Not only consumers, but also companies suffer from the high energy costs. The Liberals are demanding quick help for small and medium-sized businesses. Green-Black waits.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – In view of the rising energy prices, the FDP parliamentary group is demanding quick help from the state government for small and medium-sized companies. During the corona pandemic, the state government formed by the Greens and the CDU set up the investment fund with a volume of one billion euros, said economic policy spokesman Erik Schweickert in Stuttgart. “Thankfully, this was hardly used. Therefore, these funds can now be reallocated and the current crisis can be overcome.” Direct help can be granted here, which is also budget-neutral.
Green-Black has so far rejected its own state aid for companies. The state government wants to wait and see which programs the federal government launches. FDP parliamentary group leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke said: “Nobody is helped if actually healthy companies go bankrupt because energy prices are rising through the roof!”
According to the ideas of the liberals, the support should take the form of an interest-free loan. If the company’s economic situation eased significantly in the future, a repayment would have to be made, according to a paper by the parliamentary group. The energy price hardship fund should be set up for a limited period of time until the current energy market situation has eased as a result of the measures taken and adjustments have been made. “Therefore, his supplementary aids must also have a clear end date.”
