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Berlin (dpa) - The economy has clear expectations of the Corona meeting with Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) and hopes for opening perspectives and improvements in aid payments.
"If this is just supposed to be a consolation summit, that makes no sense," said the managing director of the German trade association, Stefan Genth, of the German press agency.
There should be real results at the end of the “economic summit” next Tuesday.
«Even after months of debate, the overall package of aid measures still does not fit.
While the aid is on its way at a snail's pace, the bankruptcies are racing through the pedestrian zones. "
Genth said he expects real prospects and impactful retail aid packages from Altmaier.
"No more and no less."
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Altmaier invites more than 40 associations to an “economic summit” on Tuesday.
Topics are the current state of the economy, the resolutions of the federal and state governments, economic aid and possible opening perspectives.
The extension of the lockdown to March 7th was heavily criticized by affected industries.
Associations also complain about the slow disbursement of state aid and too much bureaucracy.
The trade is also insisting on an opening plan.
An “incidence-based opening strategy” is necessary, said the President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH), Hans Peter Wollseifer, the editorial network Germany (RND / Sonntag).
For this, an opening plan must be drawn up as soon as possible, which specifies the threshold values and in which it is determined from which values and under which conditions companies can resume their work.
What is also necessary is “a corona traffic light that gives the incidence-based green light for openings”.
At the “Economic Summit”, family businesses hope for an open discussion on how companies can get help quickly and unbureaucratically.
In addition, a binding, regionally flexible step opening plan is necessary.
"Who is allowed to reopen and when, or may have to close again if the infection figures require it," said the President of the Association of Family Entrepreneurs, Reinhold von Eben-Worlée.
A rule-based strategy would make unsystematic, arbitrary individual decisions, even by individual federal states, superfluous.
«It needs an automatism.
This would at least open up prospects for citizens and businesses. "
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The trade has been calling for an economic summit on the corona situation for weeks, said Genth: "Better late than never."
However, such an event should have taken place last week.
"Because then the economy would have been able to contribute its expertise in advance of the latest Corona decisions."
Especially with a view to the further extension of the lockdown, companies with an annual turnover of more than 750 million euros should no longer be locked out of the bridging aid.
That “is incomprehensible and causes serious damage in retail.
And for smaller companies, an opportunity to pay out an entrepreneur's wages urgently needs to be created.
Otherwise, many owners are threatened with going to the social welfare office. "
It is good that there are now depreciation options, but so far only for winter goods in the fashion trade and not generally for seasonal goods, said Genth.
“In terms of design, however, it is far too complicated overall.
And with the December aid, not only the catering industry should benefit, this unequal treatment must end. "
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From the point of view of FDP parliamentary group Vice Michael Theurer, Minister of Economics Altmaier and Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz (SPD) would have to contest the economic summit together.
It would be even better if Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) also took part and thus set an example in favor of the economy.
At the end of the «summit» «there must be concrete, reliable results that lead to rapid improvements in the companies concerned».
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