Thuringia: Energy aid: Only part of the money will flow this year

Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to the assessment of Red-Red-Green, only a small part of the available funds will be able to be paid out from the planned special energy fund of the Free State by the end of the year.

Thuringia: Energy aid: Only part of the money will flow this year

Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to the assessment of Red-Red-Green, only a small part of the available funds will be able to be paid out from the planned special energy fund of the Free State by the end of the year. In the negotiations to set up the special fund, the minority coalition assumed that around 57 million euros could realistically flow out by the end of 2022, said the parliamentary group leader of the left, Steffen Dittes, on Thursday in Erfurt. Even with this number, however, there are great uncertainties.

First of all, a business plan for the use of the funds had to be drawn up. In addition, the payment of the funds must be regulated and processed via guidelines. All this takes time.

Left, SPD, Greens and the CDU agreed on Wednesday to set up a special energy fund with a volume of 407 million euros. Formally, the state parliament still has to decide on the provision of the money. That should happen on Friday. The money is to be transferred to the special fund before the end of this year. Both Dittes and the SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Hey and the Green parliamentary group leader Astrid Rothe-Beinlich explained that it was still right to provide a three-digit million amount via the special fund. This is how the Free State shows its ability to act, it said. If the money is not used in full until next year or the year after, its purpose will also be fulfilled.

The money is primarily intended to help medium-sized businesses, municipal companies, associations and private households.