Munich (dpa / lby) - The Bavarian cooperatives are demanding political support in dealing with ever new regulations and bureaucratic obligations. "There is no shortage of statements of support for value-oriented management," said Gregor Scheller, President of the Bavarian Cooperative Association (GVB), on Thursday in Munich. "Unfortunately, the political announcements do not live up to reality," said Scheller, according to the announcement at the 121st association day in Munich.
A total of 1167 companies are members of the cooperative association. Among them are 208 Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks, the others belong to 35 different sectors according to the GVB. Agricultural cooperatives such as dairies are traditionally well represented. The numerous housing cooperatives in Bavaria are not members of the GVB, but are committed to the same basic idea.
Historically, the cooperatives emerged from self-help associations of the 19th century, in which the less financially strong rural population pooled their funds in order to finance joint purchases or to grant loans.
Since the cooperatives were not based on the idea of maximizing profits, Scheller criticized many regulations as superfluous. The GVB President cited reporting and disclosure obligations and the European supply chain law as examples. "The bureaucratic effort for consumer protection is not necessary for cooperatives due to the legal mandate and should simply be deleted," demanded the head of the association.
Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) emphasized that the approximately 250 energy cooperatives in Bavaria are "more important than ever" for the energy transition and the achievement of climate targets.
