Status: 08/10/2021 2:47 p.m.
Destroyed or badly damaged houses and businesses, broken bridges and roads: the damage caused by the flood disaster in July is immense. Now the federal and state governments have apparently agreed on a reconstruction fund of 30 billion euros.
According to agency reports, the federal and state governments have decided on a flood aid fund with a volume of 30 billion euros, which is intended to support reconstruction after the storm floods in mid-July. This was agreed by the federal government and the prime ministers, according to the reports.
Johanna Wahl, SWR, with background information on the situation in the flood areas
tagesschau24 4:00 p.m., 10.8.2021
According to this, a national fund “Development Aid 2021” is to be set up as a special federal fund with 30 billion euros. The federal government will contribute two billion euros for federal infrastructure such as motorways alone. The remaining 28 billion euros would be divided equally between the federal and state governments, reports the Reuters news agency. According to the draft resolution, the federal states are to be involved in adjusting the distribution of sales tax revenue over 30 years.
Special meeting on August 25th
A federal law is planned for the development fund. The Bundestag is expected to meet for a special session on August 25 to get aid for reconstruction under way. The Federal Council must also approve the fund.
At the meeting, the Bundestag should also discuss a planned temporary suspension of the obligation to file for insolvency for companies affected by the disaster. This is to prevent a wave of bankruptcies.
Orientate towards the fund from 2013
According to dpa information, the development fund should be technically based on the fund after the 2013 flood. At that time it was about a “law for the establishment of a special fund for development aid”. The fund financed aid to repair flood damage and to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure. Funds flowed to damaged private households and companies, provided the damage was not covered by insurance.
“Will need much larger amount”
Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in early August during a visit to the hard-hit towns of Stolberg near Aachen with a view to the 2013 fund: “We will probably need a much larger amount to bring about the reconstruction.” Scholz had pointed out that, after the floods in 2013, the federal and state governments together had now spent almost six billion euros on reconstruction in the affected areas.
In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, the damage caused by the storm in mid-July amounts to more than 13 billion euros, according to initial estimates, as Prime Minister Armin Laschet, who is also CDU boss, announced on Monday in a special session of the Düsseldorf state parliament. The damage in Rhineland-Palatinate is at least as high.
The federal and state governments apparently agree on a 30 billion aid fund
Detlef Schwarzer, ARD Berlin, August 10, 2021 3:06 p.m.