The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned against an increasing relocation of production from Germany to other countries. “Germany is becoming less attractive as a location,” said DIHK President Peter Adrian to the German Press Agency.
“Many general conditions are fundamentally better in the USA or Asian countries, for example. This applies, for example, to energy supply, taxes and duties as well as entrepreneurial freedom.” Germany and the EU would have to react to this.
“If our energy and labor costs are higher, we have to do better, especially when it comes to bureaucracy and all other factors that can be influenced,” said Adrian. “The challenge is also great on our own continent: Germany must not become the sick man of Europe again.”
The term “Sick Man of Europe,” which the British magazine “Economist” used to describe Germany at the turn of the millennium, has been making the rounds again in recent months.
Adrian sees the location in danger in the long term
“Right now the course is being set for the coming decades,” says Adrian. “Only with a strong economy will we be able to tackle the current challenges. We have to become faster, more agile, less bureaucratic and, above all, more digital if we want to keep up.” This transformation must be supported by politicians. “Otherwise the location is in danger in the long term.”
Adrian said he would like to see clear, reliable and problem-oriented political action. The relocation is not just about companies that close here and reopen elsewhere. “What is much more relevant is the development that expansions or new ideas in international industrial networks are increasingly being implemented in other countries than in our country. But we can reverse this trend if we become significantly better.”
In a DIHK survey of more than 2,200 companies over the course of the year (on a school grade scale of 1 to 6), they rated their economic policy with a grade of 4.8 – and thus worse than ever before in the survey conducted every three years . Above all, the companies complained about too much bureaucracy, too high energy costs and too long approval processes. “Welt am Sonntag” first reported on it.
Don’t bang your head against the wall
Adrian also warned against Germany going it alone when it comes to climate protection. “Many entrepreneurs are thinking about how they can reorganize their own business and how they can use resources more efficiently. But we have to be careful that we don’t end up in a dead end. Because the world isn’t waiting for us to give them ours Standards dictate. Our concrete steps must be compatible with our important neighboring countries, with the important global economic areas. We cannot beat our heads against the wall – no matter what the cost. That will not work and it will lead to serious competitive disadvantages for German companies . That’s why we have to approach the transformation process wisely and with a sense of proportion.”
