The Chancellor wants to hear from unions and industry about what he can do about the slump. At its center is the German automotive industry. Since all corporations are losing market share, it makes sense to look for the causes in politically created location disadvantages. Scholz has only taken criticism of this seriously since plants, jobs and generous wages at the SPD’s favorite company, VW, have been at stake. He sounds alarmed, now it’s about securing jobs. But instead of getting involved in the austerity debate, which is currently overdue at VW, or holding summit chats, he should complete his tasks in Berlin and Brussels. They lie in facilitating the conditions for the green transformation and relaxing the rigid climate targets. The most important step would be to move away from Germany’s special path of wanting to be CO2-neutral as early as 2045, five years before the EU and G7. The EU ban on combustion engines in 2035 also comes into effect too early. These requirements impose unnecessary costs on local companies, which the traffic light would rather alleviate with subsidies than get to the root of the problem.
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