“It is not finalized yet, while the agreement should have been in effect before December 1st,” says political journalist Leendert Beekman. ‘There may actually be six days of meetings left this year, so there’s a lot of rush. The big question is how Jetten will keep energy companies from making excess profits at taxpayer expense.’
GroenLinks and PvdA, among others, are very concerned. “It is very important that the risk of rising gas prices lies with the government and not with the consumer,” says Joris Thijssen of the PvdA. “The entire House has said in various motions that they don’t want excess profits from energy companies, so I’m very curious about the final rulebook.”
Generic measure
Beekman expects Jetten to complete the scheme before January 1. “Actually he has to do it, because that maximum price has already been promised. And it will be very difficult for the cabinet to take a different turn and put a different idea on the table in six days.’
Member of Parliament Pieter Omtzigt, among others, is very concerned about the lack of time for the cabinet to finalize the plan. Minister Jetten also admits that he started too late with the price cap. “The problem is that it’s become a generic measure, which means that even people who don’t need it are entitled to the maximum price,” says Beekman. “It’s really about billions.”