Only 79 requests for help from companies because of the energy crisis have so far been decided at federal level, according to Hamburg. SPD parliamentary group leaders of the federal and state governments met there.
In view of the energy crisis, the SPD parliamentary groups at federal and state level are dissatisfied with the implementation of the industrial aid programs by the Federal Ministry of Economics. “We have to be careful that there is no de-industrialization in Germany,” warned the chairman of the parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, on Wednesday after a two-day retreat of all SPD parliamentary group leaders at federal and state level in Hamburg.
The head of the SPD parliamentary group in the Hamburg Parliament, Dirk Kienscherf, said it was of great concern that the implementation of the five-billion-euro subsidy program was going so slowly, especially for energy-intensive companies. There are already more than 3700 requests for help. “A total of 79 applications have so far been approved at the federal level,” complained Kienscherf. Only 9 million euros were paid out.
Recently, due to the high energy prices, companies such as Europe’s largest steel group Arcelormittal or the aluminum manufacturer Trimet have had to reduce production or even stop it altogether.
Mützenich conceded that in the past, too, the funds to compensate for the corona pandemic, for example, had not flowed as one had imagined. “There are also observers who are sometimes of the opinion that the major challenges that companies face are not seen in the same way in some ministries.”
Criticism of the Federal Ministry of Economics
Mützenich left open what advice he wanted to give Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) to improve the situation. He only said that among the tips from the constituencies, from craftsmen and larger companies to the SPD parliamentary group, there will hopefully also be some “that will enable him to turn off certain things that are sometimes not going so well in his house”.
“I don’t want to (…) talk about a deindustrialization policy, but I do want to say that this is a very heavy burden for Hamburg as an industrial location,” said Kienscherf. Before sustainable development can be discussed any further, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs must first help industry to survive in the coming months. “Otherwise, in any case, we no longer need to talk about a transformation process in Germany,” said Kienscherf. Hamburg is one of the major industrial locations in Germany. A good 120,000 people are employed in more than 600 companies.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
