Germany’s Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil has invited business and labour union representatives to a meeting focused on the ongoing energy price crisis.
The meeting is scheduled for April 10 at the Ministry of Finance and will include leaders from the country’s largest unions and employer associations, Caliber.Az reports, citing Der Spiegel.
Among the expected participants are the heads of IG Metall and IGBCE, as well as executives from the Federation of German Industries and the Confederation of German Employers' Associations.
Negotiations will focus on measures to reduce the burden of high fuel prices for households and businesses, as well as broader economic and budgetary issues currently being considered by the coalition government.
Energy markets have been under pressure since the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, when Iranian forces effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
Approximately 20% of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically pass through this route, and recent attacks on energy infrastructure and tankers have triggered sharp price increases.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
