Berlin’s culture senator and mayor Klaus Lederer (Die Linke) has proposed that energy companies be incorporated to cushion rising energy prices. “We don’t have to pay for the returns of the company’s shareholders as well,” said Lederer on Tuesday at the Senate press conference in the absence of the governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD), who was suffering from Corona.
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Lederer cited the Czech Republic as a role model, where plans are underway to nationalize central power plants in order to offer low electricity prices. “Public services of general interest gain a different status in times of crisis.” That’s why a discussion makes sense as to whether public infrastructure shouldn’t be placed under more public control. The left-wing politician stressed that this was his personal position, not that of the Senate.
Lederer sees the federal government as responsible for acute support measures. “We believe that a problem of poverty is approaching society here, one that harbors social explosives,” said Lederer. “It’s the federal government’s turn.” The state of Berlin wants to “complementary support and sharpen” its measures. What exactly that means, Lederer left open with reference to the responsibility of the federal government.
On the question of how the state of Berlin and its administration can save energy, the left-wing politician referred to a Senate working group that intends to present concrete decisions in August. The aim is to save around ten percent of the energy consumption in public administration – for example by switching off the lighting in public buildings such as the German Opera.
In the end, Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH had to implement these measures. In turn, it is not the State of Berlin that is responsible for prioritizing certain social areas in the energy supply, but the Federal Network Agency. Lederer does not want to participate in speculation about which areas this could most likely affect in case of doubt.
