Federal-state dispute over 200-euro payment for students

Berlin The payment of the energy money in the amount of 200 euros to the three million students and technical students in Germany could drag on until spring. Because the culture committee of the Federal Council decided on Friday to recommend a referral to the mediation committee. The Handelsblatt found out from Federal Council circles. The background is a dispute between the federal and state governments over the processing of the payment.

The federal government had initially simply forgotten the students as well as the pensioners with the energy price flat rate of 300 euros for all employees and self-employed. Then she followed suit, and at the beginning of December the Bundestag decided on a lump sum of 200 euros for each student in order to help finance the increased heating and electricity costs.

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) had announced that the money should flow “right at the beginning of next year, i.e. in winter”. This was contradicted by the President of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK), Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Education Karin Prien (CDU).