Coalition agreement: This is how Schwarz-Rot wants to strengthen the economy

The desired next federal government from the CDU, CSU and SPD wants to get the weakening German economy going again. What is intended in the coalition agreement:

– Germany fund: With a fund, the planned next federal government wants to boost investments. It should include at least ten billion euros from the federal government in guarantees or financial transactions. With the help of private capital and guarantees, at least 100 billion euros should come together. This should mainly help the middle class and so-called scale-ups, i.e. small companies that want to grow.

– Taxes: This is also intended as a “investment booster”: for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027, companies should be able to write off particularly high proportions of their investment costs. A degressive depreciation of 30 percent should apply to equipment investments. From 2028, corporation tax should then decrease gradually – five times each by one percentage point.

– Relief for start-ups: In order to facilitate start-ups, procedures for notary and digital notaries should be simplified. An automatic data exchange between the notary, tax office and the commercial office is also planned. If you want to start a company, you should be able to do this within 24 hours. All applications and authorities should be able to run via a common digital platform in the future.

– Supplier law: The previous German supply chain law should be abolished and replaced by another regulation. The obligation to report according to the German supply of supply assistants “is immediately abolished and no longer applies”. The law, which has been in force since the beginning of 2023, is intended to ensure that certain labor and environmental standards are observed for products that are produced abroad for the German market. A European supply chain law should come into force in the coming years.

– Industrial flow price: Energy -intensive companies are to be relieved with a cheaper industrial flow price. The electricity tax should fall to the European minimum value, as well as levies and network charges. This should lead to relief by at least five cents per kilowatt hour.

– Specialists: Qualified specialists should receive work permits faster. Bureaucracy and obligations to proof are said to shrink. No new legal statistics obligations should be added for at least two years, existing regulations are being put to the test.

– Trade agreement: The planned government is aiming for further trade and investment agreements and supports the corresponding efforts of the EU. “With the United States, we are aiming for a free trade agreement in the medium term, at short notice we want to avoid a trade conflict and rely on reducing import duties on both sides of the Atlantic.”

– Artificial intelligence and microelectronics: “We establish Germany as an AI nation,” says the coalition agreement. Massive investments in the cloud and AI infrastructure and connection between AI and robotics are planned. Germany is to be promoted by a leading location for microelectronics, investments in this area.

– Climate protection: Union and SPD want to support the development of climate-friendly products, for example with quotas for emission-free steel production or for more climate-friendly gas. Funding programs for the climate -friendly conversion of industry should continue, such as climate protection contracts. With these, the state initially assumes the additional costs for new procedures. A criterion for such funding is said to be securing the location.

– Carbon dioxide storage: The separation and storage of carbon dioxide (CCS) should be possible in particular for difficult to avoid emissions from the industrial sector and for gas power plants. The steel industry, which, from the perspective of the CDU/CSU and SPD, is of central strategic importance for the business location should also be able to use this.

– Investments from abroad: “We want to prevent foreign investments that contradict our national interests in critical infrastructure and strategically relevant areas.” In the future, only components from trustworthy countries may be installed in sensitive areas of the critical infrastructure. The critical infrastructure includes energy supply or telecommunications.

– China: In dealing with the economic power of China, the desired federal government wants to reduce risks (“DE-Risking”). An expert commission of the Bundestag is to report annually.