"Many owners are disillusioned, some have already given up"

The President of the Hamburg Chamber of Crafts, Hjalmar Stemmann, did not want to hide his disappointment. His current state of mind was preceded by the "Hamburg Dialogue - Together through the energy crisis", to which Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) invited representatives from companies, associations, social institutions, churches and communities to the town hall on Thursday. The occasion was as obvious as it was necessary: ​​the political, economic and social consequences of high energy prices.

"The effects of the Ukraine crisis are very far-reaching," emphasizes Tschentscher, who wants to get "all topics on the table" with the dialogue. After all, there are many different concerns. "We have to make sure that nobody is left behind," explains the social democrat.

The red-green Senate has already initiated additional spending of more than 450 million euros for the current double budget. This also includes the energy crisis emergency fund of 125 million euros.

"Of course it's important to remain in the 'Hamburg Dialogue'," said Stemmann, "but there is a great danger that well-intentioned words and perseverance slogans will no longer reach the pillars of our city society." Time is playing against us all. The President's criticism is aimed in particular at the burden on the trades - an area that represents the interests of 15,000 companies with more than 105,000 employees in Hamburg.

"The screen remains closed, our small and medium-sized businesses must continue to stand in the rain," Stemmann summed up after the meeting with the mayor, adding: "The disappointment about the recently announced postponement of the federal-state decision on the design of the defense screen for The reduction in energy costs is huge.” In addition, the President of the Chamber of Crafts fears that the first money from the Hamburg 125 million euro aid fund will not flow until the beginning of 2023. "That's not really encouraging," says Stemmann. The fund volume is also too small.

The feedback from the companies reflects the Chamber of Crafts the worsening situation that threatens their existence day by day. "Many owners are disillusioned, some have already given up - that's poison for the development of economic and social life in our city," fears Stemmann.

Hamburg's DGB Chairwoman Tanja Chawla, on the other hand, is satisfied with the energy summit. The Hanseatic city is signaling that it is taking responsibility for its citizens. As examples, Chawla cites “the now outdated waiver of passing on the gas surcharge to customers of Hamburg Energie or the announcement of the hardship fund demanded by the trade unions for companies and private individuals who are in distress as a result of high energy prices”.

However, the union expects the Senate to make it clear with an action plan "that no one in Hamburg will freeze this winter or lose their job due to the energy crisis". The union, which is calling for a rally on Saturday for a fair distribution of the costs of the crisis, is also demanding that Hamburg step in if the gas price cap is not sufficient.

From the point of view of the district manager of the IG BCE Hamburg, Jan Koltze, it is about taking all interests into account: "We have to ensure that the people who have problems bearing the increased costs as well as a competitive energy supply for the companies." Nobody is helped when value chains were disrupted because individual production steps were no longer economical.

Meanwhile, the social landlords have promised the Senate their support in overcoming the energy crisis. "No tenant will lose their apartment if they get into financial difficulties through no fault of their own due to skyrocketing energy costs," says the director of the Association of North German Housing Companies, Andreas Breitner.

He shares Tschentscher's assessment that the situation requires careful but quick action. "We don't need any careless signals that are already outdated the moment they are sent," emphasizes Breitner, referring to the failed gas levy. The design of the energy cap must be simple and understandable, "and act quickly in order to prevent the heating cost hammer".

In order to prevent energy cuts, one is talking to the basic suppliers, said Environment Senator Jens Kerstan (Greens). "We will make adjustments in the appropriate places." A hardship fund of 15 million euros is intended to help.

Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD) promised WELT after the energy summit that red-green would represent the demands mostly addressed to the federal government there - for example in the ministerial conferences. The pressure from the Hamburg dialogue will be passed on, said Dressel. It is important "that the original sound arrives in Berlin from outside the country".