2023-11-27 09:09:29
The money for the price caps is no longer available, which means that state help with electricity and gas bills will end, says the finance minister. The SPD sees it differently.
Berlin.
After his announcement of an early end to the price caps for electricity and gas, FDP leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner is being criticized by his coalition partner SPD.
The co-chair of the Social Democrats, Lars Klingbeil, said on the ARD program “Anne Will”: “Unilaterally announcing the end without us having discussed it together is not possible.” The SPD wants there to be security if prices shoot up, emphasized Klingbeil. The Ministry of Finance does not see any lack of agreement.
Lindner said in an interview on Friday that the government price caps for electricity and gas would expire at the end of the year and not at the end of March, as was last planned. The background is the budget ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on November 15th, which means that the government is missing billions. Numerous other projects are also affected by this.
“We now need a total package”
“We shouldn’t have this difficult debate in the next few weeks about individual announcements from individual ministers,” warned Klingbeil. “We now need an overall package. We have to work on it, and when it’s finished, it can be announced.”
The price brakes are financed from the Economic Stabilization Fund. The SPD politician said it was completely clear that this fund would have to expire at the end of the year after the ruling; This meant that the price brakes automatically expired. However, the coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP did not discuss how uncertainties in energy costs would be hedged afterwards. “This needs to be discussed in the government,” said Klingbeil.
The Federal Ministry of Finance has now responded to the criticism from the weekend. “Lindner simply expressed a necessity following the ruling of the Constitutional Court. There has been agreement on everything with the Chancellor and the Economics Minister for days,” said ministry circles. “The internal coordination between the SPD and the Greens can possibly be improved.”
Consumers have to expect small additional costs
The price controls were introduced in March of this year and also applied retroactively to January and February. They should protect consumers from being overwhelmed by sharply increased energy prices as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The energy markets have now recovered. According to calculations by tariff comparison portals, consumers will only have to expect comparatively small additional costs when the price brakes expire at the end of the year. (dpa)
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