The German government should pay all private households’ gas bills in December and subsidise residential and industrial gas prices for more than a year from early 2023, a commission of experts proposed on Monday.
The 21-member commission of leading economists, business and trade union representatives said the measures would cost about €91bn.
The idea of a gas price brake was unveiled late last month by chancellor Olaf Scholz as part of a €200bn “protective shield”, financed by new borrowing. It was the largest aid package adopted by a European government since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up energy costs. But some EU member states said the move undermined efforts to forge a common approach on lowering gas and electricity prices.