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Climate Minister Robert Habeck, EU colleagues (at a Council meeting in July)
Photo: Virginia Mayo / dpa
In the discussion about the EU emergency program against high energy prices, the member states are demanding more leeway for national solutions.
The package must take into account the "specific conditions" of the EU countries and their "existing measures," according to a draft by the Czech Council Presidency, which is available to SPIEGEL.
The paper summarizes the deliberations of the member states after the EU Commission presented its proposal last week.
He envisaged savings in electricity consumption and a so-called solidarity mechanism: Excessive profits from electricity producers are to be passed on to companies and consumers who are burdened.
Responsibility lies with national governments, say the power industry
In principle, the states are also committed to the goal of skimming off the chance profits from wind and solar parks that produce cheaply, as well as nuclear or coal-fired power plants.
However, they do not always want to apply the revenue limit of EUR 180 per megawatt hour proposed by the Commission.
Instead, governments should be allowed to stick to "national measures" with an "equivalent" result.
Further exceptions should be possible for hard coal piles, as well as for plants where the planned price limit could lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gases.
The "security of supply" must also be taken into account, according to the draft.
In the case of the planned aid payments for households and companies that are particularly hard hit, the states are also calling for existing national regulations to be recognized.
The prerequisite is that they pursue the same objectives and bring about similar results as the Commission proposal.
At the same time, the paper confirms that the planned savings of ten percent of gross electricity consumption can only be a voluntary service by the member states.
The European energy ministers must make the final decision by the end of the month.
If they follow the draft from Prague, the responsibility for the energy package would lie primarily with the member states, according to experts from the electricity industry.
The most important decisions would have to be made by the national governments in the coming weeks.