Status: 07/21/2021 11:33 a.m.
The federal government has approved emergency aid for the flood areas. Finance Minister Scholz announced that 200 million euros would initially be made available from the federal budget. 200 million euros are also to flow from the federal states.
Less than a week after the devastating heavy rain in western Germany, the federal government decided to provide emergency aid for the flood areas. This was announced by Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz after the relevant cabinet decision in Berlin.
A total of up to 400 million euros would therefore be available. According to the decision, the federal government will contribute half of the aid from the federal states with up to 200 million euros. The money is to be used to repair the worst damage to buildings and communal infrastructure and to bridge special emergencies.
If more is needed, the federal and state governments would also make more money available, said Scholz. “We will do what is required.” The help should flow quickly and unbureaucratically. “Everyone can rely on it now.” The catastrophe brought great destruction.
Immediate assistance for damage, suspension of the obligation to file for bankruptcy
The emergency aid is intended to immediately repair damage to buildings and infrastructure and to bridge emergencies. “The aim of this financial aid is to remove direct damage to buildings, agricultural and forestry means of production, including the commercial economy and the local and business-related infrastructure on site, as well as bridging emergencies,” says the cabinet proposal, according to the Reuters news agency reported.
It goes on to say: “The state financial aid is to be flanked by a targeted suspension of the obligation to file for insolvency in order to avoid bankruptcy applications that are not necessary from an economic point of view, given the likely availability of state aid, also from the point of view of creditor protection.”
In addition, the federal government is proposing talks with the federal states about a protection system “for this, but also for future supra-regional damage events of considerable extent”. Scholz and Seehofer want to explain details in the morning.
“It won’t fail because of money”
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier had previously given hope for fast and extensive flood aid. The CDU politician said that Deutschlandfunk: “We will make it clear today that it will not fail because of the money.” The cabinet passed the resolution today, “so the authorities of the federal states, the municipal authorities, the districts and also the state authorities know that they can pay out this emergency aid”.
With a view to private individuals “who have lost everything”, Altmaier said: “Only the local administration can assess that precisely, we don’t need precise funding guidelines at the moment, but first of all we have to provide unbureaucratic help. People need one Roof over their heads, people need to be certain that they can afford clothes again, that the children can go to school. ”
3500 euros in emergency aid from the Mainz state government
FDP leader Christian Lindner called the planned emergency aid “appropriate and correct”. At the same time, Lindner spoke in the ARD morning magazine for a long-term development fund. “We have prepared a draft law that we will introduce for a construction fund. It is based on the construction aid law of 2013. I think that is wise advice that we should orientate ourselves on the methods of flood relief 2013.” People quickly expected effective help. “The orientation of a previously successful measure could be helpful.”
The Mainz state government recently decided to provide emergency aid of up to 3500 euros per household for those affected by the disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate. The state chancellery announced that the money should be paid out via the district administrations as quickly as possible without a means test. In addition, more than 6.2 million euros in private donations were received on the state government’s donation account. The money is to be distributed through district administrations.