Germany’s industry and the high energy costs.
(Photo: dpa)
With its cabinet decision on Friday, the federal government has improved its plans for curbing electricity and gas prices at a crucial point: it is refraining from retrospectively skimming off the proceeds from certain electricity producers. Now the laws on electricity and gas price brakes can go their way through parliament, during which they will certainly be improved in many places. That’s not bad at all, many consumers will be grateful that the dramatic price increase hasn’t hit them hard.
But there is no reason for the federal government to sit back for even a moment. Because the energy price brakes are just a band-aid. They will not even be enough to allow all companies in energy-intensive industries to survive.
The fateful question of the European, especially the German industry remains unanswered: How can an energy price level be achieved that is permanently competitive? In recent years, many companies in this country have been able to come to terms with the significantly lower prices for electricity and gas in China, the USA and other countries. They have invested in efficiency technologies and negotiated relief in tough negotiations with politicians. That was enough to keep production going.
But in the meantime the gap has become so great that it can no longer be glossed over. Especially not with a temporary gas or electricity price brake. Permanent solutions are needed. It was Olaf Scholz himself who, as a candidate for chancellor, promised an industrial electricity price of four cents per kilowatt hour of electricity – a value that sounds today as if it came from another world. But Scholz has made it clear that he takes the topic seriously. In the coming months he will have to offer solutions that go far beyond the energy price brakes. Otherwise the de-industrialization of Germany cannot be stopped.
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