Saturday, January 01, 2022
CDU economic council concerned
Industry is endangered by high electricity prices
In Germany, electricity prices continue to reach record levels. The CDU Economic Council expects “fatal consequences” for the industry and calls for measures such as lowering the electricity tax. The high gasoline and diesel prices are also worrying.
The Economic Council of the CDU sees the massive rise in electricity prices increasingly as a danger for citizens and the economy. Secretary General Wolfgang Steiger explained: “In order to avoid distortions of competition and avert further fatal consequences for our industrial location, the traffic light coalition must now take countermeasures. We cannot afford to lose the connection in this phase of transformation.” Germany has by far the highest electricity prices in all of Europe. “This represents a significant disadvantage for companies that already offer innovative technologies and solutions.”
The electricity tax must be reduced to a European minimum, demanded Steiger. Income from European emissions trading would have to be used to promote renewable energies and thus serve as the basis for a market-based funding program.
Steiger also called the high prices for gasoline and diesel worrying. “If energy prices continue to rise, this will make the mobility factor much more expensive. This not only damages the logistics sector, but also places a heavy burden on employees who are dependent on cars due to the lack of alternatives.” The coalition should not lose sight of this aspect in the first days of the new legislature and should work towards relief.
Steiger also warned against wrong decisions in terms of climate and energy policy, which could massively weaken Europe as an “economic powerhouse”. “While the argument about the sustainability of nuclear power and natural gas continues in Europe, the US is negotiating long-term contracts with China for the supply of liquefied natural gas. If the European Commission ignores the risk of permanently high energy prices and a lack of security of supply in its decisions, the consequences would be fatal. ” Climate policy must always also be foreign policy.