Economics Minister Robert Habeck will speak in the Bundestag budget debate on Thursday morning. The green is currently under criticism, his gas surcharge is highly controversial. Follow the debate in the FOCUS live ticker online.

9:22 a.m .: “People have the expectation that we will fight for the best way. But not like this,” says Miersch. The fact that the Union presented nuclear power as a solution at this time was “pure populism”. It would fool people into thinking that prices would fall as a result. “Nuclear power does not reduce prices.”

9.19 a.m .: Matthias Miersch from the SPD speaks. “If a traffic light had ruled in the last 16 years, then we would be future-proof.” He thinks that a certain self-reflection of the Union would have been appropriate. “You called for a gas embargo in March,” Miersch goes off to Merz. Gas storage could not have been filled at all – Merz shakes his head in protest.

9.15 a.m .: “For campaign reasons, you would rather have oil on ships than a safe nuclear power plant,” adds Spahn. Then he also finds clear words for Habeck’s gas levy: “Stop this chaos levy! Stop this nonsense!” Spahn ends his speech with the demand that the government should also reconsider how it appears in parliament.

9.13 a.m .: CDU politician Jens Spahn is the next speaker and goes directly to Habeck’s criticism. Habeck bureaucratically prevented more energy from being generated from coal-fired power plants. “Every nuclear power plant has to be connected to the grid,” he demands and criticizes Habeck’s decision to keep two nuclear power plants in emergency reserve.

9.10 a.m .: Households should also be further relieved. “Putin’s attack is also aimed at our economic system.” The energy crisis is bigger than ever before. “We have to change the electricity market. We have to relieve citizens. We also need to rethink the relationship between the government and the opposition here.”

9:09 a.m.: “Until we get the prices down, we will send the companies help and open the rescue package.” The energy protection screen will be opened temporarily for SMEs and open to the industry. “This program will make this path easier for the German economy. We will protect German companies and small and medium-sized enterprises.”

9:08 a.m .: You have to shoulder Putin’s price war together, according to Habeck. “We do in two weeks what normally takes years,” he says. We will also do something about the gas price and bring it down, Habeck promised before the EU energy policy conference.

9.06 a.m .: In a few months, the coalition has shown that it is consistently pursuing its policy – especially in energy policy. According to Habeck, it is “economic madness” that the Union does not take seriously the effects the current situation could have. Merz calls back from the plenum and shakes his head with a laugh.

9.03 a.m .: Habeck steps up to the lectern and welcomes the plenum. “Actually, we have better things to do than talk about each other.” Habeck goes straight to Merz and his yesterday’s criticism. He had to comment on that, according to Habeck. “In a few months we will clean up what you have destroyed in 16 years.” The plenary applauds.

8.50 a.m .: The controversial Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) is speaking today about the budget debate in the Bundestag. In the last few days, Habeck has been criticized for his gas levy, the nuclear emergency reserve and statements about the impending wave of bankruptcies. FOCUS online accompanies his speech from 9 a.m. in the live ticker.