The price of heating oil has doubled within a year and the prices of other energy sources are also spiraling. However, energy costs are by no means the only drivers of inflation.
Schwerin (dpa / mv) – Price jumps in energy and food are driving the cost of living in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania upwards. At 8.1 percent, the inflation rate in June exceeded the 8 percent mark for the second time in a row. In May, Northeast inflation hit an all-time high of 8.3 percent. As can also be seen from the data published on Friday by the Statistics Office in Schwerin, a slight slowdown in inflation was recorded in June for the first time since the beginning of this year. In January, the inflation rate in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was 5.3 percent, in January 2021 it was 0.9 percent.
The statistics continue to show energy costs as the main driver of inflation. Consumers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had to pay twice as much for heating oil in June as they had a year earlier. Gas was 24.8 percent more expensive and electricity 28.8 percent more expensive. District heating users also had to dig deeper into their pockets, with costs rising by 23.7 percent. For petrol and diesel, the price increase was 36 percent compared to the previous year, but compared to May the prices at the pumps fell slightly.
In return, consumers had to accept further price increases in the supermarket. Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose in price by 12.9 percent year-on-year in the north-east. According to the statistics office, the surcharges were again particularly high for flour at 57.1 percent and butter at 51.1 percent. Egg prices rose by 34.8 percent, meat and sausage by 19.9 percent and coffee by 23.4 percent. Vegetables also became more expensive, only salad prices fell.
An average of 10.1 percent more had to be paid for hotel stays and visits to restaurants than in June 2021. According to the statistical office, telephone bills did not change, but prices for cultural events and leisure activities rose by 7.9 percent.
The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reported a 7.6 percent increase in consumer prices across Germany in June, after 7.9 percent in May. According to calculations by the statistics office Eurostat, the inflation rate in the euro zone reached a record high of 8.6 percent in June. In view of the high inflation, the European Central Bank (ECB) has announced an initial interest rate hike for July. It is lagging behind not only the US central bank, but also other European central banks.
