Tuesday, February 16, 2021
"Economic Summit" with Minister
Altmaier promises more help and a say
Unpaid aid funds, unfounded business closings and a lack of opening perspective: The economy clearly criticizes the corona measures. The Minister of Economic Affairs now wants to work out a joint position with the associations and significantly expand the aid.
The federal government wants to expand the existing aid for companies particularly hard hit by the corona crisis. Among other things, the previous turnover limit of 750 million euros is to fall with Bridging Aid III, said Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier following a so-called economic summit with around 40 associations. He had agreed on this with Olaf Scholz's Federal Ministry of Finance. In addition, a hardship fund is to be set up for November and December aid.
This is intended to enable the federal states "to respond appropriately in individual cases where the aid is insufficiently accurate," said Altmaier. The two ministries want to clarify the details of this hardship fund in consultation with the associations in the coming days.
Even self-employed people can now receive a one-time grant of up to 7500 euros. The application portal for it was activated today, said. This "restart assistance" can "now be applied for very quickly and quickly". Independent self-employed persons are eligible whose economic activity is restricted due to corona in the funding period from January 1 to June 30, 2021.
"We are determined to always adapt the aid measures to the situation," said Altmaier. With a view to the next federal-state conference on March 3, he announced another meeting with the associations. It is then also necessary "that there will be an open perspective for many areas the next time, provided that the number of cases continues to decrease significantly". For this purpose, the invited associations and the minister agreed to work out a common position. Altmeier explained that it was about a common position with recommendations for the Minister-Presidents' Conference from the standpoint of business.
"Success" or "A drop in the ocean"
Altmaier spoke of a "successful development" in aid for the companies affected by the lockdown. In some cases, however, business representatives present at the meeting contradicted this. Michael Frenzel, President of the Federal Association of the Tourism Industry, recalled that a quarter of the so-called November aid to the businesses, some of which had been closed for more than three months, was still not paid out, while the December aid was still 75 percent missing.
Josef Santjohanser, from the German Trade Association, called the previous aid for around 200,000 trading companies "a drop in the ocean". The federal government promised a "bazooka". On average, each company received only 11,000 euros for the week-long closings last year. That hardly covers the rent or lease. Since companies are not allowed to pay themselves any earnings from the aid themselves, many are "facing the social welfare office".
Like other participants, Sanktjohanser thanked Altmaier for the invitation to the "summit", but it came months too late. In addition to the stagnant help, Sanktjohanser complained about the disproportionate closure of large parts of the retail trade, which he could no longer understand, and called for a quick "opening perspective".
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