Folgen des Ukraine-Kriegs: Energiehilfen kosteten Staat mehr als 50 Milliarden Euro

The German government spent more than 50.4 billion euros on energy support measures following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the Federal Finance Ministry's response to a question from Green budget policy expert Sebastian Schäfer, as reported by the German Press Agency. The funds were used to relieve consumers and stabilize markets.

The coalition government of SPD, Greens, and FDP reacted to the surge in energy prices by implementing a "firebreak" against price hikes and a "double whammy" package of energy price caps and business aid. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) referred to it as a "double whammy." Russia had been a major gas and oil supplier to Europe until it cut gas deliveries over the summer, culminating in a full cut-off through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in September 2022.

The largest item was the electricity price brake, totaling 16.3 billion euros, which ensured households and small businesses received 80 percent of their usual consumption at a guaranteed gross price of 40 cents per kilowatt-hour. Industrial consumers received a cap at 13 cents for 70 percent of their consumption. The electricity price brake was partly financed through a levy on profits from green energy producers, who had benefited from high prices.

The gas price brake cost 14.3 billion euros, guaranteeing a price ceiling for a significant portion of gas consumption for households, small and medium-sized enterprises, and heating customers. The two brakes were in place for the entire year of 2023, and the Bundestag extended them until the end of March 2024. However, shortly after, the government had to cut the measure again due to a wide-ranging ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in November 2023, which revealed significant holes in the federal budget, forcing the government to make short-term savings.