Economy warns the government |
“A cost avalanche is rolling towards the people”
It’s going to be expensive. Damn expensive. In order to reassure the citizens, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) promises double-boom help so that “no one has to worry” when thinking about the next bill.
The economics Veronika Grimm (51), on the other hand, expressly warns against being too careless. “Energy will become significantly more expensive. An avalanche of costs is rolling towards people. Wholesale gas prices have increased tenfold. If the state didn’t act, gas customers would get it unchecked next year,” said Grimm on the fringes of the press conference, at which the experts presented their proposals for a price cap.
► “Politicians must give citizens much clearer information about the dramatic situation of gas customers. The state now has to cushion the peak of the additional burden, but the citizens have to shoulder part of it.”
The traffic light wants to slow down the price shocks for gas and electricity. But there are problems with the implementation.
There is complete ambiguity about the electricity price brake. At the beginning of September, the traffic light agreed to skimming off excess profits from producers of wind, solar, coal and nuclear power and thus lowering the price per kilowatt hour for consumers.
In the traffic light parliamentary groups, the MPs are waiting increasingly impatiently for a draft law from Economics Minister Robert Habeck (53, Greens).
“We can’t wait for a European model, Habeck must finally come up with a national solution,” says a member of the SPD parliamentary group executive committee. Whether each kilowatt hour will then be subsidized or only a certain electricity quota per household is open.
Citizens are increasingly worried about the dawdling. 44 percent are now afraid of not being able to pay their electricity bills in the coming months (INSA survey).
Little progress is also being made with the gas price brake. There is particular time pressure to regulate the so-called “one-time payment in December”.
The Commission of Experts has proposed that the gas suppliers do not debit their customers for a monthly advance payment in December. Instead, the state transfers the corresponding sum to the gas suppliers.
However, the Minister of Finance is only refunding advance payments that are as high as in September, so that the advance payments are not quickly increased to get more money from the state.
This back-and-forth book is complicated. “Implementation by December 1 requires a clear concept at the beginning of November,” says Ingbert Liebing, Managing Director of the VKU municipal utility association.
This means that the Bundestag and Bundesrat must pass a law within the next two weeks that Habeck has not yet delivered. With Parliament not in session for the last week of October and the first week of November, a special session is becoming increasingly likely.
“Electricity price leaves me speechless”
Daniel Eiteneuer (38) is deputy branch manager at a discounter, lives with his wife and son in a 4 ½-room apartment in Essen: “We use between 300 and 320 kWh a month and have paid between 100 and 120 euros for it so far. With the new tariff, I get an amount of 240 euros for October – double that! – and in November to more than 270 euros. I don’t know where else to save! I’m waiting for a cap on electricity costs.”
Daniel Eiteneuer (38) is deputy branch manager at a discounter
“Our gas provider demanded 943 euros a month”
Christine Heine (72) received a letter from her gas supplier Mitgas a few days ago: Instead of 140 euros, the pensioner from Leipzig should in future pay 943 euros for down payments: “My husband and I have a pension of 1900 euros together, it would be unaffordable for us.” Heine resigned the contract: “We are now in the basic supply with the public utility company. We also have to pay 489 euros a month. It’s going to be tight.”
This article comes from BILD am SONNTAG. The ePaper of the entire issue is available here.