As of this week, small and medium-sized companies can apply for state funds to get through the crisis winter. Compared to the Corona aid, however, there is a manageable demand.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Despite energy price brakes and December aid, hundreds of companies in the southwest could still need money in the short term, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The ministry assumes that 800 to 1,000 companies will apply for the state's liquidity aid, which was launched in December. Overall, the assumed credit volume amounts to 280 million euros. This is based on past experience and forecasts from the state-owned L-Bank, the ministry said.
Since Thursday, small and medium-sized companies that are particularly affected by energy prices can apply for loans of up to five million euros. Companies with particularly high energy costs can also receive a reduced interest rate and a repayment bonus. The loans should be applied for through the house banks and, according to the ministry, flow quickly and easily. The program is limited to March 2023.
For comparison: In the first few months of the pandemic, 2.1 billion euros were paid out to companies in the country for the Corona emergency aid. A total of more than 245,000 applications were made - according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, however, the number of companies was difficult to quantify because some made several applications during the period. Compared to the current loans, the Corona emergency aid was originally designed in such a way that it should not be repaid. Around a third of the aid still has to flow back because some companies came through the lockdown better than expected.
Economics Minister Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut (CDU) said of the new aid package: “Margins are falling, costs are rising – not just energy costs, but also those of preliminary products and raw materials. This means that companies have less and less leeway to invest.” With the loan and the consulting program launched at the same time, companies should now be supported in the short term so that they can get through the crisis in the best possible way.
Since the application process via the L-Bank is considered to be tried and tested, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BWIHK) assumes that the applications will be processed quickly. The procedure is known and tested, both for the companies and for the banks, said BWIHK President Christian Erbe. The counseling program launched in parallel is also based on the Corona crisis counseling, which has proven itself. "As required by the IHK organization, both measures complement the federal aid in a meaningful way and build bridges for the time until the federal aid flows retrospectively."
