Debate on the relief package: the coalition committee will advise tomorrow

Status: 09/02/2022 1:01 p.m

Now things should go quickly with the third relief package: From Saturday morning, the coalition committee wants to discuss further help. The Ver.di union is threatening nationwide protests if the relief is too low.

In view of the public pressure, the coalition is speeding up the deliberations on further relief for the population. According to information from ARD Capital Studios the coalition committee wants to meet on Saturday morning to discuss further measures. The committee includes representatives of the SPD, Greens and FDP from the party, parliamentary group and federal government. The next week’s upcoming deliberations in the Bundestag on the federal budget for the coming year are increasing the time pressure to set a concrete timetable for additional spending that will result from a further relief package.

Mützenich expects “reliable results”

SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich appeared in conversation with NDR Info confident that the coalition partners will be able to agree on “resilient results” in terms of relief this weekend. Especially with a view to the budget debate starting on Tuesday, it is important that “reliability” is now moving in. Mützenich spoke of difficult months ahead, but the current task is to take short-term measures. The group leader not only promised financial aid, but also “structural measures”.

Cost question to the end sticking point

At the beginning of the week, the traffic light coalition tried to demonstrate unity and optimism at its cabinet meeting in Meseberg. However, certain points of contention remained, such as the buzzword excess profit tax or the question of how much the federal government wants to spend on the third package of measures.

The first two relief packages included a total financial volume of around 30 billion euros. If Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has his way, a two-digit billion amount is again possible for relief measures in the coming year. In the current year, however, no more than a single-digit billion amount can be raised. That’s not enough for the Greens – they doubt that such a sum will suffice until the end of the year.

Economy for longer nuclear power plant terms

For Veronika Grimm, a member of the Federal Government’s Advisory Council, a third relief package should primarily also relieve medium and small incomes – for example through further one-off payments. The economy does not rule out a gas price cap either, as she said at the meeting of the Union faction leaders in Bavaria.

However, alternative energy sources to Russian resources offer a remedy in the energy crisis. That is why Grimm advocated extending the lifetime of nuclear reactors. According to Grimm, nuclear power plants should remain connected to the grid for five years longer, at least the three nuclear power plants that are currently still connected to the German grid.

The federal government wants to wait for the results of a stress test for the continued operation of the power plants before deciding on an extension of the service life. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the results of this test are not yet available.

Ver.di is planning protests if the relief is too low

Frank Werneke, head of the Ver.di union, is also pushing for a significantly higher financial framework for the planned relief package. “In order to compensate for the financial hardship caused by the explosion in energy prices, the state must spend an additional 20 to 30 billion euros this year,” he demanded in the “Augsburger Allgemeine”.

If the federal government does not sufficiently relieve the citizens from the point of view of the union, Ver.di threatens to take part in protests nationwide. Ver.di is already in talks with other trade unions and social organizations to prepare for possible demonstrations and protests. “If not now, when should people take their demands to the streets and marketplaces,” emphasized Werneke.