The government coalition's fuel price taskforce reaffirmed Wednesday its commitment to implement rapid emergency measures as the Iran war threatens to escalate energy costs and disrupt broader economic stability across Germany.
"The challenges will increase," said Sepp Müller (CDU), co-chair of the taskforce, during a morning press conference in Berlin. If circumstances demand it, additional measures should be rolled out "in a fast-track procedure," he emphasized. "We are not leaving people out in the rain," Müller stated. The coalition is acting "quickly, decisively, sustainably."
Armand Zorn (SPD), the taskforce's other co-chair, highlighted that as part of the so-called second relief package, further measures will be implemented "this week and next week." These include the already approved temporary reduction of the energy tax on petrol and diesel by 17 cents per liter for two months, as well as enabling employers to pay employees a tax-free "relief bonus" of up to 1,000 euros.
"We must unfortunately assume that this crisis will continue and that the consequences will be felt more strongly in Germany," Zorn added. Therefore, the coalition factions' focus in the coming weeks should be directed "not only at short-term relief measures" but also more strongly toward "structural changes" to achieve less dependence on fossil energies in the future.
There are certainly still "differences" within the coalition, the SPD politician acknowledged. "But we also know what responsibility we have and how necessary it is that we act quickly," he said. For this reason, he was grateful to Müller "that we have so far succeeded in handling our differences internally and always working constructively together going forward."
Not even "a sheet of paper" would fit between the coalition factions "when it comes to ability to act," Müller added. What has been initiated in the second relief package has "full support of the coalition factions." At the same time, the coalition is preparing for further measures. "Currently, we are discussing fuel prices - nobody is talking about kerosene running out," the CDU politician noted. "No one is talking about helium," which is a component of microchips, he added.
If the first chip factories in the world announce that in six and a half weeks no more chips will be produced, "major challenges" are to be expected in the automotive industry, among others, in the third and fourth quarters. "That is why one or the other discussion that we are currently experiencing in Germany is an affected discussion by commuters and the middle class," Müller said.
"But if this crisis continues longer, we will not only see commuters and the middle class affected, but every single person in Germany." "We will not be able to cushion everything," Müller emphasized. "But what we are trying are structural changes," he added, pointing to greater independence from fossil energy imports and a stronger focus on "renewable energies and domestic energy sources." This path should be pursued "continuously" and "together."
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