Traffic light puts together a relief package: more money for everyone – against Putin
Created: 03/25/2022, 14:28
By: Georg Anastasiadis
A commentary by Merkur Editor-in-Chief Georg Anastasiadis.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa/Klaus Haag
The traffic light's energy relief package is a compromise that has something for every budget.
And it is an important contribution to making Germany defensive against Putin, comments Georg Anastasiadis.
The traffic light has put together its second relief package, and anyone who wants to can see reassuring signals of normalcy in times of war.
Because despite Putin, the laws of party democracy continue to work in Germany: the artfully balanced coalition compromise has something for every budget.
The SPD and the Greens have managed to ensure that low earners and families benefit more from the energy price discounts and subsidies, but the well-heeled voters of the FDP have also considered the traffic light with the reduction of energy taxes on fuel.
The idea of allowing all citizens to use local public transport for nine euros is clever and almost revolutionary by German standards;
one can be curious about the chorus of doubters in the public transport associations.
At this turning point, we will still have to pass many difficult stress tests
The traffic light government wants to make Germany defensive in these bad times, and the energy relief package is an important contribution to this.
The more our country - like the entire West - stays together socially, the fewer Germans have to worry about whether they should freeze for Ukraine, the fewer wedges Putin can drive into our defensive front.
Because let's not kid ourselves: we will still have to pass many difficult stress tests at this turning point.
So far, the chancellor has firmly rejected an energy embargo on Russia, but the question remains as to when Putin's increasingly cruel war and pressure from allies will force a new response.
The day is also approaching when Scholz must make it clear to his coalition partner that more energy money is not enough for the citizens, that our country,
