The Expert Council for Climate Issues (ERK) today published its review report on the immediate action programme in the building sector, which was submitted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) on 13 July 2022, and the immediate action programme in the transport sector, which was submitted by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV).

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: "The climate crisis is already having a noticeable impact. It urgently requires a quick response. The Expert Council explicitly underlines this. We must adopt the Immediate Climate Action Programme before the end of September. All sectors must make contributions – otherwise we won’t attain our climate targets. We are not talking about abstract figures, but about the fundamentals for lives in freedom and prosperity."

Pursuant to the Climate Change Act, the Expert Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing the immediate action programmes submitted by the ministries. On 13 July 2022, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building submitted immediate action programmes for the transport and building sectors respectively. It became necessary to submit the immediate action programmes in accordance with the Climate Change Act because the relevant sectors had exceeded the respective annual emission volumes. In 2021, the building sector exceeded the annual emission volume laid down in the Climate Change Act by about 2 mt of CO2 equivalent, and the transport sector exceeded the respective volume by 3 mt of CO2 equivalent.

In its report on the two immediate action programmes, the Expert Council emphasised the urgent need for action to attain the climate targets. As to the building sector, the Expert Council confirmed that the immediate action programme will make a substantial contribution to reducing emissions in the building sector. At the same time, however, the experts underlined that, since it is to some extent uncertain whether the goals can be reached, the planned measures in the building sector need to be further specified and conditions must be created for rapid and ambitious implementation. This includes securing sufficient funding until 2030.

The Expert Council also commented on the immediate action programme in the transport sector, which was submitted by the lead ministry for this sector, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. The Expert Council underlined that the immediate action programme proposed by the Federal Transport Ministry does not meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act. According to the Expert Council, the measures suggested in the programme do not ensure that the annual emission volume laid down for the transport sector in the Climate Change Act will not be exceeded in the coming years. For this reason, the Federal Government must make substantial amendments to the draft text of the immediate action programme in the transport sector by adding effective measures so that the transport sector is again on course to meet the 2030 sectoral target.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action will take account of the outcome of the Expert Council’s review report in the current consultations on the draft text of the comprehensive Immediate Climate Action Programme. The aim is to conclude the consultations within the Federal Government as soon as possible and reach a political agreement on the measures by the end of September.