BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s ruling Social Democrats (SPD) will propose further measures to help its citizens cope with rising energy prices, including another discounted national transport ticket, Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported.
Households are facing higher energy costs after the German gas market operator set a levy from October to help utilities cover the cost of replacing Russian supplies.
With energy prices rising following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government has already introduced two relief packages this year, including a 9 euro ($8.96) transport ticket allowing travel anywhere in Germany that expires on Aug. 31.
A third relief package would include a similar ticket but with a less heavily discounted price tag of 49 euros per month, the newspaper reported, citing a party resolution paper.
It said the paper also envisages direct payments for middle and low-income households, measures to protect tenants from evictions if they cannot pay their ancillary bills, and reforms to housing allowance to include heating costs.
The SPD also wants to discuss introducing an electricity and gas price cap, although the conditions are still to be determined.
The party will also propose a readjustment of the gas levy that will come into force in October, so that energy companies making profits do not also benefit from it, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.
($1 = 1.0039 euros)
(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Catherine Evans)
