The German Steel and Metal Processing Association (WSM) registered an economic "catch-up process with the brakes on" in February 2022. Even after one year, production figures fell by 0.3 percent last year compared to 2021, according to the German Federal Statistical Office. The WSM calls for immediate action by politicians and measures that relieve the burden.
"We finally need a reduction in bureaucracy - as a free economic stimulus package," says WSM CEO Christian Vietmeyer.
"Ineffective energy price brakes continue to let the growth engine sputter. Only a noticeable de-bureaucratization lets it start again," also explains Holger Ade, Head of Industry and Energy Policy at WSM.
Supporting growth forces
Manufacturing fell by 1.6 percent year-on-year in December 2022. Overall, the fourth quarter of 2022 was slightly better than 2021 - but the increase was only 0.9 percent. The trend is additionally downward. in the fourth quarter of 2022, production lost 3.4 percent compared to the third.
"We need decisions now that unleash growth forces, not slow them down. 2023, the 'Year of Industry,' needs an avowed 'yes' to Germany and Europe as a business location - as a prelude to a long-term industrial policy," emphasizes Holger Ade.
