WDK urges German government to reverse 'impending deindustrialisation'

Frankfurt am Main, Germany – Germany’s government must stop the country’s “impending deindustrialisation”, demanded Michael Klein, president of German rubber industry association the WDK.

High energy costs, excessive bureaucracy and dwindling international competitiveness are "jeopardising the future of our industry," said Klein, urging a new post-election administration to put “economic turnround into practice.”

Germany's new leaders should prioritise secure and affordable energy supply and end the “paralysing burden” of documentation and reporting obligations on business, Klein insisted.

"Industrial production is only possible with competitive electricity and gas prices. The government must establish a reliable production electricity price as quickly as possible.”

Klein, whose organisation represents 200 tire and elastomer companies employing 70,000 people with annual turnover of €10 billion, also attacked CO₂ pricing.

He called for suspension of national pricing, saying it placed a unilateral burden on German firms within Europe.

The recent Bundestag elections resulted in victory for Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc.

Its 28.5% share of the vote, however, makes coalition talks a necessity but the WDK president said it was essential the process was not prolonged.

“Neither our business nor Europe can afford a month’s long stalemate,” he counselled.

Klein added that it was vital that political leaders matched the country’s change in security policy with a new economic strategy, as repeatedly demanded by business.

“It is important that politicians finally deliver and put the economic policy turnaround into practice. We have already changed course in security policy – now economic policy must follow."