Germany agrees on a third aid package in connection with the energy crisis

MOSCOW, 4 Sep — PRIME. The German government, after long discussions, agreed on a third package of assistance to citizens in connection with the energy crisis. The negotiations took place within a government coalition consisting of the SPD, FDP and the Greens.

“We are very attentive to these concerns, and therefore, in recent days and weeks, representatives of the coalition parties have been discussing how the state can provide the necessary assistance,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The size of the new package will be 65 billion euros. Thus, taking into account the previous two packages, the authorities will allocate a total of 95 billion euros to support the country’s residents in the face of skyrocketing fuel prices. The head of Germany called this amount significant, but necessary so that the Germans could more easily overcome difficult times.

The chancellor said he “understands” citizens’ concerns about the future caused by high fuel prices and rising electricity and gas bills.

As specified, the third assistance package includes:

• a one-time payment to students in the amount of 200 euros,
• a one-time payment to pensioners in the amount of 300 euros,
• a one-time heating subsidy of 415 euros for recipients of housing allowances,
• increase in child allowance by 18 euros per month,
• allocation of 1.5 billion euros for a nationwide ticket for local public transport.

Due to problems with the supply of Russian fuel, Germany faces an energy collapse. Against this background, the country’s authorities have several times called on citizens to save energy and decided to introduce a two-year gas fee of 2.4 euro cents per kilowatt-hour. The measure will take effect from October this year.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz previously told the German publication Bild am Sonntag that if the government continues to phase out nuclear power, West Germans could face a power outage this winter.