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Olaf Scholz in his video message
Photo: Screenshot / Mediathek / bundeskanzler.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees Germany well prepared for the energy crisis.
»We will arm ourselves as a country because we are a country based on solidarity.
We'll get through it," said Scholz in his weekly video message "Kanzler compact" published on Saturday.
"We live in serious times," said the SPD politician.
Not only did the people in Ukraine feel this, but also »we in Europe and many in the world«.
But Germany has prepared – for example, that Russia will largely stop its gas supplies.
After maintenance work and an alleged technical defect, nothing has been flowing to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 line since last week.
The federal government is preparing for this to remain the case.
Scholz referred to the construction of liquid gas terminals on the north German coasts, the comparatively high filling level of the gas storage facilities, the planned use of coal-fired power plants to generate electricity and the continued operation of nuclear power plants, which is also planned for emergencies.
In addition, the federal government put together an aid package to relieve people.
"Nobody" will be left alone, he promised repeatedly.
Last weekend, the parties in the traffic light coalition agreed on a third relief package worth 65 billion euros in view of the sharp rise in energy and living costs.
Among other things, it provides for direct payments for pensioners and students, a heating cost subsidy for housing benefit recipients and an increase in child benefit.
An electricity price brake is also planned.
There is clear criticism of the package from the opposition.
CSU boss Markus Söder, for example, considers the measures to be “a bill at the expense of the federal states and the effect is controversial”.
The federal government would have to invest significantly more money.
The left thinks support for low-income people is not enough.
dab/dpa/AFP
