site, the Franco-German daily newspaper of the Upper Rhine to discuss the subject of heating in our German neighbours.
franceinfo: What is happening in Germany with this heating issue?
Kai Lttmann: It is not a gag, and it is even a very serious subject. It is about the law on heating systems which is about to tear apart the ruling coalition in Berlin with a new law which is totally botched, which must be corrected at any time, where there is resistance, even within the ruling coalition in Berlin. It is total chaos in German politics.
It’s about personal heating, heating buildings, houses, whether it’s gas, oil, maybe wood or electricity, what about because we’re preparing for next winter ?
The idea of this law, and moreover, there are other countries working in the same direction, is to effectively ban oil and gas heating systems in new buildings, and to replace with heat pumps or other ways of heating, which makes perfect sense.
We had a vote in Switzerland on exactly the same question. The Swiss people have decided to do exactly what the Germans are going to do now. Prohibition of heating systems, oil, gas. 58% of the population has adopted climate neutrality by 2050 in Switzerland.
Gas heaters, oil heaters, for future buildings, but old buildings, private apartments, houses, what will it be?
Normally, these heating systems will be able to be operated until exhaustion. But it is a very good example in the communication on this new law. There really was an absolute cacophony in Germany, it was not at all clear, suddenly there was a scandal, because it was thought that all the owners of a small house had to replace their heating system, we were starting to discuss state subsidies, now this law is under discussion in the Bundestag and frankly, we are confused.
Since this government has been in place, at each little point decided, it is a government crisis which always endangers the coalition. We wonder if this coalition will go all the way, or we say when will it fall?
I will answer you with figures because, as you know, in Germany there is a weekly poll, to know how people would vote if next Sunday there was an election. Currently, there is the CDU in opposition, the conservatives, which is the strongest party with 25%. In second place comes the extreme right of the AFD with 19%. They are climbing like impossible, and only to third, fourth and fifth position, the three ruling parties in Berlin. Together, they would not even be a majority today, they would be together at 39% of the voting intentions. We are already in a government crisis, except that no one is saying it openly.
We are going to leave the heating and rather focus on the real German policy: the rise of the AFD, the German nationalist party, is this especially the reality in Germany?
Yes, and we have just taken it seriously: a report from the Ministry of the Interior indicated that among the members of the AFD, the extreme right, there were 10,000 people, therefore almost half of the members, who are considered as violent and dangerous. We must not underestimate the danger emanating from the AFD, which does not really have a concept. AFD has just presented its program for the European elections. They want the orderly disintegration of the European Union. It is not a force of proposal, on the other hand, currently, the less the AFD speaks, the more it climbs in the polls.
And the AFD is in the Bundestag…
In the Bundestag with a hundred elected officials. It may be that in the next elections it would be impossible to create a coalition government without the participation of the extreme right.
For the next elections, wouldn’t there be a possibility ofCDU-AFD agreement?
For the moment, it is not at all on the agenda. On the other hand, when the numbers are needed, I think they will still think twice. And at some point, the traditional parties, if they don’t want to disappear, will start working with them.