Minister-President Sven Schulze of Saxony‑Anhalt, a member of the CDU, has urged consultations on relief measures for households and businesses in response to rising gasoline and energy prices linked to the war in the Middle East.
“Whether a new fuel discount is required cannot be decided so soon” Schulze told the magazine “Politico”. “What is important is that we develop mechanisms for a timely reaction. We must be prepared for the fact that if the situation continues there, European decisions will also have to follow”.
Schulze sees this issue as a key item on the agenda for the upcoming Prime Ministers’ Conference in Berlin on Thursday. “In any case, I expect that even during informal ‘Kamingesprächs’-when the prime ministers meet privately-we will discuss the impact of the difficult situation in the Middle East”.
He added that the discussion need not focus solely on whether the financial resources for relief are sufficient. “There are also structural conditions that could be reconfigured” he said, citing the carbon‑offset trading system (ETS) as an example. “The ETS burdens businesses and consumers alike”.
The CDU politician suggested that topics like this could be postponed or scaled back at the European level. “If we defer such measures, it would also relieve us” Schulze concluded.
