The heads of the traffic light coalition partners have agreed on measures to relieve the burden on citizens. Among other things, there is a fuel price brake and an energy price flat rate of 300 euros.
- The traffic light coalition’s relief package for citizens is in place. There are extensive mitigation measures the immensely increased energy costs – such as cheap public transport tickets and a family bonus.
- According to Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), the measures fall short: “It will not work if the federal government pushes the handling of its flash in the pan to the municipalities.”
- The coalition party leaders presented the results at a press conference on Thursday. (see update from March 24, 11:38 a.m.)
Update from March 24, 1:45 p.m.: Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has the federal government’s energy price relief package identified as insufficient. “The traffic light package falls short of expectations – too little, too complicated, only for a short time and no real relief for the economy,” Söder wrote on Twitter on Thursday. He described it as disappointing that the extension of the service life of German nuclear power plants had not been discussed.
Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) also criticized merkur.dethat the plans of the traffic light coalition would fall far short. Regarding the “Nine for Ninety” ticket, he explained: “With this offer, significantly more people will use trains and buses. That is very gratifying. Unfortunately, the federal government has not answered where the additional trains and buses are to be put on the tracks and roads overnight.”
The federal government is pushing the implementation to the districts, cities and the states: “It doesn’t work that way. It will not work if the federal government shifts the handling of its flash-in-the-pan to the municipalities, who are already doing outstanding things in the refugee situation.“
Fuel price brake, energy price flat rate & Co.: The relief package at a glance
Update from March 24, 11:38 am: In view of the high energy prices, the traffic light government was able to agree on an extensive relief package. Christian Lindner and the heads of the coalition announced the following points on Thursday:
- Energy flat rate: 300 euros one-off payment in 2022 via income tax to all taxpayers
- spit price: The energy tax is to be reduced for three months. 30 cents for petrol and 14 cents for diesel.
- ÖPNV: There should be a ticket for nine euros in public transport for 90 days
- Payment for welfare recipients: Another 100 euros will be paid out
- Familys: A one-off bonus of 100 euros is to be paid out for each child
Klingbeil: Energy price flat rate a “core” of the traffic light relief package
Update from March 24, 11:20 a.m.: FDP-Chief Lindner also promised relief for companies, but the details still have to be clarified. When asked, he explains that the costs of the second relief package roughly correspond to the costs of the first package. These are around 13 billion euros.
Update from March 24, 11:15 a.m.: SPD top politician Lars Klingbeil explains that a core part of the relief package is the energy price flat rate of 300 euros for all working citizens, which is to be paid out by the employer; for the self-employed it works via the tax office. There is also a child supplement of 100 euros for families.
Recipients of social benefits should another one-off payment due to the high energy prices receive. In addition to the 100 euros that have already been decided, a further 100 euros are to be paid out per person, as the leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP announced on Thursday after a coalition committee.
Traffic light relief package: special tax surcharge and fuel price brake are coming
Update from March 24, 11:10 a.m.: Party leader Ricarda Lang (Greens) explains that bus and train travel should become cheaper. Nationwide there will be monthly tickets for three months for only nine euros each in public transport. In addition, every newly installed heating system in Germany should be operated with at least 65 percent renewable energy.
Update from March 24, 11:00 a.m.: The press conference on the results of the relief package should start now, but the statement has been delayed. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) now appears in front of the camera: “The relief package is intended to give people in this country the confidence that we are able to act in the crisis.” According to Lindner, measures for energy diversification, energy efficiency and relief for citizens are planned. Specifically, there is a special surcharge for all taxpayers: a 300 euro energy price flat rate for citizens. There is also a tax cut on fuel: 30 cents per liter for petrol and 14 cents per liter for diesel. This should initially apply for three months.
Relief package from the traffic light coalition: Habeck reports on an “interesting night”
Update from March 24, 9.30 a.m.: Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) commented in the budget debate in the Bundestag on the relief package decided by the traffic light government with a view to the Ukraine war. Even with high prices, subsidies would make no sense unless consumption was reduced. The “need of the hour” is therefore to increase efficiency by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels.
“We had an interesting night, which led to a good result,” said the minister about the agreed package. Especially in the area of efficiency it will set “exclamation marks”. “This is how a turning point is made, this is how a turning point is made, this is how we free ourselves from the grip that has been tightening around Germany in recent years, either through ignorance or strategic blindness,” said Habeck.
Update from March 24, 8:21 am: Since Wednesday evening, the heads of the traffic light coalition have been negotiating a relief package in response to the rise in energy prices. Now there is a breakthrough. Measures to save energy are also planned.
In view of the increased energy prices, the heads of the traffic light coalition partners (SPD, Greens, FDP) have agreed on a relief package. “Extensive and decisive measures” are planned to relieve the burden on citizens, as the German Press Agency learned from coalition circles on Thursday morning. The coalition has also agreed on measures to strengthen “energy independence”. The results are to be published in the morning. The talks had started at 9 p.m. the night before.
Federal government decides package of measures – Greens are pushing for measures to save energy
In the debate were several measures to relieve citizens and companies. However, a push by FDP leader and finance minister Christian Lindner for a fuel subsidy met with resistance. SPD and Greens also want to make mobility cheaper, but at the same time relieve people with low incomes more. The Greens are also pushing for measures to save energy.
Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had called more efforts to save energy as a condition for a relief package. For example, he had described gas heaters as a “discontinued model”. The German government’s aim is to reduce dependence on gas, oil and coal from Russia in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The federal government rejects an energy embargo.
Ukraine war: Putin’s announcement is likely to make consultations more difficult
A coalition working group had previously failed in several rounds to reach an agreement on relief in response to rising prices. However, a “broad basis” has been developed not only for new relief, but also for decisive measures to strengthen energy independence, it said.
The deliberations are likely to be complicated by the surprising announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian gas deliveries will in future be paid for in rubles. Habeck called the announcement a breach of the contracts. The federal government will discuss the step with its European partners. The gas industry was irritated.
Traffic light relief package stands: “Extensive measures” against high energy prices
Berlin – The tips of the traffic light coalition partners SPD*, Green* and PDF* have agreed on “extensive and decisive measures to relieve the burden on citizens and to strengthen energy independence”. The German press agency learned this on Thursday morning from coalition circles. The results should be published in the morning. (came/lma/dpa) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Further information follows.