WORLD: Mr. Weil, as Prime Minister of Lower Saxony and member of the VW supervisory board, you are probably the German politician who is best able to judge who is right in the current dispute about the ban on combustion engines. In your view, how important would it be for German automobile manufacturers that combustion engines have a future, at least for synthetic fuels?
Stephan Weil: My impression is that there is no need for such an exemption in the industry with regard to passenger cars. All automotive companies have consistently geared their investment plans to switching to electromobility. Billions are earmarked for this.
WORLD: So it makes no sense for Germany to block the combustion engine ban in Brussels in favor of so-called e-fuels.
Because: E-fuels will certainly continue to be researched. But they don’t stand a chance on the market in the foreseeable future. There are no ideological reasons for this – e-fuels will be able to be produced CO₂-free in the future.
But in practice, the production of these synthetic fuels would require so much renewable energy that this technology will simply not be worthwhile compared to electromobility in the automotive industry. E-fuels are simply expensive.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to block the EU plans to phase out combustion engines. Accordingly, from 2035 no new combustion cars should come onto the market. According to Wissing, however, the use of synthetic fuels must also be possible after 2035.
Source: WORLD
WORLD: Do you understand why the federal government still slowed down the EU Commission’s exit plans?
Because: No, nobody really has anything of that. In any case, one can say with certainty that Germany’s reputation in Brussels has been damaged by this sudden manoeuvre.
WORLD: One topic on which the traffic light coalition has not made good progress so far is the acceleration of infrastructure projects. In particular, there is a problem with the question of whether the expansion of the road infrastructure should also fall under the acceleration laws. Your attitude?
Because infrastructure projects all have to be implemented much more quickly, and I don’t make any exceptions. You can always argue about the sense or nonsense of individual projects. But once a decision is made, it shouldn’t take literally generations to complete a project.
Such lengthy infrastructure planning as we have in Germany is probably unique in the world. Even small projects take forever. This is how we stand in our own way.
WORLD: In concrete terms, the A20 and A39 motorways in Lower Saxony should finally be expanded. Your green government partner is also slowing down where he can. Will these routes be completed again?
Because the federal government decides that. According to the current legal situation, i.e. the federal traffic route plan, both routes will be built. If you want to prevent that, you would have to change the law. I don’t see a majority for that at the moment.
WORLD: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced after the cabinet meeting in Meseberg that the traffic light government now wants to complete a wide variety of projects “in a very short time”. Which would be at the top of your priority list?
Because what we urgently need is clarification of the question of how to proceed with the energy-intensive industries in Germany. We must both protect the existing companies here and ensure that future industries can invest in Germany.
In the chemical industry, for example, we are already seeing erosion. Some of their German production is no longer competitive due to the high energy prices on the world market. For these companies, but also for the settlement of green industries, we urgently need a lower industrial electricity price.
WORLD: Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) has announced that he now wants to “design” such a marketable price. Exactly how low does it have to be?
Because: I don’t want to commit myself to the cent. But I urge you to learn from what the Americans are doing right now. They lure in a clever and also very efficient, uncomplicated way with enormous subsidies and tax breaks, some of which are higher than the investments of the respective companies.
On the other hand, what we have been doing in Europe so far is far too limited, very complicated and also takes far too long. The consequence is that investments in climate-neutral industries in particular threaten to be made primarily in the USA. Europe as a whole must be extremely careful not to fall hopelessly behind in these important future markets.
The production of battery cells, as an example, will account for around 40 percent of the added value of a car in the future. There are a lot of jobs attached to it. We cannot afford to be left out of these projects.
WORLD: The EU Commission wants to present the so-called Net-Zero Industry Act in the coming week, which also provides for subsidies and shortened approval processes for climate-neutral energy and industrial production. You yourself were recently in Brussels. Will this be the big hit it needs?
Weil: I very much welcome the fact that the EU wants to support the transformation process of industry in Europe. I can only judge how big the hit will be when the Industry Act is in place.
In any case, during my talks in Brussels, I strongly advocated that energy-intensive industry in particular needed more support in the transformation towards CO₂ neutrality given the high energy prices at the same time. For this purpose, for example, the EU state aid rules must be significantly adjusted.
WORLD: A topic that is moving many people right now and is also causing controversy in Berlin is the planned ban on installing new gas and oil heating systems starting in 2024. Are people still catching up? Or do you have to give them time for this private energy transition?
Because: The fundamental goal that the federal government is pursuing with these plans is certainly correct. However, the time frame is just as likely to be too tight. This begins with the availability of heat pumps and does not end with the lack of sufficient installers to install the new heating systems.
In addition, construction as a whole, but also the climate-friendly conversion of buildings, is currently very expensive. This problem also has to be solved first before people are pressured with deadlines that are too tight. Otherwise, the result will be that many owners continue to heat with old technology for as long as possible. And that would certainly not be good for the climate.
WORLD: The expansion of wind and solar power should now also be quick. Olaf Scholz wants to have four to five wind turbines set up every day by 2030 and pave the surface of 40 soccer fields with solar panels. From your practice in Lower Saxony: Can that work?
Because: It is demanding and we will have to work very hard, especially in the area of offshore wind power. It is positive that acceptance of the expansion of renewable energies has increased significantly since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There will also be significant procedural simplifications. In many cases, environmental impact assessments will no longer be necessary. That saves time.
The fact is, however, that we will not see many new plants this year. After a standstill, it just takes some time to pick up the necessary pace. From 2024 we will then see significantly more new plants.
WORLD: If you had one wish in the federal traffic light coalition – what would it be?
Because: It’s best to only make quick, convincing, joint decisions without public background noise. Then the polls will rise again, especially those of the FDP.
“Kick-off Politics” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.
