“Stasi” and “espionage”: How the Union over-revved the Habeck bashing

The Union has found a new favorite enemy in Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). She has been working on him for weeks. The reports about the second heat law planned by the traffic light apparently came at the right time for the CDU and CSU this week.

Now Habeck wants to “use the energy Stasi to look at people in the boiler room like in a snooping state,” said Thuringia’s CDU leader Mario Voigt in the “Bild”. The CSU scolded Habeck’s “control mania” and posted on Twitter a photo montage with the Economics Minister, who peers through the window into a living room. Caption: “No to state heating espionage.” There is also a link to the CSU signature campaign against the heating law.

Municipalities should record heating systems

Stasi? Espionage? control mania? The facts: In addition to its controversial heating law, the traffic light is working on a law on municipal heating planning. The aim is to expand district heating networks.

No to state heating espionage.

The CSU attacks Habeck on Twitter.

Part of the law is that the municipalities should provide information on how certain buildings or companies are heated and how much energy is used. Specifically, the “building-specific annual final energy consumption of grid-bound energy sources over the last three years in kilowatt hours per year” should be recorded, along with the address, use and year of construction.

Even if it is completely unclear how quickly the municipalities can do this – the requirement is not unusual. Construction Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD), who is responsible for the law, quoted from the Bavarian Climate Protection Act. There, the district chimney sweeps have been supposed to transmit various data to the State Office for Statistics since 2022, such as the type, fuel and age of the heating system as well as the address. Such data is already being collected in other federal states.

Boost for the AfD?

In the face of the “Stasi” allegations, the Greens complain that the Union has “lost all measure” in the energy debate. The political consultant and communications expert Johannes Hillje criticized that there was a reliable boost for the AfD “when others copy their populist language and thus legitimize it”.

Not only in relation to the heating law, the Union reaches deep into the rhetoric box. CDU and CSU also found hearty words in view of the best man affair. Habeck’s State Secretary Patrick Graichen had to leave because he was involved in choosing his best man for a top post. CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt described Habeck as the “godfather of the Graichen clan” and thus compared the economics minister to a mafia boss.

Within the CDU, you now meet high-ranking politicians who secretly criticize the language escalation course. So there could soon be a need for discussion internally as well.