Jan van Aken, the leader of Germany’s Left party, called for a cap on oil prices as a way to ease the burden on citizens. In addition, he said that the 9‑Euro‑Ticket should be reintroduced. “We need an oil‑price ceiling and, although it may sound odd, we also need the 9‑Euro‑Ticket” he told RTL and ntv. “Many people are thinking about going on bus and train because of the fuel prices, but can they afford it? A combination of a price‑cap for those who rely on cars and the 9‑Euro‑Ticket for those who can switch would really relieve the public.
A fuel tank now costs ten to twenty euros more than before the war. Van Aken warned that the rise in oil prices will quickly spill over into higher supermarket prices. “When oil prices go up, everything else follows. We’ll see inflation, and the federal government could simply counteract that”.
He is skeptical that the “Austrian model” of fluctuating fuel prices would help drivers in a crisis. “Who is the government trying to fool? The Austrian model worked in normal times. For years motorists have known that the price moves up or down once a day, so they can decide when to fill up. But in a period where prices only rise, it’s a joke” he said.
Van Aken expects fuel prices to keep climbing. He argued that even a two‑week rule would involve fourteen price increases, so gasoline would still be 2.30 or 2.40 euros after that period – meaning it wouldn’t provide meaningful relief. “The federal government must finally have the courage to approach the oil companies” he added. “Those companies made billions at the start of the Ukraine war”.