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Finance Minister Blümel is amazed
© WHAT
Brussels is slowing down with the new fixed cost subsidy. In a four-page letter, commission officials demand detailed information on the new measure, which is primarily intended to benefit sectors that will have little or no business during the fall and winter, reports the “Presse.” The people of Vienna react with incomprehension.
The Commission, whose approval is required for state aid, is not only questioning the amount of possible subsidies, but also the period until 2021. Furthermore, arguments are asked about “why an economic disaster is imminent”.
Finance Minister Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) is astonished, as he refers to warnings at the European level that there has been the biggest economic recession since World War II: “It is strange when Austria now has to show that this economic catastrophe really exists. ” As an exporting and tourist nation, it is particularly affected by the current global economic crisis.
No one can say when a long-term economic recovery will take effect because uncertainties remain high, writes Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer in a broadcast on Saturday. Therefore, the assessment of the EU Commission cannot be understood. The upcoming cold season makes the situation even more uncertain, and precisely in those industries that continue to expect little to no business in the fall and winter, the fixed cost subsidy should have a lasting effect.
The Commission is also skeptical of the tourism situation, which Vienna notes as volatile in its argument in favor of the fixed cost subsidy. Brussels asked how this fits in with media reports about fully booked hotels in the Lake Carinthia areas or in Hallstatt.
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