"One in four industrial companies wants to reduce production in Germany or is already doing so. "Germany has no credible strategy," says the DIHK (The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry) boss.
The dissatisfaction of the German economy with the economic policy of the federal government in general and energy policy in particular has reached a new high. According to a survey of 3,300 companies published on Thursday by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), 37 percent of industrial companies are planning to limit their production in Germany or to relocate abroad, or are already doing so.
Two years ago, the proportion was 21 percent. The proportion of those willing to relocate is particularly high among industrial companies with more than 500 employees: 51 percent want to limit their activities in Germany, 14 percentage points more than two years ago.
The deputy DIHK managing director Achim Dercks sees the energy transition as the main driver of this development.
"Other countries have a more credible strategy," he told journalists in Berlin on Thursday. Dercks referred to the Scandinavian countries, which generate electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power. "Companies trust that this will work in 2030 as well." The framework conditions are also better in France, with its nuclear power - which is kept cheap by the state. "In Germany, companies cannot see a concept," said Dercks.
"Deindustrialization will not happen overnight"
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) sees things differently. His ministry recently presented a power plant strategy to build new gas and hydrogen power plants to secure the electricity supply in times of little wind and sun. Other strategy papers outline the construction of the hydrogen network and the import of this energy source.
The DIHK counters: The supply of hydrogen is uncertain and the reserve power plants for generating electricity are driving up energy costs even further.
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the complaints from the business community are exaggerated. Dercks said that the references to the lower prices on the electricity exchange were "tricks" with which the traffic light coalition was trying to support its narrative of a green economic miracle. "But companies see that competitors in other countries have lower prices." A few years ago, many companies still saw the energy transition as an opportunity. Now it is primarily perceived as a risk. "Deindustrialization does not happen overnight," warned Dercks. "It happens gradually."
"Electricity prices are a problem for jobs in industry"
Jürgen Kerner, second chairman of the IG Metall union, agreed with him. "The DIHK study shows again what has long been obvious: electricity prices in Germany are a problem for jobs in industry," Kerner told the German Press Agency.
The DIHK did not ask how many companies have actually restricted their production in Germany and how many are only considering doing so. The many individual reports in recent weeks show that these are not just threats. One of the things that caused a stir was the loss of up to 14,000 jobs at the automotive supplier ZF. The car manufacturer Volkswagen and the chemical company BASF are also cutting jobs. According to a calculation published in the spring by the German Economic Institute (IW), net investment outflows from Germany totaled more than 300 billion euros in the past three years. The IW spoke of "first symptoms of deindustrialization." Economists are concerned about the recent rise in unemployment figures.
At the beginning of July, the Chancellery, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Finance presented a growth package that is intended to increase the growth rate - most recently estimated by the federal government at 1.0 percent - by 0.5 percentage points next year. However, a number of points, such as more pressure on citizens' allowance recipients and the tax bonus for foreign skilled workers, are controversial in the governing coalition. In light of the news this week that gross domestic product fell in the second quarter, Habeck's spokesman warned that all ministries, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat must "pull together". The DIHK has little hope for the growth package. "We do not see that this will bring potential growth of 0.5 percent," said Dercks. It is unclear whether some points will come to fruition, while others will bring little. "At least the package shows that the federal government sees a need for action." That is already a success." [1]
German Chancellor Scholz is worse than Hitler. He succeeded in killing Western industry. Hitler created the Volkswagen. Scholz destroyed the Volkswagen. After all, Americans also stuck in place.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH. Aug 1, 2024. Von Julia Löhr. Berlin
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