Weekly proceedings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)

In an effort to address rising housing and energy costs, the German government has introduced the Wohngeld-Plus law in early 2023. This legislation aims to expand housing subsidy eligibility and increase benefits, helping more households cope with these financial challenges.

One of the key aspects of the Wohngeld-Plus Act is the introduction of a climate component to the housing allowance. This addition aims to cushion rent increases due to modernizations for greater climate neutrality. The average monthly housing allowance is set to increase by 190 euros in 2023, doubling from 180 euros to around 370 euros. This reform is expected to make housing allowance eligible for around 1.4 million households for the first time or again, bringing the total number of households receiving housing allowance to around 2 million in 2023.

In addition, the government has proposed reforms to ease the burden of CO2 costs related to heating and energy consumption. The costs will be distributed in stages according to the building's carbon dioxide emissions per square meter of living space. The federal government's bill on the distribution of CO2 costs for heating in connection with the reform of housing allowance will require landlords to share these costs with tenants.

The European Union has also taken steps to strengthen its rule of law protections. The conditionality regulation, adopted at the end of 2020, links the preservation of EU funds to the observance of rule-of-law standards. This means that EU funds can be withheld in case of violations of rule-of-law principles if the proper administration of the EU budget or the financial interests of the Union are affected.

The EU Commission has opened an official procedure under the conditionality regulation for Hungary, citing systematic irregularities in public procurement procedures, a high proportion of single tender procedures, low competition in procurement procedures, problems in detecting, preventing, and correcting conflicts of interest, and insufficient willingness to effectively combat corruption.

The federal government is also working on the Sanctions Enforcement Act II, which aims to fundamentally restructure the enforcement of sanctions. This draft bill will be discussed in the first reading this week. With this act, structural improvements in the operational implementation of sanctions and also in combating money laundering are now being initiated.

A transition regulation has been created for persons switching from SGB II to SGB XII and who will now be eligible for housing allowance. The Council is expected to decide on these reform announcements by December 19, 2022, at the latest.

In exceptional cases, such as during a pandemic, when critical care capacities may become scarce, regulations on triage have been established in the Infection Protection Act. The current and short-term likelihood of survival is set as the decisive criterion for decision-making. Other criteria, such as age, disability, religion, or gender, must not play a role in the assessment.

These developments are part of broader efforts to address energy poverty and climate policy impacts on citizens, as discussed during the 65th Bundestag session on November 9, 2022. For the most precise and official information on the status of these laws and debates at that session, consult the Bundestag’s official archives or government publications from that period.

The industry sector is closely monitoring the Wohngeld-Plus Act and its climate component, as it impacts housing costs.
The finance industry predicts that the increased housing allowance will indirectly influence personal-finance management.
The energy sector is alarmed by the rising energy costs and the government's efforts to redistribute CO2 costs.
Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the potential data breaches in the distribution process of the CO2 costs.
In the midst of these economic changes, luxury lifestyle trends are showing signs of a quiet shift towards sustainable, climate-neutral practices.
The fashion-and-beauty industry is contemplating eco-friendly manufacturing methods to cater to the changing consumer preferences.
Food-and-drink establishments are experimenting with locally-sourced and sustainable ingredients to reduce their carbon footprint.
Investors are eyeing the upcoming reforms, particularly the distribution of CO2 costs, for potential investing opportunities in energy-efficient businesses.
The home-and-garden sector is witnessing increased interest in energy-efficient appliances and insulation following the housing allowance reforms.
The business community is generally supportive of the government's efforts towards addressing housing and energy costs.
The news of the increased housing allowance has sparked big-wins in the stock market, especially for real estate companies and landlords.
The reforms in personal-finance management are being compared to the digitalization of finance, with the potential to bring more transparency and accessibility.
Gadget enthusiasts are intrigued by advancements in technology, particularly in energy-efficient devices and gadgets.
The tech industry is keen on the potential impact of artificial-intelligence integration in weather-forecasting and sports-analysis.
The European Union's reinforcement of rule-of-law protections is being seen as a step towards promoting responsible governance in member states.
The casino-and-gambling industry is witnessing a growing interest in online casino-games and sports-betting as physical gambling establishments face restrictions amidst the pandemic.
The lotteries sector is observing the effect of online presence on customer engagement and revenue during these uncertain times.
Experiential travel trends are emerging as the pandemic unfolds, with travelers valuing safety, personal-growth, and career-development in their travel choices.
The education-and-self-development sector is noting a surge in enrollments for courses related to data-and-cloud-computing and artificial-intellectual skills.
The sports world is witnessing a spike in interest in mixed-martial-arts and other non-traditional sports as traditional sports events were cancelled or postponed.
The weather sector is employing more advanced weather-forecasting models and techniques to cater to the increased demand for accurate predictions during emergencies, such as storms and floods.