Grand Council BE Watered-down counter-proposal to Bern's solar initiative under discussion
After years of back and forth, the people of the canton of Bern can now decide on the solar initiative and a counter-proposal. On Wednesday, the cantonal parliament passed a weakened counter-proposal by 107 votes to 26 with 20 abstentions.
04.09.2024, 16:21
04.09.2024, 16:48
SDA
For the center-right majority, this represents a compromise that is acceptable to the majority and can also be expected of homeowners. For the left of the Council, it is a toothless paper tiger.
According to the counter-proposal, there should be no solar obligation for roof renovations. Homeowners should simply have to declare whether the roof surfaces would be suitable for solar energy use. The Council also weakened the rules for new residential buildings. Small roof areas are to be exempt from the solar obligation.
"Encroachment on private property"
The Council recommended rejecting the Green initiative by 79 votes to 73. It demands a solar installation not for new buildings, but also for existing buildings, provided the roof and façade surfaces are suitable.
This clearly goes too far for the conservative camp. The initiative represents a massive encroachment on private property, said Markus Aebi on behalf of the SVP parliamentary group.
According to him, a solar obligation for renovations could lead to roofs not being renovated at all because the investment would not be sustainable. Peter Haudenschild (FDP) warned that an obligation for an expensive solar solution could lead to a lack of money for insulation. Then nothing would be gained in terms of energy.
Dominik Blatti (EDU) said that homeowners should continue to decide for themselves what the best solution is for them. Although the counter-proposal goes less far than the initiative, it gets the most out of it, said Simon Ryser (GLP).
Offer rejected
The Council Left and the EPP took a different view. A mere obligation to report roof renovations would achieve little. It would promote bureaucracy rather than solar energy, criticized Jan Remund (Greens).
Nevertheless, the initiators are prepared to consider withdrawing the request if the Council decides on a compromise: The solar obligation should only apply to large buildings with an area of over 300 square meters.
The center-right majority rejected the offer. The alleged compromise was a core element of the initiative, said SVP spokesperson Aebi. If it is accepted, the Bernese Homeowners' Association (HEV) will call for a referendum, threatened HEV president and center-right member of parliament Francesco Rappa. The proposal failed by 80 votes to 73.
Solar obligation for parking spaces
Thanks to the conservative majority, the counter-proposal included a solar obligation for outdoor parking spaces that are suitable for the use of solar energy and are available to the general public. The Left and the EPP criticized this as a purely disruptive manoeuvre.
Parking spaces were not even part of the initiative. They therefore did not belong in the counter-proposal. The Council majority, on the other hand, was of the opinion that additional solar areas could easily be created in this area.
"Far too little"
The SP and the Greens drew a bitter conclusion at the end of the four-hour debate. The initiative had been sabotaged from the outset, said David Stampfli on behalf of the SP/Juso parliamentary group, referring to the years of wrangling over a counter-proposal. What is now on the table is a rather despondent compromise by the bourgeois parties. The aim of the deal is a double "no" in the referendum.
When it comes to security of supply, homeowners obviously cannot be held accountable, said Beat Kohler (Greens). The counter-proposal was "a little more than nothing, but far too little".
The EPP parliamentary group was also dissatisfied. Its spokesperson Tabea Bossard-Jenni said that the hoped-for milestone had turned into a pebble. Parliament had failed to recognize the signs of the times.
Spokespersons for the conservative parties rejected the accusations. Like the red-green camp, they emphasized that they were looking forward to the referendum campaign.
