In the latest issue of "IAD - Industriearmaturen & Dichtungstechnik", NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur calls for further measures to continue supporting German industry in the current tense economic situation.
"The German government's agreement on an electricity price package is an important signal, but the overall effect is still a little too small," says the Green politician in an exclusive interview with the trade journal.
"We are continuing to campaign for the federal government to find a way to provide even greater relief for energy-intensive and trade-intensive companies in the coming years, even if the production costs for renewable energies have already reached a competitive level."
Neubaur cites the dual transformation towards climate protection and digitalisation in particular as an important challenge for overcoming the current crisis. "We are doing everything we can to ensure that North Rhine-Westphalia becomes the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe by 2045," said the Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy.
Neubaur optimistic for 2024
Despite weak economic forecasts, the Deputy Minister President of NRW is confident about economic development this year:
"The year 2024 must be a year of change and action. In North Rhine-Westphalia, we are making important contributions to lowering energy costs with a determined expansion of renewable energies. More staff and digital processes are helping to speed up approval procedures. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are continuing to make bold progress."
The full interview with the NRW Minister of Economic Affairs appears in issue 01/2024 of the trade journal "IAD - Industriearmaturen & Dichtungstechnik".