Until now, the alert level has only had an effect within the energy industry, but with the amendment of the Energy Security Act, gas suppliers have been given the right to adjust prices towards their customers.
The German government is preparing to declare the second level of alarm provided by the contingency plan for natural gas due to reduced flows from the Russian Gazprom. This is exclusive information of Welt, which in the meantime is retransmitted by other media and which it has extracted from circles of the energy industry. It probably means another wave of increases for gas consumers. In fact, as the newspaper points out, Undersecretary of Economy and Climate Protection Patrick Graichen prepared the energy industry yesterday Monday for the next step, which is expected in five to ten days.
“Up to 2000 euros additional cost”
«“A precondition for declaring the emergency level of the emergency plan is the serious reduction of gas flows or the prolonged technical damage of important infrastructure”, the author points out. “The high risk of long-term insufficient supply (of gas) can also trigger the alarm level. These criteria appear to be met. The alarm level is followed by the third and final step, (ie the emergency level), which is declared when there are natural signs of distress in Germany.».
According to Welt, so far the alert level has only had an effect within the energy industry, but with the amendment of the Energy Security Act in May, gas suppliers were given the right to adjust prices to their customers as soon as the Federal Bureau of Investigation published the alarm level in a press release. Suppliers who are forced to buy expensive gas to replace Russian quantities can then pass on the additional costs directly to their customers. The scope of the additional markets (natural gas) is currently unknown.
«Therefore, it is also uncertain how big the price increase will be after the announcement of the alarm level “, the newspaper notes. According to reports, “the energy sector, industry and the federal government are still debating whether separate regulation is required by the Ministry of Finance to pass on the cost of purchase. Why the government wants to activate the alarm now is not entirely clear. Politicians may want to protect consumers from overpayments when they get their next annual gas bill. As wholesale gas prices have almost doubled, consumer advice centers estimate a three-person household could face an additional € 2,000 payment.».
Germany as a leading power?
A diplomatic marathon awaits Chancellor Soltz, starting with tomorrow’s EU Summit, the summit of the world’s 7 most developed countries in the Bavarian city of Elmau, and finally, the NATO Summit in Madrid. The German chancellor will be in the spotlight, especially in the G7 team as host. Expectations are high, says the columnist of the website Tagesschau.de.
«The eyes, the cameras and the microphones are on the man whose foreign policy actions so far have caused skepticism.“, He reminds. «For example, it took him a long time to freeze the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In interviews, he did not even want to mention the name of the project, which is highly controversial in the east of the EU. He has been repeatedly asked to travel to Kyiv at last, but this chancellor does not want to be urged to do things.». The columnist finally wonders if Olaf Solz’s plans are to do it Germany leader power. «There is no shortage of important tasks on the world stage“, He underlines. «According to what ideas does Solz want to reform the EU so that it can join even a country like Ukraine? How will the wheat embargo in Ukraine be overcome? How will NATO persuade Turkey to agree to the accession of Sweden and Finland? The chain of summits should not be a walk for the chancellor“, Concludes the commentator.
A similar critical look at the chancellor’s actions so far on the occasion of the three summits can be read in Spiegel. «Anyone who has heard of Soltz on several occasions has experienced a steadfast chancellor“, points out. «After initial hesitations, he now proceeds according to the principle that “I am not Emperor William” (ss. was the last German emperor and king of Prussia). Its primary goal is to keep Germany out of the war, to avoid an armed conflict with Russia and therefore a nuclear conflict. He takes a critical look at Ukrainian politics and distances himself from President Zelensky, without having the slightest sympathy for Vladimir Putin. The harsh, sometimes angry, criticism he receives for his policies leaves him indifferent. He knows that depending on how the war ends, he could be accused of betraying Ukraine. And yet, Soltz promised solid governance during the election campaign, and from now on one can say that he is playing a leading role in the Ukrainian. “But one wonders if it is in the right direction.”
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