In the TV debate on Sunday evening, CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz announced a climate money of EUR 200 per month. „There will be corresponding compensation for all households with the so-called climate money,“ he said in response to a question about the rising CO2 price. And he was very specific: „It should be EUR 200 a month paid out to those who have to pay the CO2 price. That has to be done.“ Observers immediately suspected that the statement was probably an oversight. „EUR 200 of climate money per person per month would mean around EUR 200 billion per year,“ wrote Prognos energy expert Marco Wünsch on Bluesky. „The revenue from CO2 currently only amounts to around EUR 18 billion per year.“ The figure quoted by Merz should therefore probably be paid out per year rather than per month.