Green Party demands 'immediate financial aid' for residents

During a press briefing on Wednesday morning, the Green Party's two co-presidents, Djuna Bernard and Meris Sehović, demanded "immediate financial aid" for the population due to rising gas and electricity prices. These support measures should be introduced "over the coming weeks" and extend "all the way up to the middle classes," Bernard and Sehović stressed.

The Green Party co-presidents stated that households could risk additional costs of up to €2,400 per year, an information which was confirmed by energy supplier Enovos on Wednesday morning.  Potential aid measures would have to be "in this range," but also staggered, as is the case, for example, with the tax credits that were announced at the end of March.

Businesses should also receive "targeted aid," according to the Green Party. Bernard and Sehović noted that details about this financial assistance and how to deal with new wage indexations should be discussed at the next tripartite meeting. According to the Green Party, there is still some "leeway" as far as the state budget is concerned.

On the other, the Green Party is against market price interventions. The party thinks that measures such as price caps risk increasing demand further. Price caps, according to the party, risk driving demand even more. The problem is that current demand exceeds current supply, which is why saving energy is also crucial, according to the Green Party politicians. To that end, the party feels it is critical to move on with the energy transition, which is why the government will continue to simplify administrative procedures.