What does the new government want to change in terms of housing and old-age provision, food and subscription traps? Consumer advocates have examined and evaluated the coalition agreement point by point.
The ministers have been named, the coalition agreement has been signed – the government for the new traffic light coalition can begin. What do the SPD, Greens and FDP want to change for consumers? He looked at the government program point by point and came to a positive assessment: “The coalition agreement offers a whole range of measures and projects that can make people’s everyday lives safer, easier and cheaper.”
In total, the consumer advocates identified 96 measures in the coalition agreement that will have a significant impact on the lives of consumers. 57 of these points are seen as positive, 30 are still too vague for an assessment and 9 measures tend to mean a deterioration, so the conclusion.
Here are the most important points at a glance:
Consumer rights
First of all, the consumer advocates are pleased that the Ampel government would like to increase the financial resources for two essential consumer protection organizations: the Stiftung Warentest and the vzbv itself. A positive assessment is also made of the fact that the further development of the model declaratory action should make it easier for consumer rights collectively enforce in court.
Contracts and subscription traps
The government has announced that it intends to improve the protection of consumers against dubious contracts and cost traps. A revocation should be possible as far as possible across the EU using an electronic button. In the case of contracts, the monthly costs should be presented more transparently and subscriptions should always be offered with a minimum term of no more than one year. In addition, a general confirmation solution is to be introduced for contracts that customers are told about on the phone.
The vzbv expressly welcomes all of this – but it wants to monitor closely whether this actually avoids cost traps. The consumer advocates are also still undecided as to how serious the government is in combating the abuse of warnings and abuses in debt collection.
Energy prices
The price of CO2 makes energy more expensive. The consumer advocates therefore support planned measures to support poor households, for example through higher housing benefits and heating subsidies. With the planned expansion of renewable energies, the vzbv welcomes financial compensation from municipalities that provide space for wind and solar systems. In the coalition agreement, however, he misses measures for low-cost public electricity tariffs, through which resident citizens can benefit directly.
The vzbv thinks it is correct that private households should no longer pay the EEG surcharge on the electricity price from 2023 and should be relieved by paying a new climate fee. When the climate money comes and how socially it will be designed is still open. The vzbv also sees gaps in the planned digitization of the energy networks: There is no question of consumer-friendly variable electricity tariffs and the cost-neutral introduction of intelligent electricity meters.
Sustainable consumption
According to the coalition agreement, consumers should be able to see how long-lasting a product is when purchasing a product. A “right to repair”, an update obligation and a guarantee based on the lifespan of a product are also provided. The vzbv welcomes these promises for more sustainable consumption as well as the announcement of a circular economy strategy and measures to avoid waste such as a new recycling label.
nourishment
The consumer association welcomes the fact that a statutory animal welfare label is to come from 2022, which, in addition to the keeping conditions, also includes transport and slaughter. The announced designation of origin also met with approval.
By 2023, there should also be a nutrition strategy that primarily focuses on the health of children. The demand of the vzbv to make sweet drinks more expensive and fruit, vegetables and legumes cheaper is not taken up in the text. Specifically, a ban on advertising for unhealthy foods in children’s programs is promised, as well as widespread use of the Nutri-Score, which indicates the sugar, fat and salt content in products.
On the other hand, the formulations on the restructuring of animal husbandry, improved animal welfare laws and the reduction of the use of antibiotics are too vague for the vzbv. The efforts of the consumer advocates to take action against harmful substances in food packaging do not go far enough; this is only intended to be researched.
travel
The new federal government wants to protect air travelers – as with package tours – against the bankruptcy of the airline. In the case of the railway, an “infrastructure division oriented towards the common good” is to be created within the DB Group. The vzbv welcomes this and hopes for stronger and fairer competition on the railways for the benefit of the customers. The consumer advocates also support the goal of better networking different modes of transport and making the whole thing bookable with just a few clicks.
Electromobility
The traffic light coalition wants to make Germany the “lead market for electromobility” and bring at least 15 million e-cars to the streets by 2030. The consumer advocates not only like the promise of a massive expansion of the charging infrastructure, but also that explicitly transparent prices for charging electricity and a publicly visible occupancy status of the charging points are named as the goal.
The vzbv sees some catching up to do in the development of a used car market where low-income earners can also afford an e-car. The demand: Consumers need objective and comparable information on the condition of the battery in order to make buying a used electric car attractive. The consumer representatives are completely critical of the continuation of flat-rate purchase premiums for electric cars regardless of income. This forces social injustice.
Reside
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations welcomes the announced building campaign, in particular the promised 100,000 publicly funded apartments that are to be built each year (out of 400,000 in total). The vzbv would have liked more improvements in terms of tenant protection. The existing rent brake is only to be extended but not tightened. In addition, there should be more qualified rent indexes and the maximum possible rent increase in tense markets should be limited to eleven percent (currently 15 percent) in three years.
Financial products
The vzbv welcomes the announced strengthening of the financial supervision Bafin. This should control prospectuses for financial products more strictly and prevent dubious offers from entering the market, so the demand of the consumer advocates. The plan that the Bafin set up a comparison website for account fees is also supported. The chapter on green investment products, on the other hand, is criticized as inadequate, as there is a risk of greenwashing. The consumer advocates would also have wanted a commission ban for the sale of financial products, but such a thing is not in the government program.
retirement provision
Consumer advocates consider the fact that the traffic light is aiming for a reform of private pension provision to be “important and overdue”. The coalition paper states that the establishment of a public fund will be examined as well as the recognition of more attractive alternatives to Riester products. The vzbv would have wished for something more than just test orders. “This leaves consumers in the dark as to whether they can expect a functioning private pension plan.” The vzbv rejects the promised strengthening of the company pension scheme, in which more profitable investment opportunities are to be allowed.
Health and care
In the health sector, consumer advocates welcome, among other things, the announced strengthening of home care. Here a “relief budget” and more flexibility for the carers has been announced. The plans to expand telemedicine as part of standard care are also rated positively. On the other hand, the announced increase in contributions to long-term care insurance is viewed critically. The consumer advocates would prefer to finance additional costs through taxes.
Source From: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
