Erfurt (dpa/th) – Thuringia’s state parliament will deal with financial aid for citizens and the economy in the energy crisis in a special session in mid-October. The plenary session was requested by the CDU parliamentary group on Friday. The step was expected after the red-red-green minority coalition and the largest opposition faction failed to agree on a common regulation in September. The special plenum was requested for October 14th.
Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow had previously discussed 200 million euros for state energy aid, the CDU had called for 250 to 400 million euros in state aid.
“We can’t just look to Berlin and wait for the chancellor’s office to help the citizens. What we can do in Thuringia must also be done here,” said CDU faction leader Mario Voigt. It is about “protecting the manageable level of prosperity that people in the East have worked hard for over 30 years”.
Specifically, it should be about the final consultation of two draft laws – one comes from the CDU, the other from the Left, SPD and Greens. The aim is to convert the Thuringian Corona special fund into an energy security fund, according to the CDU. “We want a solution as soon as possible, before the autumn holidays,” said the parliamentary director of the CDU parliamentary group, Andreas Bühl.
The proposals of his parliamentary group also include a protective shield for the municipal utilities, including an expansion of the state’s guarantee framework to one billion euros, as well as an investment program for the energy sector in Thuringia. Both points are not disputed between the coalition and the opposition.
So far, Red-Red-Green wants to expand the purpose of the Corona Fund to energy aid and use the money remaining in the pot of 60 million to 70 million euros. Ramelow then named the higher amount. The leader of the Greens, Astrid Rothe-Beinlich, also admitted this week that an amount in the double-digit millions for energy aid would probably not be enough. However, it is unclear how the money will be raised. Rothe-Beinlich suggested an even higher withdrawal from the state reserve or new debts.
