The German automotive industry no longer sees growth opportunities in Europe given the current situation. Hildegard Müller, the President of the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry), told the Pro-Newsletter Industrie und Handel of “Politico” magazine that “the fact is that the European industry cannot grow under the poor location conditions.” She added that companies are moving away to “be able to compete further internationally.”
Müller criticized the fact that this reality is not being accepted by everyone. She pointed out that politicians still suffer from a conceptual problem, stating, “the assumption that we currently have problems mainly with implementation is incorrect.” She also cautioned that without a strong economy, societal and political stability is also challenged.
Consequently, Müller is calling for a “growth agenda” and a stronger focus on location policy. The VDA chief also sees this conceptual problem within the EU. She said that anyone who believes “that regulation is a competitive advantage” is “ignoring all numbers, data, and facts.” Treating only the symptoms is, in her view, also “an expression of refusing to address the problems themselves”: namely, the lack of competitiveness.
