“This backward roll means a serious loss of confidence in the federal government.”
(Photo: AP)
Berlin From the federal states and the traffic light coalition itself comes sharp criticism of the decision of the Bundestag budget committee to cancel the state aid for companies with the purchase of oil, wood and pellets for the time being. Companies use these energy sources in particular for heating.
“This decision would be extremely embarrassing for the federal government and a disaster for many medium-sized companies, because it is the exact opposite of the commitments made in December,” said Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen (independent) to the Handelsblatt.
Bavaria’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), currently chairman of the Economics Ministers’ Conference, addressed the traffic light in a letter of protest: “First aid is announced, then Berlin backs down and is wasting another month of valuable time.” The letter is available to the Handelsblatt .
On Wednesday, the budgets of the SPD, Greens and FDP released 375 million euros to relieve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are particularly hard hit by high energy prices.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Companies can apply for this help and would receive it in addition to the general energy price brakes. The budget committee unlocked a further 375 million euros for hardship cases in cultural institutions.
Federal Ministry of Economics is surprised
In both cases, however, the traffic light housekeepers agreed to “limit the hardship regulations to the relief of electricity and grid-bound energy sources (gas, heat) and not to extend the hardship regulation to grid-bound energy sources (e.g. heating oil, pellets)”.
>> Read also: Gas price brake and electricity price brake apply retrospectively from January
The hardship aid for oil and pellets was only negotiated shortly before the end of the legislative process at the request of the SPD parliamentary group. Coalition circles therefore do not agree with the actions of their own householders.
Now they want to ensure that the restrictions on the release of the next tranches by the budget committee no longer apply. A further 625 million euros are still deposited for SMEs and for cultural institutions.
An internal e-mail from the Federal Ministry of Economics, which is available to the Handelsblatt, also says that the decision was “surprising”. The ministry must now send a new administrative agreement to the federal states.
There they are particularly bothered by the additional effort that is now being created. “This backwards roll means a serious loss of confidence in the federal government, especially since the states would then be forced to raise the aid to companies with oil or pellet heating on their own,” said Schleswig-Holstein Minister Madsen.
More: Three scenarios for the future of German industry