The German ruling coalition has neglected to put the issue of a bridge-gap price for electricity (temporarily subsidized electricity prices) on the agenda of their closed conference in Meseberg. This causes great dissatisfaction among the energy-intensive SMEs. The chief managing director of the Federal Association of German Industrial Foundries BDG, Max Schumacher, calls the closed conference a “wasted opportunity”.
The energy-intensive industries all agree in their criticism of the ruling three-party-coalition, which has not addressed the issue of industrial pricing or bridge-gap pricing for electricity. The small and medium sized industrial companies represented by the Alliance for a Fair Energy Transition (Bündnis Faire Energiewende BFE), of which the Federal Association of German Industrial Foundries (Deutsche Gießerei-Industrie BDI) and the Business Alliance for Metals (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle) are members, show themselves disappointed and horrified at the decisions made in Meseberg. While they welcome the agreed-upon business incentives, they judge them as far too little.
“During the cabinet’s closed conference in Meseberg, the ruling coalition has wasted the opportunity to tackle the main problem, which is the expensive energy costs for the industry”, says Max Schumacher, spokesperson for the industry alliance and chief managing director of the BDI.
The Federal Chancellor is relying on hope when it comes to the price for energy, but with regard to the serious state of affairs, this is not appropriate for industrial SMEs: “More and more companies are fighting to survive because they are no longer able to compete, because of record prices for energy at industrial sites in Germany. These are exactly those small and medium-sized industrial companies which we need to cope with the transformation of German industrial sites and to remain independent in our supply chains. Therefore we have no other choice: The entirety of small and medium-sized industrial companies needs a broad and quick relief of energy costs right now, as long as there is not enough green energy available at an affordable price.” says Schumacher.
The BDG had commenced a joint action with industrial labour union IG Metall with the motto “Bielefeld Appeal (Bielefelder Appell)”. In this context, around 1,000 foundries demanded industrial pricing for electricity to support their industry. “We need a decision in favour of industrial pricing for electricity within this year. The industrial price of electricity must be internationally competitive, it must be implemented quickly and without unnecessary bureaucracy and it must give companies surety for their long-term planning”, is what BDG president Clemens Küpper had demanded in spring, very clearly with regard to worries whether Germany will be able to remain an attractive industrial location.