German Chancellor announces new package of anti-inflation measures to relieve the population and especially those who have “very little”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced a third package of emergency measures for the German population in light of the current energy crisis, high inflation, the rising cost of living and the effects of the war in Ukraine. “Citizens and citizens can rest assured that we will not leave them alone. A new package is coming,” Scholz said at the traditional summer press conference. “We will do everything possible for the citizens to overcome these difficult times”, especially those “who have very little”, said the Social Democratic leader, who, however, declined to go into details or comment on deadlines for the German executive’s new initiative.
The head of the government pointed out that the country has every opportunity “to get through this time well” and praised as “a great help” the initiative for the tax relief of the Germans presented this Wednesday by the head of the Treasury, the liberal Christian Lidner, although he hinted that he thinks it is insufficient. It is clear that “we need to conclude a joint package that includes all populations,” he said in that regard.
Scholz was convinced that a new catalog of help and downloads for citizens could be produced without incurring debt and without additional budgets. “I support that the 2023 budgets adhere to the rules of the fundamental law and I am convinced that in this way everything can be financed,” said the Chancellor, who was equally sure that mass protests due to the energy-saving measures introduced some politicians predict in light of possible restrictions due to the war. “No, I don’t think there will be riots in Germany because we are a social state. The German response is to go shoulder to shoulder,” emphasized Olaf Scholz.
Regarding Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian gas, he stressed that “we are only dealing with the negligence of recent years, which is really great in this regard”, referring to the policy of his predecessor in office, the conservative Angela Merkel. . He acknowledged that in the past, when the SPD was a junior partner of the Conservatives, common decisions had been made to stop coal-fired power production and phase out nuclear power plants, but none about accelerating industrial modernization of the country. country.
When asked whether he would describe Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, Scholz avoided a direct answer, although he emphasized that “Putin is responsible for this war” and said that “there is no doubt” that it is “a criminal war.” “is. ». He added that it is necessary to take all necessary measures to clarify these crimes, stressed that work is underway within the European Union and insisted that Ukraine receive the full support of the EU. “We support Ukraine financially and we have assumed that everything related to this war affects the whole world,” said Scholz, who declined to comment on future arms shipments. He went on to stress that Russia must bear in mind that the conflict “will not lead to a dictated peace as the Russian president and his leading political forces were likely to initially believe”.
Scholz shone for the first time since coming to power last December in the already traditional summer press conference hosted by Angela Merkel. However, it was not a premiere for the Social Democratic leader in the conference room of the international press center in Berlin, where he has answered questions from journalists 34 times in the past, 23 of them as finance minister.
The Chancellor voluntarily submitted to the questioning of a hundred media representatives, who not only discussed the crisis caused by inflation and the war in Ukraine, but also asked him about the financial scandal of a bank in Hamburg when he was mayor of the city. . Just in recent years, Olaf Scholz claimed to have stated about the case, including before Justice, and noted that it has been “two and a half years of countless performances and countless minutes that have led to only one result: there is no knowledge that There has been some kind of political influence.During his tenure as mayor-governor of Hamburg, the local treasury forfeited a tax debt of 47 million from a bank. Scholz has vehemently denied any connection to that scandal.
Source: La Verdad
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