Due to rising energy prices, the federal government is being confronted with more and more demands for quick relief and a cost cap for gas. “The prices have to go down,” said Green Party leader Ricarda Lang to the Tagesspiegel and campaigned for the gas price to be capped: “That would ensure that basic consumption remains affordable – for the citizens as well as for the economy.”
With the electricity price brake one is on the right track. In fact, this should only come if there is a regulation for skimming off profits in the electricity sector. So far there has only been one expert committee on the subject of heating.
Approval for the Greens’ demand came from the FDP. “We now need two things as soon as possible: a higher supply of available energy and a cap on the price of electricity and gas,” said the leader of the Liberal parliamentary group, Christian Dürr, to the Tagesspiegel. “Finance Minister Christian Lindner is working on a gas price brake.”
Last week, a “Gas Price Control Working Group” was set up in the Ministry of Finance. “In return, we now also expect that the Greens will finally move on the issue of nuclear energy,” said Dürr. The FDP has long been demanding that the three remaining German nuclear reactors be kept online beyond the turn of the year.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was optimistic on Saturday that the energy supply is secured despite the failed Russian gas supplies: “We’ll probably get through.” Since the beginning of the year, the federal government has made far-reaching decisions to ensure “that we can supply coal, oil and gas can ensure that the electricity supply continues to function,” said the Chancellor, who is visiting the important oil and gas exporting countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar at the weekend.
The filling of the German gas storage facilities had progressed rapidly despite the delivery stop via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and was more than 90 percent on Saturday. Recently, the gas price had also fallen noticeably – also because the federal government no longer allows the storage tanks to be filled at any price.
Scholz also promised a quick implementation of the relief measures: “The legislative machine has started and will organize the necessary support very, very quickly.” It is about support for households, families and for those who earn little money – but also for companies who now had high energy bills and didn’t know how to keep their business going.” A spokesman for Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has already announced plans for a new billion-dollar aid program to support companies.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) also considers a quick price cap to be appropriate. “Energy costs are an important location factor and German industrial companies face international competition,” he said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel. “De-industrialization would have catastrophic consequences for Germany. That’s why we have to fight back with everything we have.” A quick solution could strengthen cohesion in the country, said Weil.
It was not until Friday that a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office became known, in which there is talk of a threat to internal security given the energy crisis. It is said that a similar situation to the protests against corona measures since the beginning of the pandemic can be expected.
On Saturday, a broad alliance of social organizations, trade unions and environmental organizations called for demonstrations on October 22 to protest against “the inadequate response of the federal government” to the energy crisis. The rallies under the motto “Solidarity through the crisis – create social security and end fossil dependencies” are to take place in several places in parallel.
To home page
Source: Tagesspiegel
I work as a news website author and mostly cover the opinion section. I have been writing since I was a teenager, and have always enjoyed telling stories. I studied journalism at university and loved every minute of it. After graduating, I decided to move to London and take up a position with a Global Happenings. It has been an incredible experience, learning about all sorts of different cultures and meeting some amazing people. My goal is to continue learning and growing in my career so that I can provide readers with the best possible content.
