Germany's highest court on Wednesday blocked government plans to hold a vote in parliament this week on a contentious plan to encourage home owners to replace fossil fuel heating systems with cleaner alternatives.
The Federal Constitutional Court's ruling denies Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition the chance to move on quickly from a dispute over a key climate policy plan that has dragged it down in polls in recent months.
The government had hoped to get the legislation through parliament on Friday, the last day before its summer recess. But the court issued an injunction blocking parliament from considering it this week, ruling in favor of a lawmaker from the main conservative opposition bloc who argued that his rights as a lawmaker would be violated by it being pushed through without an opportunity for more detailed consideration.
The two junior partners in the center-left Scholz's coalition, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats, spent months arguing publicly about the legislation before emerging in mid-June with a bare-bones compromise over plans to replace old fossil-fuel heating systems with alternatives such as heat pumps.
It was firmed up into detailed legislation only last week, leaving opposition lawmakers angry with the coalition's haste to get it passed before the summer break, as it had originally planned.
The heating issue is the biggest of several that have fueled an impression of constant squabbling and disarray in Scholz's coalition, which brings together parties that aren't traditional allies. The squabbling in recent months has helped push down the coalition's poll ratings.
The legislation calls for the installation of new heating systems that can be at least 65% powered by renewable energy. It would apply to new housing developments starting next year, but otherwise provides for potentially lengthy transition periods.
