Trouble for Scholz from the MPK?

Weil Hints at Poisoned Relief "Advice" - "No One Else Will Understand"

Created: 10/21/2022 12:52 p.m

By: Florian Naumann, Anna Lorenz

The MPK wants to prepare the ground for relief resolutions - without Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The countries have so many requirements.

Update from October 21, 12:10 p.m .:

The Prime Ministers could put massive pressure on the gas brakes in their chancellor-less round in Hanover: They could collectively demand a start of the relief as early as January.

That's what Stephan Weil, the chairman of the Prime Ministers' Conference (MPK), indicated.

"It is absolutely necessary from my point of view," said the SPD politician on Friday morning before the second day of the MPK: "I think that will be the unanimous advice of the 16 federal states to the federal government today." The proposed procedure, a gas price brake introducing them in December, suspending them in January and February and then only allowing relief again in March, nobody will understand, Weil criticized.

He recently won the election in Lower Saxony - and is now considered a further pole of power in the SPD alongside Scholz.

Weil also said he regretted the end of the fuel discount.

Lower Saxony is a large area, many people with low incomes have to commute long distances to work in the morning and are dependent on the car.

These people should be supported.

"To be honest, I don't have any hope that this will be corrected now," said the SPD politician.

The Bundestag has meanwhile given the green light for the federal government's defense shield, dubbed "double boom".

Update from October 20, 3:20 p.m .:

The prime ministers of the federal states have now started their two-day deliberations on the further course of the energy crisis.

A kick-off photo at Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover showed the full 16-strong team of state leaders before the start of the talks.

The prime ministers on Thursday in front of Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover.

© Michael Matthey/dpa

The new head of the MPK, Stephan Weil, does not expect substantial decisions to be made until the next meeting in early November.

The difficult financial issues ranged from local public transport to the financing of refugee accommodation.

"They are now clearly ready for a decision, so we want to get to the bottom of it quickly," said the SPD politician.

He assumes that the prime ministers' conference on November 2, together with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), will come to the final conclusions.

When it comes to housing for refugees, there must be help from the federal and state governments, said Weil.

The federal states see themselves as administrators of the municipalities towards the federal government on this issue.

It's a difficult situation for everyone.

"For example, it has to be about the federal government, but certainly also the federal states everywhere, doing their part so that more accommodation options are created." The municipalities should be helped to cope with the difficult tasks.

MPK without Scholz: Important next date probably on November 2nd

Update from October 20th, 2.30 p.m .:

The next consultation of the countries with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will take place on November 2nd.

This was announced by a spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony state government.

had previously

reported about it.

Lower Saxony is the chair of the Prime Ministers' Conference (MPK).

In the talks with the chancellor in November, the implementation of the announced gas price brake could become more concrete, but also the successor solution for a nationwide local transport ticket.

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Today and tomorrow, the federal states are already meeting in Hanover - the further course in the energy crisis is the focus of the talks.

Scholz is not there.

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) are expected on Friday.

Meanwhile, an alliance of four countries is putting pressure on federal politics away from the big meetings: Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are demanding that Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach end the facility-related compulsory vaccination.

MPK before new Zoff?

Wüst demands speed for relief – and help with the refugees

Update from October 20, 10 a.m.:

NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) increased the pressure on the traffic light before the Prime Ministers’ Conference: He calls for more speed in the implementation of the planned relief projects.

In particular, he expects more clarity from the two-day talks about how the recommendations of the gas price commission will be dealt with, said Wüst in the ZDF "Morgenmagazin".

Wüst also called for a different distribution of refugees.

NRW is the federal state in Germany that has taken in the most refugees from Ukraine.

"Of course we need more solidarity from the countries," said Wüst on the show.

"Above all, we also need the commitment of the federal government in Europe," said the North Rhine-Westphalia boss with a view to the simultaneous meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU states in Brussels with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

In the meantime, Scholz has emphasized in a government statement that nobody should be afraid of being overwhelmed financially in the energy crisis.

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) replied that the federal government had "argued the most and achieved the least" in Europe on the issue of dismissal.

Scholz will not take part in the prime ministers' conference because of the EU summit.

MPK: Energy crisis and relief main topic

Preliminary report:

Berlin - "In the next two days there will be important topics on the agenda," said Stephan Weil's (SPD) digital greeting to the Prime Minister's annual conference, which will take place on Thursday (20/21 October) in Hanover.

The politician clearly defines the goal of the meeting: "It is important to prepare the upcoming, important decisions well so that the next meeting with the Federal Chancellor can quickly get things done."

There should be enough to talk about at the conference.

Among other things, “the energy supply and the energy price cap” would be discussed, so “it is also good that Federal Minister of Economics Habeck and Federal Minister of Finance Lindner are coming to Hanover”.

As Weil informed the German Press Agency, Habeck will inform the ministers on Friday about the status of the examination of the expert commission's proposal.

This had proposed a two-stage relief procedure: As a "financial bridge to the regular introduction of the gas price brake", the federal government should therefore take over the advance payments in December 2022;

From March 2023 to the end of April 2024, prices are to be reduced to twelve cents per kilowatt hour for 80 percent of an estimated basic quota.

MPK in Lower Saxony: Debate on relief proposal by the expert commission planned

The model had not caused any jubilation in advance - according to Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), the previous concepts of the "Wumms" were missing and Weil also commented

critically on the proposal to the

"The timeline proposed by the expert commission does not make sense to me: In December, gas customers will pay on account, in January and February the high prices should apply and only from March will the gas price cap come into effect," summarized the Prime Minister: "Then understand nobody anymore,” he warned.

On behalf of the citizens, Weil demands "clarity about what relief in energy prices they can expect in the coming months".

North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) emphasized that the Prime Ministers' Conference was "an important problem solver for all of Germany." the Conference of Heads of Government.”