Overview
- The government approved the Building Modernization Law on Wednesday and sent it to parliament, replacing the old heating rules and allowing new gas and oil systems under a staged bio‑fuel quota.
- Owners who install fossil heaters would face a rising green‑fuel blend that starts at 10% in 2029 and climbs to 60% by 2040, and the prior 2045 phaseout of fossil boilers would no longer apply.
- To curb bill shocks for tenants, the draft makes landlords cover half of CO₂ charges and gas network fees from 2028 and half of the extra cost for bio‑fuel blends from 2029, which would change how heating costs show up in rent and utilities.
- The National Regulatory Control Council called the text one of the weakest and least practical in years, said key parts are hard to understand, and noted that groups and states got only a few days to review a complex proposal.
- Environmental groups and social unions warned of a fossil rollback and higher bills for low‑income renters, and in parallel the economy ministry moved to allow overhead lines on the new Südwestlink grid route, a cheaper option that critics say could trigger protests and delays.