HANNOVER (dpa-AFX) – The federal states have reiterated their demand for concrete relief from the federal government in the energy crisis. The 16 heads of government met in Hanover on Thursday – the expectations of further steps in the gas price brake or the implementation of a nationwide local transport ticket were already dampened by several sides before the Prime Ministers’ Conference.
Talks with Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) and Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP) are expected on Friday – the design of the gas price cap should then be an issue. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is not there. The next federal-state talks are planned for November 2nd.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) expects an agreement between the federal and state governments on open questions in the relief debate at the beginning of November. The difficult financial issues ranged from local public transport to the financing of refugee accommodation. “They are now clearly ready for a decision, so we want to get to the bottom of it quickly,” said the SPD politician on Thursday. He assumes that the prime ministers’ conference on November 2, together with Chancellor Scholz, will come to the final conclusions.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) is hoping for more clarity on the gas price brake from the talks between the states and Habeck. Since the last federal-state round, the so-called gas price commission has presented its results. He would like “that we get a little more specificity as far as the discharge is concerned,” said Wüst. People need to know what to calculate with. “What does it mean for you specifically on your bill?”. He wanted to learn more about the federal government.
With a view to the results of the gas price commission, Weil said: “In my view, it makes no sense that we first relieve the burden for December, then charge in January and February, so that the burden is relieved again in March.” It would be better if there was a consistent path.
To relieve gas customers, the commission of experts on the federal government’s gas price brake had proposed a tiered model. On the one hand, this provides for a one-off payment in December in the amount of a monthly invoice, on the other hand, quotas at capped prices are planned for business and consumers in the coming year.
The one-off payment is to be determined based on consumption. The state would not take over the deductions for industry and power plants for electricity generation – here another auxiliary instrument is under discussion.
A gas and heat price brake should then take effect between March 2023 and at least April 2024. This provides for a state-guaranteed gross price of 12 cents per kilowatt hour for a basic quantity of gas – including all state-determined price components such as taxes or network charges.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) also sees a need for discussion on the timetable for the gas price cap. “I think it’s important that the signal goes to the population, to companies, to companies and also to social institutions very, very quickly that there is a noticeable relief.”
Weil emphasized that there must be help from the federal and state governments when it comes to housing for refugees. The federal states see themselves as administrators of the municipalities towards the federal government on this issue. It’s a difficult situation for everyone. “For example, it has to be about the federal government, but certainly also the federal states everywhere, doing their part so that more accommodation options are created.” The municipalities should be helped to cope with the difficult tasks./mee/DP/stw