Status: 08/18/2021 3:32 p.m.
The German auto industry is receiving aid from the federal government, among other things, for switching to climate-friendly drives. A new “future fund” is to provide one billion euros by 2025.
The federal government is supporting the German auto industry with new state aid. An aid fund for the industry that was promised last November is now ready to go, said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on the occasion of a new “car summit” with representatives from the industry. The so-called future fund should have a volume of one billion euros by 2025. The aim is to support the restructuring of the industry and the auto regions to make them more climate-friendly. “Our goal is for the German automotive industry to build the climate-friendly cars of the future, create new jobs and maintain value creation,” said Scholz.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 340 million euros are to be made available for regional “transformation networks” in order to develop future strategies on site. Digital solutions are to be funded with a further 340 million euros. Around 320 million euros are to go to medium-sized companies, among others, to support them in converting production for electric drives or fuel cells. Further training should also be supported.
Support for up to 1000 projects
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier said the automotive industry is currently in a difficult phase, hundreds of thousands of jobs are affected. The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) welcomed the fact that the fund is now in place. Above all, a good charging network for electric cars is necessary, said VDA President Hildegard Müller. IG Metall boss Jörg Hofmann called for regional networks to be implemented quickly. The first regions such as Saarland, South Westphalia and South East Lower Saxony are ready.
As stated in the report of a group of experts on the future fund, 30 regional transformation networks and up to 1,000 company projects could receive state support over the next four years. In order to achieve the climate goals in the transport sector, the government wants at least 14 million e-cars to be on German roads by 2030.