The president of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), Markus Steilemann, has urged the government to act faster on its planned cap on gas and electricity prices for companies. If the state aid is to be effective, it must come quickly, Steilemann told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. “The situation is dire. Especially in the SME [small and medium enterprises] sector, many entrepreneurs have their backs to the wall,” he warned. Almost on a daily basis there have been companies telling the VCI that their energy supply for the coming year was not yet secured, he sai…