BERLIN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Businesses in Hamburg are calling on the German government to offer more compensation for material damage suffered during the city's G20 summit last month, the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Thursday.
Tobias Bergmann, president of the local chamber of commerce, voiced concerns that the 40 million euros (47.2 million U.S. dollars), promised by officials in the aftermath of the diplomatic conference, would only compensate for cases of vandalism which were not covered by insurance.
"Companies in Hamburg have complained about additional operating costs for ensuring the security of their shops, as well as losses in revenue and earnings," Bergmann noted. Many businesses were forced to close either partially or entirely during July's summit due to related police blockades and violent protests.
The Hamburg chamber of commerce has consequently sent letters to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the city mayor Olaf Scholz, demanding that "all the damage caused by the hosting of the G20 summit is compensated". Bergmann complained that he had not received an answer from either of the politicians.
According to municipal authorities, the Hamburg Investment and Promotion Bank (IFB), which is responsible for distributing the 40 million euros in public funds that are already guaranteed, has recorded 262 applications so far. Of that, 117 have already been granted and paid, with a total of 176,000 euros being handed out to 93 private individuals and 24 firms.
The vast majority of claims concern damage to vehicles. Dozens of cars were set alight by left-wing extremists before and during the G20 summit. Nevertheless, the IFB does not expect to have to pay out the full 40 million Euros with a municipal spokesperson remarking that applications had already slowed.
The Hamburg chamber of commerce will hold a hearing in early September for businesses which were negatively affected by the summit but have still not been compensated either by their insurance policies or the state.
"We want to look for a solution together with all of those involved," Bergman said.
