In order to relieve consumers, the federal government caps the price of gas, district heating and electricity for 80 percent of consumption. He pays the energy companies the difference to the market price. The Federal Cartel Office is setting up a new department so that the corporations do not cash in on excessive prices.
The Bundeskartellamt has started setting up a department to prevent energy suppliers from using the gas and electricity price brakes to their advantage. The state is making "huge financial resources" available to relieve consumers and industry - if individual companies take advantage of this, the office will pursue abusive behavior, explained the head of the authority, Andreas Mundt. In suspicious cases, the cartel office will check whether prices have been increased unjustifiably.
The energy price brakes for gas and district heating as well as for electricity should take effect from March, and they should also apply retrospectively for January and February. The state thus caps the price for gas, district heating and electricity for 80 percent of consumption - and pays the suppliers the difference to the market price. There are fears that companies could take advantage of this and charge above market prices.
For the Cartel Office, abuse control is "a whole new area of responsibility," Mundt explained. It is not about protecting competition, but above all about protecting taxpayers and ensuring that companies do not increase their prices without increasing their own costs and thus abuse government subsidies. Violations can be punished with fines, explained Mundt. Compensation payments obtained illegally would have to be reimbursed.
The head of the authority reported that in the past few weeks, many citizens had already sent their notifications about price increases for gas, electricity and district heating to the cartel office for examination. Mundt made it clear that the Cartel Office is not the competent body for objections to price increases and also not for approving a price increase. This is also not provided for in the regulations of the energy price brakes.
