Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to explore a possible earlier start date for the gas price brake on January 1st. However, Scholz ruled out a decision by the federal government without prior consultation with the energy suppliers on Saturday in Munich. "This will only succeed if we join forces in Germany," said the chancellor after a meeting with craftsmen in Munich. "We're organizing it right now to discuss how it's going to work."

Bavaria's Crafts President Franz Xaver Peteranderl had previously demanded: "Just like industry, we need this price cap as of January 1st." In his reply, Scholz assured: "We go through it all five times a day." However, the Chancellor qualified: "What we don't do is decide that it will work on January 1; and then the companies that have to produce it, the utility companies, say that it won't work."

Otherwise, Scholz is confident that the gas price brake will soon be approved by the EU: "We are very confident that we will finally get the go for our support services in the next few days."

SPD boss Klingbeil for improvements to the gas price brake

The SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil sees a need for improvement in the planned gas price brake. According to Klingbeil, the advance payment in December and subsidies from March next year proposed by the commission of experts fall short of the mark: "What are we actually doing in the January/February phase," Klingbeil asked in an interview with Deutschlandfunk. "Don't you have to find something to give the companies and, above all, the citizens a little more help," added the SPD leader questioningly. That will occupy the Bundestag "in short, quick deliberations in November".

The commission of experts set up by the federal government had proposed a one-off payment in December for private gas customers and small companies based on the advance payment in September. The actual price brake should come in January for industrial companies and for private households and small companies from March if possible, or April at the latest. The Prime Ministers' Conference had already called on Friday to introduce the gas price brake on January 1st.