- FDP advocates for Parliament's approval of financial assistance for Meyer Werft.
The upcoming parliament discussion in the Bundestag will cover the potential state aid for Meyer Werft in Papenburg. According to the Budget Committee spokesperson for the FDP faction, Otto Fricke, they'll make a decision as legislature within the first half of September, as reported to the German Press Agency.
Fricke stated that aid would only be viable if there's a clear profit-focused future for the company. The government, he noted, can only act as a "bridge builder," offering aid to help Meyer Werft. However, the federal government's exit from the company should be imminent, or there's no room for entry.
Meyer Werft is currently facing an existential crisis due to skyrocketing energy and resource costs in shipbuilding. The company urgently needs substantial funds to finance new ship constructions.
The current proposal under review involves the temporary involvement of the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony in the shipyard, aiming to increase equity by roughly 400 million euros. Moreover, Meyer Werft needs guarantees to secure new loans for shipbuilding. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured the company of the federal government's support on Thursday.
The Budget Committee on Budgets will consider the proposed aid for Meyer Werft, as the federal government's involvement in the Committee on Budgets is necessary for allocating funds to the shipyard. Otto Fricke, the Committee's spokesperson from the FDP faction, emphasized that any aid would be contingent on a profitable future for Meyer Werft.
