Austria acts in the energy price crisis - chancellor now announces money blessing for the citizens

Created: 2022-01-29 06:17

Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) (archive photo).

© Georges Schneider/imago

What to do against painfully high energy prices?

Austria is advancing - with a one-time payment blessing for the citizens.

It is intended to prevent emergencies.

Vienna – Germany is arguing about how to deal with high energy costs – Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) only had to face allegations of inaction in the Bundestag on Friday.

While the traffic light relies on indirect effects through the abolition of the EEG levy, neighboring Austria is taking very direct and striking measures:

The ÖVP-Green government considers the citizens with one-off payments.

This was announced by the new Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on Friday in Vienna.

Nehammer was recently heavily criticized on the subject of Corona.

Austria: 1.7 billion euros against energy price "emergencies" - Chancellor announces windfall

According to Nehammer, almost all households receive a one-time payment of 150 euros.

Around 750,000 particularly needy people would also receive an additional 150 euros.

The state is also suspending the green electricity flat rate this year.

This relieves a household of around 100 euros and an average commercial enterprise of around 67,000 euros, it said.

Overall, the relief package has a volume of 1.7 billion euros.

"We want to prevent emergencies with this relief," said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP).

In Austria, too, energy costs have risen sharply in recent months.

In December, the increase in energy costs was around 24 percent compared to the same month last year.

In December 2021, heating oil cost around 44 percent more than a year ago, and the price of petrol was 31 percent higher than the previous year.

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