The aid of 200 billion euros presented that Berlin presented on October 29 to lower gas and electricity bills across the Rhine undermines the cohesion of the twenty-seven in the face of the crisis.
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When, in March 2020, all of Europe was confined to avoid the ravages of COVID-19, Germany had first made a horseman alone, closing its borders then buying masks and vaccines without worrying about its community partners. Finally, Angela Merkel, still Chancellor at the time, had entered the rank and had teamed up with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to defend a European recovery plan, funded by a common debt to the member states of the European Union (EU), and the joint purchase of vaccines.
Today, Berlin is again seized by the temptation of everyone for themselves, as the outbreak of gas and electricity prices panic its economic and political decision -makers. Its 200 billion euros plan, unveiled on September 29 and intended to lighten the energy bill for German citizens and companies, attests. Moreover, the Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, took the trouble to warn neither the Elysée nor the European Commission. Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4, some of the finance ministers of the twenty-seven, which met in Luxembourg, were moved, evoking the risk of disintegration which follows for the EU.
While interest rates have already started to diverge within the euro zone, the German plan undoubtedly offers an advantage to its economic players, and threatens the integrity of the internal market. “It is essential that we do things together in Europe in the face of an energy crisis that will last. (…) Otherwise, we risk the fragmentation of the euro zone,” said Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of the Economy , Monday, in Luxembourg. Behind the scenes, some also evoke the “duplicity” of Berlin.
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On the one hand, this plan subsidizes the price of gas for the Germans, and will therefore have the consequence of encouraging consumption; On the other, Germany is opposed to the establishment of a ceiling on the price of gas at the community level, which fifteen member states claim, arguing that this would risk bringing up the energy demand for the twenty-seven and to endanger the security of supply. The European Heads of State and Government, who must meet in Prague, Thursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7, will not fail to return. “Faced with common threats (…), we cannot divide according to the room for maneuver of our national budgets,” said the president of the Italian council resigning Mario Draghi, from September 30.
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