On Friday, the Bundestag finally voted on the law on the financial basis of the 200 billion euro defense shield planned by the government.

"This is the basic condition for us to get a gas price brake by March at the latest," said SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch in the debate.

It is planned to pay 200 billion euros into the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF), which still exists from the Corona period and will be realigned for this purpose, already this year.

In addition to the gas price brake, parts of the electricity price brake that is also planned, as well as aid for companies and the stabilization of gas importers who have gotten into trouble as a result of the energy crisis, are to be paid for by 2024.

In order for the additional loans to be taken out, the Bundestag must once again determine a special emergency in order to justify the further exemption from the debt brake in the current year.

According to the will of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), this should again be observed regularly in 2023.

"Nobody in this country knows what you do specifically"

The Union had previously announced that it would not approve the 200 billion euro pot for financing the planned energy price brakes in the Bundestag.

Group Vice Mathias Middelberg criticized that so far there is neither a concept for the gas price brake nor for the electricity price brake.

"Today the decision is that you want us to give you a money bag filled with 200 billion euros, which you then want to put in your government's basement and then you want to think about what to do with it," he said.

"No one in this country knows what you're doing specifically."

It is customary to first think about what you want to buy, what it costs - and then go to the bank to get the money, said Middelberg.

The traffic light government does the opposite.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz had previously announced on rbb24 Inforadio that the federal government would not be issued a “blank check”.

Similar criticism came from the left.

Deputy faction leader Gesine Lötzsch said: "You want to sell us the pig in a poke and we don't want to accept that."

How exactly the recently sharply increased prices for gas and electricity are to be pushed down is still open.

In the case of gas, a commission set up by the government has proposed that the federal government initially take on the December bills.

From March, an upper price limit for a basic quota of 80 percent of normal consumption could then apply.

Such a discounted basic contingent is also being discussed for electricity.

In this way, the federal government wants to ensure that energy is saved despite the lower price.