Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic announced measures to populations feeling the bite of rising inflation and energy costs tied to war in Ukraine.
BERLIN — European governments moved this weekend to soften the blow of soaring costs and a deepening energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, and scrambled to prepare for the possibility of social unrest as the days grow colder.
With Europe trying to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, and the first mass protests over energy costs appearing on the continent, governments are racing to adopt stopgap measures ahead of the fall and winter. Energy ministers of the European Union have planned an emergency meeting this week, and three different countries announced relief measures on Sunday.
The biggest package came from Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government pledged $65 billion in relief measures to cushion the blow of inflation and the energy crisis, which worsened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western governments’ imposition of harsh sanctions on Moscow in response. Europe is now working to drastically reduce its purchases of Russian oil and gas.
Berlin announced its package two days after Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled Russian energy giant, announced an indefinite halt to the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that terminates in Germany and provides gas to much of Europe. Gazprom said the pipeline would remain closed until problems found during inspections were resolved, but offered no timeline.
European officials say the move is politically motivated. It came on Friday, the same day that finance ministers for the Group of 7 countries agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil in an effort to cut off some of the energy revenue Moscow continues to earn from Europe.
“Russia is no longer a reliable energy supplier — that is part of the new reality,” Mr. Scholz said in his speech announcing the package on Sunday. “We are all feeling the consequences of the Russian war.”
Economic anxiety is palpable across Europe.
In Prague, a day after the government survived a no-confidence vote over accusations that it had failed to act on soaring prices, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Saturday to voice outrage over energy costs. Led by far-right and fringe political groups, many demonstrators also criticized the Czech Republic’s membership in NATO and the European Union.
The protests underline growing concerns among European leaders that the energy crisis and soaring inflation could trigger political instability. Many citizens said they feared for their savings, and worried they might be unable to pay their bills come winter.
In the east of England, James Allcock said he had put his life savings into his bistro in Beverley. Now, the 36-year-old fears he might lose everything. “If there is no government help in the next two to three weeks,” said, “we won’t have a business this time next year.