Sounding the alarm about Germany's business environment

DW (English)

German businesses are sounding the alarm ahead of the federal election, warning of further stagnation. They’re calling for better conditions and less bureaucracy to help revive the economy.

Transcript

00:00They're standing up for Germany as a business hub, pushing to make it more competitive.

00:05Dozens of business groups called for this demonstration at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

00:11Marie-Christine Ostermann, President of the Family Business Association, is taking part.

00:18This is the biggest economic crisis since World War II, and businesses are in distress.

00:23The economy is at risk, and we need better economic policies and cost reductions so companies

00:28can generate growth on their own again.

00:32The German economy has contracted for two consecutive years.

00:35The demonstrators place the blame squarely on politics.

00:38We face excessive bureaucracy in general and especially in the real estate industry.

00:44We've had it up to here.

00:47I work 50% for the tax office and for my tax advisor to make sure I do everything right.

00:52We need a complete freeze on bureaucracy for at least a year to give the economy a chance

00:57to recover.

00:58450 kilometers west, in Ham, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Marie-Christine

01:05Ostermann's company Rölco is a food logistics provider that supplies hospitals and care

01:10homes.

01:11Its shelves hold 21,000 products from around the world, making Rölco particularly impacted

01:17by Germany's new Supply Chain Act.

01:20Major customers now demand proof that environmental and social standards are met during production.

01:27The challenge is that as a medium-sized company with 200 employees, I can't verify 20,000

01:34products worldwide to ensure all environmental and social standards are met, in Indonesia

01:39or Brazil, for example.

01:42After all, I'm not on site to see for myself.

01:45It's simply not feasible with 200 employees.

01:51She supports the goals of the Supply Chain Act, but if it remains unchanged, she risks

01:56losing customers.

01:58To increase political pressure, Ostermann mobilized for the so-called Economic Warning

02:03Day.

02:04We'll have a warning strike on January 29th.

02:07The urgency for change in Germany has only grown since the new U.S. President Donald

02:12Trump threatened to impose tariffs and lure businesses with tax cuts.

02:17This is why bureaucracy has to be reduced, taxes must come down, social security costs

02:23must fall, and energy prices must become competitive again.

02:28She and the other demonstrators are pinning their hopes on the German election in February

02:32and that the next government can bring about a turnaround.

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