After the severe economic slump this year, the federal government expects the economy to grow significantly in the coming year. Economy Minister Altmaier is now making it clear: This only applies if it is possible to get the new corona infections under control again.
In view of the sharp increase in the number of coronavirus infections in Germany, Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier has relativized the federal government's growth forecast for the coming year. The positive economic assessments for 2021 are "of course subject to the proviso that we succeed in reducing the high number of infections again," said the CDU politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
At the beginning of September, the German government had forecast growth in the German economy of 4.4 percent for the coming year and a decline in gross domestic product of 5.8 percent for the current year. For 2020 it can be assumed that "the development will largely occur as it was forecast," said Altmaier.
The leading German economic research institutes had forecast growth of 4.7 percent for the coming year in mid-October. The federal government wants to present a new economic forecast next week.
Altmaier announces help for the hospitality industry
Altmaier called the current infection situation "dramatic", but at the same time warned against another shutdown of the economy, as in the spring. "There mustn't be a new area-wide lockdown, and I don't consider it necessary either," he told the Funke-Blätter. The Minister of Economic Affairs called on the federal and state governments to "take the necessary decisions with greater unanimity over the next few days" in order to curb the spread of the corona virus. Germany can no longer afford "patchwork of regulations".
Altmaier also appealed to the government coalition to quickly decide on new corona aid for the economy. It is important to him "that we intensify targeted aid for those industries and companies that are particularly hard hit by the corona pandemic". The minister announced "a balanced proposal" and expressed the hope that the coalition would "quickly find a common line".
Altmaier wants to give the hospitality and events industry more support. To this end, he wants to extend the bridging aid currently running until the end of the year as one of several measures. The minister also advocates the introduction of a nationwide "entrepreneur's wage" for the self-employed and freelancers. This form of corona aid is already being used in some federal states. North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, pays an entrepreneur's wage of 1,000 euros a month.
.