Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) sets the traffic light government a deadline for the implementation of the gas price cap. “I expect the gas price cap to be in place in October,” Weil told the “Bild am Sonntag”.
The price cap for electricity and gas should apply to both private households and the economy. It is “right that the federal government does not want to present an immature model”. “But the commission must not sit forever,” demanded Weil, who is applying for a third term in the state elections on October 9. “Most private contracts with utilities run until the end of the year, people need clarity quickly.”
The federal government’s current relief package does not go far enough. He lacks “the concept for the economy,” he said. Many companies are under enormous pressure, “from small bakers to large chemical parks. International companies are already beginning to relocate production to countries with lower energy costs. If we don’t take countermeasures, we will lose a lot of substance and, above all, jobs.”
Weil is also urging hurry on the electricity price brake. “If the EU doesn’t come up with a concrete proposal for a solution very quickly, the federal government should go ahead alone. The electricity price brake has to come in the fall.”
In addition, Weil called for “an effective bundle of aid programs like Corona”. The federal government should “not frantically put together new rescue programs every few months, but must now set the right course.” It is clear that this will cost money, and so much that the debt brake will not be able to be complied with. “But if we let the companies go bankrupt, it will end up being very bitter for many and much more expensive for the public purse.”
