World’s largest industrial show: Scholz opens Hannover Messe: “Welcome to friends”

“Welcome to friends”: With these words, the executive Chancellor Olaf Scholz is aimed at Canada at the beginning of the Hannover Messe. It is this year’s partner country in the world’s largest industrial show. Since US President Donald Trump took office, Canada has been faced with tariffs of his most important trading partner to date and is now looking for new partners in Europe at the fair.

“We stood by your side!” (German: “We are on your side!”), Said Scholz. “Canada has friends all over the world – and a particularly large number of them here in Germany and Europe.” More uncertainty and more unpredictability, more tariffs and more fragmentation – this does not help for most companies. “But I am convinced that we are not defenseless with these developments.”

“Hannover effect” instead of “America First”

Scholz made it clear: “If the United States does not give us a choice, as with the tariffs on steel and aluminum, we will react closed as an EU.” The answer to foreclosure, tariffs and “America First” (“America first”) is: more free trade, more competitiveness and more technological sovereignty. “A look at the markets and stock exchange courses shows that we are not currently on the wrong track with our customs policy,” said Scholz. Trade wars are not really to be won, not even for the United States.

Europe’s motto in trade policy is: “We are open, but we are not naive,” said Scholz. You will continue to deal with free trade with as many partners as possible worldwide. Since the CETA 2017, 2017 Canadian, European Cable Agreement, the freight trade has increased by more than 50 percent alone. And the goods trade, Scholz is certain, will soon continue to rise. “I call that the” Hanover effect “.”

Politics meets business and science

From Monday, around 4,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries show their innovations on the exhibition center, including 260 from Canada. Scholz will get an overview of the traditional chancellor tour in the morning.

Hanover is “The Place to Be” next week, the place where you have to be, said Siemens boss Roland Busch in his speech at the opening ceremony. Here politics meet business and science, new contacts would be made. And against the background of a rapidly changing world. “And maybe no other economy is affected than the German.”

Reliability as Europe’s strength

Despite all the hurdles, Europe remains “a reliable economic region,” said Bertram Kawlath, President of the Association of German Machine and Plant Construction (VDMA). “You adhere to rules instead of tariffs, trade barriers and sudden changes in the law to throw yourself and to end partnerships.” This reliability is one of the greatest strengths in Europe.

This now also applies to a possible back together with Canada. “The German economy has very close relationships with Canada, and I am pleased that these relationships should be intensified in the next few days,” said Busch. “Against the background of global political developments, it becomes all the more important to strengthen European-Canadian relationships-politically and economically-,” said Kawlath. “Canada is a reliable partner who offers our company great opportunities.”

Large room again takes up artificial intelligence on the industrial show. The focus is also hydrogen, climate -friendly production and industrial transformation. Visitors from 120 countries are expected. A year ago, 130,000 visitors came to the fair.