Exploding energy costs make German companies fear for their existence. After criticism from industry and medium-sized companies, Economics Minister Habeck announced an expansion of the aid packages. Businesses that are in the red should be helped quickly.
Due to the sharp increase in energy costs, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has announced extended aid for companies. The Greens politician said in the Bundestag that afternoon that the economic substance in Germany must be preserved and protected. For this purpose, a federal energy cost program should be expanded.
In the future, aid should no longer only go to companies that are involved in international trade, but also to companies that are making losses. That applies to the industry. Aid is also to be expanded for small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, down payments should be made quickly, said Habeck.
The federal government had launched a program in which companies can receive a subsidy for their increased natural gas and electricity costs. The Ministry of Economic Affairs had previously stated that extensions for medium-sized companies were planned. Referring to a survey of medium-sized industrial companies, the Federation of German Industries reported that the industry was facing fundamental problems due to the extreme rise in energy prices.
Habeck said the federal government had set up a special fund worth 100 billion euros for national defense. Financial resources must now be mobilized with the same determination to defend Germany’s economic substance.
The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, warned in the Bundestag of a wave of insolvencies. The CDU politician urgently called for a coherent overall concept for overcoming the crisis. At the same time, Haseloff questioned the debt brake in order to be able to react to the challenges.
Within the traffic light coalition in the federal government, there are different views as to whether the debt brake, which has been suspended in recent years due to the pandemic and is anchored in the Basic Law, should be observed again in the coming year. It only allows the federal government to take out new loans to a limited extent.
