For the Austrian economy, work on an EU-wide gas price ceiling and the decoupling of electricity and gas prices is progressing too slowly. One sees oneself under pressure from events in Germany, where the government is currently finalizing a national solo effort. “Austria must also take action!” demands the Chamber of Commerce.
Electricity, gas and fuel prices have been skyrocketing for months. With serious consequences for the economy: More and more companies in more and more sectors are complaining about exorbitant additional costs, which have now reached a level that threatens their survival, explains the Styrian Chamber of Commerce President Josef Herk. “There is a risk of a European system failure. Austria, as an export country – including its suppliers – is directly dependent on Germany and must therefore also take rapid steps in the area of gas prices. The federal government must now quickly present an unbureaucratic, automated, application-free gas price solution model,” emphasizes Herk.
His counterpart in Vorarlberg, Wilfried Hopfner, follows the same line: “In view of this looming European systemic failure, individual EU countries will now have to find their own individual solutions. This is not a good signal for the joint effort to tackle the problem of tackling energy and electricity prices at the root.”
Tourism “is up in the air”
The chairman of the World Cup tourism division, Robert Seeber, also calls for an extension of the state aid measures: “Since the recently decided energy cost subsidy only covers the energy-saving period from February to September and the main energy sources such as district heating, biomass or heating oil are not included, our operations for the winter season are still in the doldrums Air, we get desperate calls every day from affiliated companies.” If there is an electricity price brake for private households and a gas or energy price brake is introduced in Germany, “it is high time that something is done quickly for our companies in Austria so that they can survive the winter”, Seeber’s appeal to politicians.
Price caps and VAT reductions
A committee of experts set up by the German government has presented a phased model to relieve gas customers. This ensures a one-off payment this year and a gas price brake in the coming year. A government spokesman said Monday that the federal government wants to quickly examine the proposal and discuss its implementation. Some other EU countries have had similar gas and electricity price caps or VAT reductions for months, including France, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
