Preisgestaltung im Energierecht

At the latest with the Ukraine war, the topic of energy prices has become of interest to the general public again. In order to correctly classify the calls for measures to protect against high energyprices from a legalpoint of view, one must distinguish between the individual elements of energy prices. The elements that relate to the actual commodity and its distribution are subject to antitrust and competition law. The elements that relate to grid use and consumption metering are subject to infrastructure regulation law. And the parts that are state levies, taxes and surcharges are governed by tax law or special regulations. In the course of responding to the crisis, Germany has already taken various measures in accordance with EU law. The next challenge, however, will be to set up the energy market designs in such a way that it becomes viable for a decarbonised energy system without depriving (energy-intensive) industry of incentives to invest in Europe and Germany.