German industry calls for greater speed of the energy transition

Tough and lengthy approval procedures are slowing down the energy transition, according to the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Germany loses out internationally if planned investments for climate protection are not accelerated, BDI president Siegfried Russwurm told news agency dpa, Der Spiegel reports. "It must not take more time to approve a rail project or an industrial plant than it does to actually build it,” Russwurm said. He added that Germany will quickly fall behind its own climate targets, referring to the government’s recently tightened targets of reaching climate neutrality by 2045 and 65 percent emission reductions by 2030. For industry, 2030 is “already tomorrow”, Russwurm said. “If you continue at the speed of the past ten years, the energy transition will fail – and it won't fail because industry doesn't want to.”

To reach the new climate targets, the next government after the elections on 26 September has to tackle key challenges of the climate-friendly transformation of Germany's economy, like getting renewables expansion back on track. The next government should provide concrete measures on climate policy, Russwurm said, adding that he currently sees a “discrepancy between goals and measures in climate policy in all parties.” However, companies cannot base investment decisions on goals alone, Russwurm argued: "As long as there is a lack of clarity on crucial issues, no company will push for large investments.”