The German competition watchdog has opened an inquiry into energy providers over potential breaches of the pricing framework in Germany’s domestic market. This development was reported by Reuters, quoting Andreas Mundt, head of the Federal Cartel Office, who confirmed that the agency is examining whether suppliers are complying with price regulations and whether consumer protection rules are being violated.
The probe follows a surge of consumer complaints about rising fuel costs and concerns that government pricing limits on energy could be being bypassed. Mundt noted that the enforcement of the abuse ban is already underway and that the agency is planning targeted investigative actions. He stressed that identifying a single bad actor among thousands of suppliers and their diverse tariff structures is a challenging task but essential to restore trust in the market.
According to Mundt, the office has logged thousands of complaints about energy prices since late 2022. Local consumer portals have reported that electricity and gas tariffs from some German providers are surpassing government ceilings even as global gas prices retreat from their peaks last summer.
On another front, German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, in a national address on April 9, urged citizens to move away from new heating systems based on oil or gas. He warned that natural gas and fuel prices are likely to rise further from 2027 due to the European Union’s emissions trading scheme and urged a swift transition to renewable energy sources. The message underscored the government’s push to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy options.