The state government wants to provide 1.5 billion euros to cushion the consequences of rising electricity and gas prices. But time is pressing. That bothers not only the Bavarian Economics Minister.
Munich (dpa / lby) - Bavaria's Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger is calling for the state government's hardship fund to be paid out much faster to alleviate the energy crisis. "If we wait until the final vote on the 2023 budget in March or April, it will be too late. It has to come much earlier," said the Vice Prime Minister of the German Press Agency in Munich. Aiwanger announced that he intends to address the issue in the cabinet this Tuesday.
Specifically, Aiwanger is not just concerned with the earlier provision of the money by the state parliament. There are still open questions about the design of the platform for the applications, comparable to that for the Corona aid during the pandemic. "The federal government has still not provided any information here, which means that all 16 federal states are still waiting to see whether and how the federal government will support them here," he said.
Depending on the design, however, this could mean that technical solutions have to be found for the Bavarian aid, according to Aiwanger. This also causes costs, but the Free State has to accept them so that the process is not delayed any longer. As an example, Aiwanger cited the fact that the federal government would only provide aid for increased gas and electricity costs, but not aid for those buying oil and pellets. A separate Bavarian variant must then be offered here.
Aiwanger is not the only one calling for more speed in disbursing the aid. "The Söder announcements of hardship funds are initially just empty words with no concept of who receives how much support," said Green Party leader Eva Lettenbauer. If the hardship fund were actually only decided with the 2023 budget, as previously planned, it could be paid out at the end of March or even at the beginning of April at the earliest. According to Lettenbauer, this is too late. The state government would then leave every sports club, every day care center and every citizen alone with the costs over the winter.
Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU) also sees reason to hurry: "In Bavaria, we will all pull together with the involvement of the state parliament and get the necessary help off the ground as quickly as possible," he told the dpa. However, the "chaos" of the traffic light government in Berlin makes budget planning enormously difficult. "So the form of the announced hardship aid from the federal government is still completely open today - but the Bavarian hardship fund is intended to close the gaps in federal aid in a targeted manner."
When the 1.5 billion euro fund was presented at the beginning of November, it was said that the release of funds was linked to the state parliament's budgetary decision. Among other things, this is intended to support small and medium-sized companies that are threatened with their existence, but also clubs, nursing or social institutions. However, citizens whose existence is at risk because of the energy crisis should also be supported. The aim is to supplement the federal aid programs and to close gaps.
Specifically, companies that receive little or no federal aid and are in a situation that threatens their existence due to the energy crisis should be able to take advantage of Bavarian aid. The same applies to social infrastructure facilities, such as clinics, daycare centers, care facilities, private schools, student unions or the area of culture and media. And citizens who are "exposed to particular stress" despite federal aid should also be able to apply for help.
For Lettenbauer, however, the aid should also benefit those who are not yet in an existential emergency: "It cannot be that the Söder government sits idly by until a person is completely devastated."
The details - such as a possible maximum amount per individual case and the specific conditions - are still unclear, according to reports, talks are still ongoing between the ministries involved. From government circles it can be heard that for the concrete design it must first be clear at which points the federal aid would not take effect, so that the Bavarian aid can then go into these gaps in a targeted manner.
The details - such as a possible maximum amount per individual case and the specific conditions - are still unclear, according to reports, talks are still ongoing between the ministries involved. From government circles it can be heard that for the concrete design it must first be clear at which points the federal aid would not take effect, so that the Bavarian aid can then go into these gaps in a targeted manner.
