BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert has appealed to the FDP not to close a moratorium on electricity and gas cuts due to unpaid bills. “It cannot and must not be that next winter, due to the price development and the financial overload, someone is sitting in the cold in their apartment because they could no longer pay the bill,” said Kühnert on Sunday in the RTL / ntv interview. The SPD is open to talks about the “precise instruments” of a moratorium. “But a country like ours would not be worthy of such wealth if people had to freeze in their own homes in winter,” said Kühnert.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) had previously expressed skepticism about a move by Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens), who had discussed a moratorium on electricity and gas cuts. “I am in doubt as to whether a blanket moratorium on electricity and gas cuts is a good idea,” Buschmann told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Because such a moratorium will also benefit people who can actually bear the costs.” In the event of a further escalation of the energy crisis, Lemke had suggested protecting citizens from electricity and gas blockages in the event of late payment./shy/DP/he