electricity and gas
Federal Council approves energy price brakes
The prime ministers of the federal states in the Bundesrat during the session in the Bundesrat. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
After the Bundestag, the Bundesrat also paved the way for energy price brakes. The price brakes for electricity and gas are intended to cushion the consequences of the sharp rise in prices.
The Federal Council has approved the energy price brakes. Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) said in the state chamber that price increases had the potential for a social crisis – the lid now gives citizens confidence that they will be able to pay their bills in the future. The state is on the side of the citizens. On Thursday, the Bundestag passed the energy price brakes.
The price brakes for electricity and gas are intended to cushion the consequences of the sharp rise in prices for consumers and companies. The brakes are to apply to private households and small and medium-sized companies from March, with retrospective relief planned for January and February.
The prime ministers had put pressure on a “winter gap” in the relief to be closed. Weil said he’s glad there’s a consistent relief path. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), however, criticized that a “justice gap” in the case of oil and pellets was not being adequately closed.
For tenants there is a right to reduce the additional costs with the price brakes, as the SPD member of the Bundestag Zanda Martens told the “Bild” newspaper. Tenants must therefore receive the relief immediately from the landlord and may independently implement the reduction in the advance payment for operating costs indicated by the landlord. “Landlords are obliged to report how much the additional costs are reduced.” From March onwards, tenants can simply omit this amount when making the rental transfer.
Federal Council approves 200 euros energy price flat rate for students
The Federal Council has also cleared the way for the planned 200-euro one-time payment for students and technical school students to relieve the energy crisis. The chamber of the federal states refrained from appealing to the mediation committee, despite major differences of opinion with the federal government about the practical implementation of the project.
The approximately 3.4 million students and technical students still have to be patient. When they get the money is still open according to the current status. Work is still in progress on a planned online application platform. The federal and state governments still have to clarify questions about data exchange, data protection and the payment of the energy price flat rate. There is no central office that has all the data and account details of all students and technical students.