Countries discuss reduction in energy prices and flight fees

The federal states are urging the federal government to quickly find a way out of the economic crisis. Lower energy prices and a reduction in airline fees are necessary, said Saxony's head of government Michael Kretschmer (CDU), currently chairman of the Conference of Minister Presidents, in Berlin. "We have to get out of this recession". His colleague from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), appealed to the Bundestag to pass resolutions before the election.

"The economy in Germany is not doing well," said Schwesig. "That's why we now need an investment program for companies. And above all, we need low electricity prices. Grid fees and the costs of grid expansion must be capped." A cross-party signal from the federal states is important in order to find a consensus across party lines in the Bundestag in the short term. The SPD is ready to do this.

Kretschmer said that reducing fees and taxes on flights is also an issue for many people. "Germany is going down a single path here, which is quite obviously wrong," said the CDU politician. "We need to reduce the cost of taxation." The air traffic tax should be abolished.

The Hessian Minister President Boris Rhein (CDU) confirmed that this was a proposal from his federal state, home to the Frankfurt air hub. "The taxes and fees that have to be paid are now one of the biggest cost blocks for the airlines and airports and are therefore naturally a burden on a very important area of our economy," said Rhein.

The minister presidents also discussed how foreign professional qualifications could be more easily recognized in Germany in order to attract skilled workers. They also discussed a system called NOOTS (National-Once-Only-Technical-System) for uniform access by authorities to data stored by citizens. The aim is to ensure that citizens and companies only have to transmit this data to the administration once - if the data subjects so wish.