Federal economy and climate minister robert habeck (grune) has called on the states to impose a moratorium on the possible repayment of corona emergency aid by companies.
This emerges from a letter from habeck to the economics ministers of the states, which was made available to the deutsche presse-agentur on wednesday. First the "handelsblatt" had reported about it.
Federal states are currently demanding the return of corona emergency aid paid out in the spring of 2020, as the newspaper reported following a survey of the economic ministries and demand banks of the states responsible for handling the matter. A total of 287.8 million euros in federal funds should reimburse small businesses and the self-employed.
In the letter, habeck writes that the current corona-induced situation continues to pose major challenges, especially for the many small businesses and self-employed people. In part, there were worries and fears, which ultimately also resulted from uncertainties about possible reimbursements of emergency aid, which could still come their way. Habeck therefore advocates a time delay to ensure the continuation of operations.
Override aid after a one-time grant
Shortly after the outbreak of the pandemic, the federal government launched an emergency aid program in march 2020 to secure the economic existence of companies and to bridge acute liquidity bottlenecks, involving a one-time grant. The most important crisis instrument is now the aid for the bridge.
In his letter, habeck points out that the federal government and the states had agreed in the emergency aid to carry out random checks to determine whether the federal funds had been used for the intended purpose. These audits had been started in several countries only a few months ago. Habeck now speaks out in favor of "reasonable deadlines" for possible reclamations. As an example, he refers to the repayment deadline of 31 december granted by north rhine-westphalia. October 2022, which would provide companies with sufficient planning certainty.