“What do we do in cold Germany?”: how the Germans overcome the crisis

From the bad – for the Germans – news: the German Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has developed a draft government decree ordering state, municipal and commercial organizations to introduce strict energy saving measures. According to the German media, next week the project will be reviewed and approved by the government.

The document, which fell into the hands of journalists, requires, among other things, that public places “not used for permanent residence of people” should not be heated in the winter. We are talking, for example, about the lobbies and foyers of city halls and schools. An exception is made for hospitals, nursing homes and kindergartens.

It is forbidden to illuminate monuments and public buildings, and from 10 pm to 6 am – any illuminated advertising. Administrators of public buildings are instructed to turn off potable water heating systems. Retailers should not keep their doors open at all times – except for emergency exits.

In addition, as follows from the project leaked from the government, a ban on the operation of private pools is actually introduced. In any case, a significant part of them: those “should not be heated by gas or electricity.”

Restrictions are also introduced on the air temperature in the working premises of public buildings: during physically light and mostly sedentary work – 19 ° C; in the case of physically easy, but when you have to stand or walk – 18 °; when working moderately sitting – 18 °; in the case of moderate, but “standing” or “walking” – 16 °; for physically difficult activities – 12 °.

These and other prohibitions and restrictions listed in the draft are proposed to be applied from September to February next year inclusive.

And on October 1, the Germans will face – and this is no longer a project, but an approved decision – with a “gas fee” in the amount of 2.419 eurocents per kilowatt-hour, which will be levied on all energy consumers. That is – while 2,419. And then – how will it go.

“Since mid-June, Russia has unexpectedly sharply reduced the volume of gas exports to Germany,” explains the introduction of this measure by the German Ministry of Economy on its website. prices around 200 euros per megawatt-hour instead of 20-30 euros before the crisis. Affected gas importers will not be able to hold out for so long, as the terms of existing contracts do not allow them to raise prices for their customers.”

Compensate for these losses – most of them – will now end-users. Which are already moaning. In July, natural gas prices increased for them by 75.1 percent compared to July 2021. Boiler fuel has risen in price by 102.1 percent over the year, electricity – by 18.1 percent. Food products over the same period increased in price by an average of 14.8 percent. The price of vegetable oil rose especially strongly – by 44.2. In general, consumer prices in Germany have risen by 7.5 percent since July last year.

In general, everything is complicated and difficult today in Germany. And for some, life in the country generally seems unbearable. “Mr. Habek, you don’t seem to be in possession of economic statistics,” Twitter user Renate Apfelhaler addressed the Minister of Economics and Climate Protection. “Germany lags far behind in international comparisons, we have the worst pensions, schools and infrastructure in a deplorable state, and the debt is growing.

The appeal is a commentary on the ministry’s Twitter account, under a tweet with words from the minister’s recent optimistic interview. To its misfortune, the ministry decided to enter into a public discussion with the pessimist. “That’s not true,” the ministry replied. “The German economy is stable, Germany’s pensions are among the highest in the world, and Germany’s debt is relatively low.” Such an assessment caused real fury among commentators.

The indignation splashed out far beyond the branch and in general “Twitter”. The Germans were especially outraged by the praise of the pension system. A characteristic headline in the press: “The Ministry of Economics made a mockery of itself by boasting about the pensions of the Germans.” Unlike officials, journalists and bloggers are convinced that pensions in the Federal Republic are no good. “Many people in Germany do not have enough pensions to live on,” writes, for example, the capital’s newspaper Berliner Morgenpost. “Poverty in old age is one of the country’s main problems.”

The theme of the suffering of the German poor was also very fond of the Russian press, especially the state media. And no wonder: the plot is too “tasty” to bypass it in the midst of the world information war. But since local ideas about living standards and hardships, to put it mildly, do not quite coincide with ours (a fact reflected in the well-known saying: “What is good for a Russian is death for a German”), then in Russia stories about German socio-economic disasters often look like like an advertisement.

“German pensioners have begun to actively book tours to warm countries in order not to pay for heating in winter,” RIA Novosti reports, for example, citing the Association of Tour Operators, which in turn refers to the German press. “The most popular destinations are Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, the Canary Islands… Experts also note the demand for tours to Thailand, Senegal, Cape Verde and the Caribbean… “What should we do in cold Germany? Heating eats up our money. And in Tunisia, we are pampered in the hotel from morning till night, “says pensioner Lothar… In the coming winter, Lothar and his wife will have to pay 600 euros for heating per month instead of 200, which is very unprofitable. Life in Tunisia will cost much less, moreover while pensioners will be able to save about 300 euros a week on groceries thanks to the all-inclusive system.

There are big doubts that, after reading this informational message, Russian pensioners will sympathize with the German ones. The story of the cunning Lothar, better than any statistics, suggests that rumors about the severity of the crisis that has gripped Germany are somewhat exaggerated. Horror, of course, but even by German standards – not horror, horror, horror.

However, some numbers can be cited. The average German male pensioner received a state pension last year in the amount of 1,203.53 euros (71,490 rubles at the exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation on August 20, 2022) per month. The representatives of the weaker sex, as a rule, have less work experience, which is also reflected in the average female pension, which is 856.05 euros (50,850 rubles).

But that’s not all. Almost half of pensioners in Germany receive money from their former employers: most large enterprises and government agencies provide workers who have retired for a well-deserved rest with additional pensions. In many cases, their size is such that it allows the retired person to maintain the same standard of living by 90 percent. In addition, private pension insurance is very common.

There is also additional state support. If the total income of a pensioner does not exceed 865 euros per month (51.4 thousand rubles), he can apply for a special allowance called “basic material security” (Grundsicherung), covering the cost of rent, heating, clothing and medical insurance.

As for expenses, they are undoubtedly higher than those of pensioners in Russia. One “communal” what is worth. However, food prices do not look intimidating at all. Rather, the Germans, on the contrary, will be frightened by prices in Russian stores.

For comparison: in the Aldi supermarket chain, one of the largest in Germany, a liter of milk with a 3.5 percent fat content can be bought today for 1.09 euros (in terms of Russian banknotes – 64 rubles 70 kopecks). A kilogram of sugar costs 47 rubles, a 250-gram package of butter – 136 rubles, a half-liter bottle of olive oil – 254, Maasdam cheese – 493 rubles per kilogram, a kilo of Camembert – 492 rubles. A bottle of Italian wine Primitivo Puglia IGT will cost 170 rubles, a five-star Metaxa (0.7 liter) – 590 rubles…

In a word, they will survive, they will survive, they will winter somehow. Not in his native “cold Germany”, so somewhere in Tunisia or the Canaries.