Because energy prices are falling significantly again, the gas price cap does not have to be activated.
Putin's energy war against Europe has fizzled out.
A commentary by Georg Anastasiadis.
The best gas price cap is the one you don't need.
Yesterday, the EU-installed price cap on corporate gas purchases was due to come into effect.
Fortunately, this mother of all subsidies did not come about because the situation on the world energy markets has eased significantly.
While 340 euros per megawatt hour of gas had to be paid at the panic high in August, it is currently only 52. Many household customers can also expect their gas suppliers to lower their tariffs in the spring.
Collective effort has paid off: Europe has used 20 percent less gas
A year after Putin's attack on Ukraine, Russia's energy war against Europe has failed.
Although electricity and gas remain significantly more expensive than before the outbreak of war, the Kremlin's hopes of being able to bring Europe to its knees by turning off the gas supply have been dashed.
The unprecedented collective effort by citizens, companies and the government has paid off: Europe has used 20 percent less gas, more than politicians dared to hope.
Germany, notorious for its skepticism and inefficiency, has inaugurated new liquid gas terminals at record speed, and overseas producers have massively expanded their gas production.
The luck of the fit came in the form of a mild winter.
Experts say that there will be no shortage of gas next winter either.
The pessimists who predicted Germany's collapse and declared the sanctions ineffective were contradicted by reality.
It is aggressive Russia that has to cope with the permanent loss of its most important sales market.
This will permanently limit its prosperity and its financial ability to wage wars against its neighbors.
But Germany is also facing challenges: If it wants to survive with its companies on the world markets and prevent creeping deindustrialization, it has to pull out all the stops.
With the renunciation of fracking and more biogas and the shutdown of the last nuclear reactors in eight weeks, the traffic light makes unnecessary mistakes.
George Anastasiadis