German rubber industry urges change of course in economic policy

Frankfurt am Main, Germany - German rubber industry association the WDK has called for a change of course in economic policy as the country prepares for Bundestag elections next year.

"We must finally move forward proactively on the [global competitiveness] issue," said Michael Klein, president of Frankfurt-based WDK, during a 20 Nov meeting.

To be a competitive industrial location, Germany needs a “noticeable reduction in bureaucracy, competitive energy prices, lower corporate taxes and reliable framework conditions,” said Klein.

In the upcoming parliamentary election campaign, he added, the WDK will pose those issues to the parties and to the new federal government and ask for “concrete proposals for implementation.”

"The global competitiveness of Germany… must finally be brought back into the focus of federal politics and both large-scale industry and medium-sized industry must be strengthened," he said.

While stressing the German rubber industry’s ‘resilience and loyalty to its location’, Klein warned that a “breaking point” might arrive if better and more stable conditions are not provided.

The WDK represents over 200 companies with almost 70,000 employees and a total annual turnover of more than €10 billion euros.

The German Bundestag elections are currently set for end of September next year but might be brought forward due to the recent collapse of the coalition government.