corona
Business praises the extension of Corona aid
Passers-by walk past a closed shop in downtown Cologne. Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
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The corona situation is becoming more and more dramatic. Concerns about the economic consequences are growing. It is controversial whether the extension of the corona aid will last until the end of March.
Representatives of the German economy have welcomed the extension of the Corona economic aid until the end of March 2022.
The Central Association of German Crafts also warned on Friday that the continuation must apply to all support instruments, including the special regulations for guarantee banks and the possibility of tax deferrals. The left would have liked an extension of the aid until the summer. “Because uncertainty is poison for the economy,” said Christian Görke, financial expert of the left parliamentary group in the Bundestag. In addition, there are still glaring funding gaps for bridging aid.
The acting minister of economics, Peter Altmaier, welcomed the decision of the federal-state conference. “I am pleased that yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Conference followed my proposal to extend the Corona economic aid until the end of March 2022.” According to the CDU politician, aid to the economy of around 126 billion euros has been granted since the crisis began in spring 2020. In addition, there is the short-time work allowance of around 31 billion euros.
“Good and right decision”
The travel association DRV spoke of a good and right decision. “Currently and foreseeable the crisis for the travel industry is not over yet,” said DRV President Norbert Fiebig. The extension creates planning security “and is an important signal for job security in the travel industry with its almost three million employees in Germany”.
The federal and state governments decided on Thursday that particularly stressed companies should receive economic aid longer in the Corona crisis. The federal government is extending the bridging aid III Plus, which was previously limited to the end of the year, until the end of March 2022. Regulations on short-time work and the restart aid for self-employed persons are also to be extended.
According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, aid of around 126 billion euros has been granted for the economy since the beginning of the crisis. In addition, there is the cyclical short-time work allowance of around 31 billion euros.
BDI calls for a nationwide step-by-step plan
The BDI was disappointed overall with the decisions to combat the pandemic and spoke of a “lost opportunity”. Although there are necessary measures against the fourth wave, said BDI President Siegfried Russwurm. But they fell short of expectations. “Despite all the announced efforts, these resolutions again do not solve the implementation problem of the federal patchwork quilt in the fight against corona.” Germany needs a nationwide step-by-step plan with clear measures and detailed criteria and thresholds for their application.
Russwurm urged the population to vaccinate, which is the highest civic duty. “It must not be that a small group of people who refuse to be vaccinated paralyzes an entire society with the majority of those who have been vaccinated.” Austria shows that in such a dramatic situation, a compulsory vaccination is possible as a last resort. In addition, it is incomprehensible that there should be no compulsory vaccination for employees in schools and daycare centers. “Once again, unvaccinated children, adolescents and their families are exposed to unnecessary risks from a corona infection and its long-term consequences,” criticized the BDI President.