World’s largest industrial show
Merz not there, but already a topic at the Hanover Messe
The last trade fair appearance for Scholz: To say goodbye in Hanover, the Chancellor warns of protectionism-but industry prefers to talk about his successor Merz.
Farewell tour for the executive Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Hanover Messe: For the last time he started the traditional chancellor tour in the state capital in Lower Saxony. But in the background, his expected successor stole the show, although he was not on site.
CDU boss Friedrich Merz would have preferred to have had on site, said the President of the electrical and digital industry association Zvei, Gunther Kegel. “We could have given him one or the other.”
Scholz warns of protectionism as an economic risk
Instead, Scholz got a picture of the world’s largest industrial show during the traditional tour of the Chancellor. Among other things, he informed himself about battery and at Siemens about a bioreactor for the production of medication at Bosch Rexroth.
In his luggage, however, Scholz had a clear message with a view to the announced US tariffs: nobody benefits from protectionism, said the SPD politician. “We all work together to ensure that the crazy way of protectionism does not destroy the growth opportunities of the whole world.”
No country could build, sell and develop highly specialized machines alone. “Even large countries like the USA and China are too small to develop specialized products that are only suitable for their own market,” said Scholz.
But not only trade barriers threaten the economic development of the world, but also warlike hustle and bustle. The consequences can be seen in Ukraine, for example. “We have to return to a peaceful world in which a principle is clear: the stronger neighbors are no danger to their weaker neighbors,” said the Chancellor.
Debt packages are said to give industry boost
Topics that Scholz will also employ likely to employ Merz. And the industrial associations did not save with further claims to the CDU boss, although he was not on site.
The planned billion-dollar package for defense and infrastructure has the potential to give industry again. IG Metall boss Christiane Benner spoke of an important signal: “We understood, we invest.” Now it is important that the money also arrives in industry. “Now it is crucial that exactly these points implemented well.”
Associations: Reform will not be able to
But that alone will not be enough, warned Zvei boss Kegel. In addition, the next federal government must tackle overdue structural reforms. “Otherwise, threatens that the special fund fizzles out as a straw fire.”
A “big throw” is now necessary, said the President of the Federal Association of German Industry (BDI), Peter Leibinger: lower taxes, affordable energy for industry and, above all, a radical reduction in the excessive bureaucracy. This is the only way to be the mood in the country. But unfortunately it doesn’t look like that, said Bertram Kawlath from the machine and plant builders’ association VDMA. “The reform zeal fades again before it really started.”
For the current year, the industrial representatives therefore have little hope of improvement. The BDI said that the BDI said that the prospect of billions of billions will not be much in the company this year. Industrial production will therefore drop again by 0.5 percent. “That would be the fourth decline in a row,” said BDI boss Leibinger.
Artificial intelligence is moving in
Around 4,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries will show their innovations by Friday, including 260 from this year’s partner country Canada. The artificial intelligence again takes up large space. Siemens shows his further developed industrial copilot, with which robots can be controlled by language. Microsoft presents a AI-supported assistant to optimize processes in the factory hall. You can also see a robot that disassembles electric batteries via AI.
Scholz scored a robot of a slightly different kind on his tour. When the Chancellor tried ice hockey, he had to pass the “Robo Goalie”, a robot goalkeeper. But Scholz set the puck a few centimeters to the left of the gate with a courageous blow. In keeping with his sporting effort, the Chancellor was given a jersey with the imprint “Scholz 25”.
dpa
Source: Stern
