In Germany, amid rising energy prices, electricity prices for households have risen to record highs - and now that a severe winter is approaching, aid workers are increasingly worried that the crisis could be a severe blow to the poorest families. in the country, writes The Independent.
"Germany's heating tariffs have risen by about 30 percent since last year," Nina Olmeyer, director of the German Children's Legal Aid Fund, told the British newspaper. "In order to heat their apartments, poor families have to save on other basic goods and services - such as food or clothing. And the coronavirus has further complicated the situation, as people spend more time at home.
According to the EU's statistical office Eurostat, electricity tariffs for households in Germany in the first half of 2021 were the highest in the entire European Union - 0.3193 euros per kWh. Meanwhile, in addition to these costs, electricity bills in the country are charged with various fees, taxes and payments for the use of the network, for which the Germans have to pay even more, writes The Independent. According to the publication's observer, in October former German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to reduce household electricity costs by reducing the fee for maintaining energy from renewable sources by 42.7%, but as this measure will enter into force. force only in January 2022, poor families never felt the easing of the financial burden.
"The probability that people living near the poverty line will cross it has now increased, and all this is due to electricity tariffs," Nina Olmeyer said in an interview with The Independent. "Some families may not be able to buy gifts for their children, because otherwise they will have to leave them without heating. That's what worries us. "
As The Independent points out, almost 3 million children in Germany live below the poverty line; at the same time, although their share has historically been higher in the former GDR, they have recently become more and more common in Germany. And despite the fact that many families receive social support from the state, which covers most of the electricity bills, they still have to pay the basic rate themselves and it will have to increase in 2022, writes the British newspaper.
Energy security is one of the main priorities of the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition government, the article said. As part of an agreement between the parties in the new ruling coalition, Berlin plans to completely abandon coal by 2030 and gas by 2040, but this requires large-scale investments in the development of renewable energy - and these costs are already transferred to the shoulders of German consumers, writes The Independent.
A special role in the energy crisis in the EU was played by the "scandalous" Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was completed but did not start work, as operators are still waiting for the relevant permits from the European supervisory authorities, the author notes. "According to some," in response to these delays, Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to cut supplies of natural gas to Europe, which provoked the crisis, the journalist said. As he noted, the Russian leader himself vehemently denied such allegations - but Germany's active support for the construction of the pipeline, however, greatly angered the country's allies, who believe that Moscow could turn the project into a "political weapon."
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