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Berlin (dpa) - The ban on selling fireworks on New Year's Eve because of the hard lockdown plunges the manufacturers of firecrackers and rockets into a serious crisis, according to their own statements.
If in doubt, the entire branch of industry is threatened with bankruptcy, said Thomas Schreiber, Chairman of the Board of the Association of the Pyrotechnic Industry (VPI), on Sunday.
The association demands full compensation for the loss of sales in the three-digit million range.
Since the industry generates 95 percent of its annual revenues in December, association lawyers feared that companies would miss out on bridging aid.
"We need separate aid funds to secure the 3,000 individual livelihoods in the industry," explained Schreiber.
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After the decision by the federal and state governments not to initially ban fireworks, the companies started their main deliveries.
Now the retail sector is faced with the problem of what to do with the goods.
Since fireworks are a commission business, the damage must be borne by the pyrotechnic industry.
According to the association, the industry recorded sales of around 130 million euros last year.
Some of it has already broken away because there were hardly any stage or large fireworks for events in 2020.
As part of the tough lockwown against the corona pandemic, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the state prime ministers had banned the sale of fireworks before New Year's Eve on Sunday.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201213-99-676088 / 2