Coalition: Merz wants to invite you to summit with a steel industry

Chancellor Friedrich Merz invites the struck steel industry to a summit in the Chancellery. “The goal is: We, I want us to get steel production in Germany in the long run. How we can achieve this goal we want to discuss with the producers and also with employee representatives,” said the CDU boss after the coalition tips in Berlin.

The German steel industry is currently under pressure from two sides, said Merz: by tariffs that they would have to pay in the United States and through dumping offers from China. The weak demand in Germany is also difficult for companies, just like high energy prices. That is why Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) and several federal states have repeatedly called for an industry meeting to help possible help.

Due to hard competition, especially from Asia, high energy prices and the economic weakness, the German steel industry had recently made significantly less steel. According to the Stahl Association, raw steel production in Germany decreased by almost 12 percent to 17.1 million tons in the first six months. At the beginning of June, US President Donald Trump screwed up the tariffs to steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent- before that it was 25 percent. In addition, hundreds of additional products such as motorcycles and crane vehicles are occupied with steel and aluminum tariffs.