Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The Hessian FDP parliamentary group is calling on the state to set up an emergency fund for energy-intensive craft businesses such as bakeries and butchers. This should enable quick and unbureaucratic help with a view to rising energy prices, said economic policy spokesman Stefan Naas according to a statement on Wednesday in Wiesbaden. "It is still not clear which companies can expect aid from the federal government and how much it will be." Supplements would have to come from the country.
However, when presenting its draft budget for 2023/24, the state government of the CDU and the Greens failed to present a corresponding emergency program. "If the Free Democrats have their way, the Corona emergency fund will be reactivated to deal with the current crisis," explained Naas. "It is bakeries and butchers, of all people, who not only have to bear rising raw material prices, but also need a lot of energy, which is becoming more and more expensive."
The medium-sized bakery entrepreneur Martin Dries from the Rheingau explained: "We have been able to reduce the energy requirement in our company by around ten percent through consistent optimization of the process." However, it is not so easy to save energy on the ovens and cooling systems. He does not want to pass the rising energy costs on to customers - because he fears a migration to the discounter, said Dries.
