Erfurt (dpa/th) - The relief proposals of the Expert Commission for Gas and Heat have met with a mixed response from Thuringian parties. While the SPD spoke of a quick and noticeable relief on Monday, the left called the results disappointing. According to the state parliamentary group, they are not sufficient to intercept the existential threat to private households and small companies. Rather, monthly basic quotas are needed so that people can get through the winter. CDU faction leader Mario Voigt called for a strategy to reactivate decommissioned nuclear power plants and domestic gas production as a national reserve.
According to the Commission's proposal, gas and district heating customers should be relieved in December with a one-off payment. It should serve as a bridge until the start of the regular gas price brake in March. From January, large industrial companies are to have their own gas price brake. In addition, the experts propose a hardship fund for tenants and homeowners as well as additional help for companies that are particularly affected.
According to SPD energy politician Denny Möller, the time for a legally secure implementation by the beginning of December is extremely tight. He also warned of an earlier start of the gas price brake. It would be better to introduce this in February. He also complained that households and companies that use liquid gas were not taken into account. That affects a lot of people in the country.
According to Christian Democrat Voigt, a decision should have been made in the summer: "Effective help for citizens and the economy is overdue." The energy policy spokeswoman for the AfD parliamentary group, Nadine Hoffmann, called for all energy sources to be used, for electricity to be decoupled from gas prices, and for the Nord Stream pipelines to be repaired and put into operation.
