Electricity Market Act Must Exercise Patience

The adoption of the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG) in the current plenary week of the National Council is uncertain. The Greens are not yet ready to help the project achieve the necessary two-thirds majority, as club chairwoman Leonore Gewessler explained at a press conference on Tuesday. The FPÖ also did not signal approval on Tuesday and referred to further negotiation dates. The government, on the other hand, insists on a decision this week.

"Further negotiations are needed"

The Greens are particularly concerned about feed-in tariffs for electricity producers and want a network infrastructure fund. According to Gewessler, there were intensive discussions over the past long weekend, and she also spoke with Chancellor Christian Stocker and Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (both ÖVP) by phone. It became clear: "Further negotiations are needed." In the Economic Committee on Tuesday, the Greens could not yet approve the law, but they still hope for a good compromise. Whether the adoption of the law will have to be postponed to January or whether it might still be passed in the National Council on Wednesday with further government concessions, the Greens leader left open.

For the FPÖ, nothing has significantly changed since last Friday, according to the Freedom Party parliamentary club to the APA. They held talks with the governing parties over the weekend and want to continue them. Already on Friday, FPÖ member of parliament Christian Hafenecker announced further negotiation dates via a press release - specifically mentioning December 18 and several dates at the beginning of January.

Decision still this week?

The government wants to pass the law this week. Waiting until Christmas cannot be the approach, emphasized SPÖ club chairman Philip Kucher at a coalition press conference. Voters of the FPÖ and the Greens would also expect energy to become cheaper, said his counterpart at the NEOS, Yannick Shetty. ÖVP club leader August Wöginger particularly appealed to the Greens: Not only the government but also the opposition must be ready to take responsibility and participate in two-thirds matters. He accused the FPÖ of repeatedly shirking this responsibility.

According to Wöginger, the government has already made significant concessions to the Greens in their intensively negotiated project, which they have dubbed the "Affordable Electricity Act." Initially, the plan was to exempt smaller installations with a capacity of less than seven kilowatts (kW) from feed-in tariffs. Now, they have increased the threshold to 15 kW, he cited as an example.

Feed-in Tariffs and Grid Infrastructure Fund

The Greens continue to oppose the planned feed-in tariffs, as they are "nothing more than a levy on domestic electricity," according to Gewessler. They make production more expensive and would also be reflected in customers' bills. "Anyone who wants cheaper electricity must make domestic production cheaper," she said. She also recalled the demands for a grid infrastructure fund and the use of the windfall profits of state energy suppliers to reduce energy prices.

The Greens are also not very enthusiastic about the further program of the National Council in the coming days. The mandatory program will be "just about fulfilled," with no sign of major breakthroughs, according to their position. Moreover, it is "unjust and wrong" that savings are being made primarily at the expense of those who need support the most, Gewessler reminded of the care sector and the restrictions on additional earnings for artists during unemployment.

Meanwhile, the government expressed satisfaction with its track record so far and the National Council's program. It has passed 73 legislative resolutions so far, with around 30 more expected to follow in the next three days in the National Council, Wöginger explained. Matters such as the ban on children's headscarves and the ElWG, as well as already adopted measures like the pension reform and the double budget for 2025 and 2026, demonstrate that the government is serious. Kucher and Shetty pointed to the difficult budgetary situation the government faced when it took office. In this context, many urgent measures have been initiated, the latter noted.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.