The dispute over the price of petrol continues to make waves.
The SPD even accuses the Greens of doing a “disservice” to the climate.
But a renowned economist turns the tables.
Berlin - does history repeat itself?
Before the Bundestag election in 1998, the Greens got off to a strong start - and with the debate about a petrol price of five marks and the debate about a peacekeeping operation by the Bundeswehr in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the polling momentum was shot up.
23 years later, the party is fighting again in a gasoline price dispute before the first ballot after the Merkel era, along with a quarrel over arms deliveries.
The arguments of the competition sound similar to 1998. Even if the world around has changed in the meantime - and higher energy costs have long been a government agenda.
Baerbock heavily criticized: SPD and CSU shoot sharply - "disservice to our environment"
For Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock *, climate protection is "above all a fight against motorists," said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume of the
Augsburger Allgemeine
. Mobility shouldn't be a luxury, emphasized Blume: “Climate protection is only possible with people, not against them. We will not allow rural areas and commuters to bear the burden unilaterally. "
The SPD also took up the issue again shortly before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt *. "Anyone who wants to turn the fuel price screw like Annalena Baerbock or Andreas Jung from the CDU is terrifying those who are dependent on their cars and who have to keep their budget on a tight budget," said party leader Saskia Esken to the
editorial network Germany
. "Such maneuvers may lead to citizens turning away from common commitment to our climate," she added. "That would be a disservice to our environment."
In her statement, Esken also alluded to the conservatives' climate plans: Union parliamentary group vice Andreas Jung (CDU) had pleaded in mid-May for the CO2 price to rise faster than planned. In fact, Angela Merkel's GroKo - including the CSU and SPD - wants to raise the price of carbon dioxide emissions in the course of climate protection efforts. A fixed CO2 price of 25 euros per ton has been in force since the beginning of the year. According to the previous plans, it should rise to 55 euros by 2025.
According to calculations, this would mean a surcharge of at least 15.5 cents for a liter of petrol and at least 17.4 cents for a liter of diesel.
The Greens want to raise the CO2 price to 60 euros by 2023.
Baerbock had previously advocated a gasoline price increase of 16 cents - according to her party's draft program.
From the perspective of the Greens, 6 cents of this has already been made with the CO2 price on gasoline at the beginning of the year.
The differences in content are actually manageable.
Greens want to increase petrol prices: Ifo boss changes to "Daily Issues" perspective - "Coalition itself decided"
The head of the Ifo Institute, Clemens Fuest, supported Baerbock's argument. In the ARD “Tagesthemen” he referred to the fact that the coalition itself had decided to increase the price of CO2. In the meantime, the climate targets have been made even more ambitious. You have to draw conclusions from this. The CO2 price is the most important instrument in climate policy. There is much to be said in favor of increasing it faster. “That is a problem for these people,” admitted Fuest with a view to financially weaker commuters. However, there are instruments to return higher costs - for example via the commuter allowance.
The Green parliamentary group leader Anton Hofreiter argued similarly on Thursday.
The Union and the SPD had just decided on a higher climate target, but refused to implement their decisions.
Now "Scholz, Scheuer and Co. ignited the next level of dishonesty".
Although they had decided to increase the price of CO2 themselves, they started a “populist petrol rage campaign”.
He turned the tables: "Anyone who stirs up fears and spreads half-truths deliberately undermines acceptance of the central future task of climate protection," he emphasized.
Petrol dispute: Greens refer to “energy money” plans - Baerbock wants to change e-car subsidies
Meanwhile, Baerbock has presented new plans: In the event of an election victory, it wants to encourage commuters without a company car and with low incomes to buy an electric car.
The current system is definitely not fair, said the Green Chancellor candidate in the
Handelsblatt
.
Baerbock also told the paper that the price of CO2 would have to continue to rise in order to further stimulate climate protection innovations.
At the same time, she referred to wanting to relieve the burden on low-wage earners in particular: "That means we are giving the income from the CO2 price back to the people as energy money, divided fairly per capita, and lowering the electricity price." Above all, low earners and families benefit from this .
Climate and gasoline prices: Left doubt the sense of reimbursement - environmental associations write "fire letter"
A corresponding passage can also be found in the party's election manifesto presented weeks ago. Left parliamentary group leader Amira Mohammed Ali warned, however, that there would be a difference, especially for people with low and middle incomes, if they had to make advance payments and wait for some amount to be returned from the state. The left had recently accused the Greens of “unbearable arrogance” - but received contractions from a charity.
Meanwhile, several environmental associations appealed to the party leaders of the CDU / CSU, SPD, FDP, Left and Greens not to campaign at the expense of the climate before the federal election *. A party dispute over the best measures for climate protection is necessary. With a “dishonest election campaign at the expense of the climate and biodiversity”, however, the acceptance in the population that is necessary for climate protection “is being deliberately or negligently destroyed”, according to the statement from Thursday evening, which was headed as a “fire letter”. (
fn / dpa / AFP) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
.
