Traditionally at the beginning of the year, the VDMA revises and updates its economic policy positions.
With the so-called "Easter Package", the Federal Cabinet today adopted a comprehensive legislative package to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies.
Small and medium-sized companies in particular are unduly burdened when they constantly have to deal with new laws and regulations and have to meet these requirements in terms of finance and personnel. The VDMA is therefore calling for a moratorium on burdens from the next federal government.
The regulatory tsunami in the area of product policy has begun: With the publication of the first comprehensive package on sustainable product policy, the EU Commission has set another milestone under the Green Deal and the Circular Economy Package.
VDMA welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand. However, the EU must ensure that negotiated EU trade agreements also enter into force.
The last special regulations for receiving short-time allowance expired on 30 June 2022.
Employees in the machinery and plant engineering sector deserve to receive the right net from their gross while their benefits remain unchanged. The budget deliberations must keep this in mind and reduce the cold progression. The income tariff must be defused.
Subsidies from third countries distort production costs and have a negative impact on competition in Europe. The EU is taking action against this - the corresponding regulation is correct, but complex. Companies are now threatened with legal uncertainty.
VDMA hopes that steps will be taken under the Czech Presidency to ensure that negotiated EU trade agreements, e.g. with Mercosur and Mexico, enter into force.
The decision in the EU Environment Council in favor of a second emissions trading scheme is an important step toward comprehensive European greenhouse gas pricing. However, major uncertainties remain with regard to future drive technologies for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
The G7 summit showed that the Western industrialized nations want to act together on crucial issues. It is good that the G7 is pushing ahead with the establishment of an international climate club and wants to offer an alternative to the Chinese New Silk Road.
Energy security is crucial for the entire EU, especially industry. The decision by EU member states to fill their gas storage facilities before winter and to share storage facilities is a sign that the EU is determined to prevent a worst-case scenario.
After the Federal Constitutional Court declared the regulations for interest on tax arrears and refunds to be unconstitutional with regard to the interest rate, the Bundestag has now passed a new regulation on 23.07.22. The new regulation is based on the following principles
This survey surveys the status of implementation of ESG issues in companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector and maps what role they play in business relationships and what trends as well as further impacts are expected by the companies.
The EU Commission has been planning for some time to draw up its own regulation to harmonize road safety requirements for mobile machinery.
Germany and Europe want to become climate-neutral by the middle of the century. To achieve this, two challenges must be met: transforming the energy system while ensuring security of supply.
Commenting on the agreement reached by the government parliament groups of the SPD, Greens and FDP on a ratification law for the CETA free trade agreement, Ulrich Ackermann, head of the foreign trade department at VDMA, says:
Policymakers should see the Vocational Education and Training Report 2022 as a warning signal. Without sufficient young technical specialists, Germany has no future as an industrial location. Vocational orientation and technical education at general schools remain weak points in the education system.
The EU has reached an agreement on the minimum wages directive. Member states with minimum wages are required to establish a framework for setting and updating minimum wages.
The alarm level of the Gas Emergency Plan indicates the real danger of an undersupply. The actual supply situation must now be clarified quickly. The mechanical and plant engineering sector supports fair burden sharing that does not overburden individual gas consumer groups.
In its second attempt, the European Parliament has found a position on the CO2 border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). CBAM is a major field trial that potentially disadvantages the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
On behalf of VDMA, the Global Trade Allert Team of the University of St. Gallen has investigated the impact of protectionism on European machinery exports. Around 80% of EU machinery exports are hampered by government trade intervention.
The statutory minimum wage will rise to € 12 per hour from 1 October 2022.
The Executive Board of IG Metall has issued its recommendation for the upcoming collective bargaining round in the metal and electrical industry.
Free trade is increasingly hampered worldwide by government protectionist measures; 80 percent of all European mechanical engineering exports are affected. This makes new free trade agreements between the EU and, for example, the Mercosur states or India all the more important.
The upcoming collective bargaining round in the M&E industry is taking place in particularly challenging times. The collective bargaining parties have to take into account a wide range of aspects and national and international developments. In this situation, excessive wage increases could well raise the specter of "stagflation".
In its latest report, the BMWK's Scientific Advisory Board shares the concerns of the business community and recommends that preventive risk management be dispensed with and that positive and negative lists be introduced.
Today, the Federal Cabinet prepared further measures to advance the expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany with the draft bill to increase and accelerate the expansion of onshore wind energy facilities and the draft of a fourth law to amend the Federal Nature Conservation Act.
It is high time to restart free trade negotiations with India. This opens up the opportunity to dismantle numerous trade barriers on the subcontinent. But the EU must also make concessions to India in the negotiations.
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament agreed on 13 June 2022 to prolong the COVID-certificate until 30 June 2023. This guarantees free movement for assembly operations.
On June 8, the first half of the EU Fit for 55 climate package was put to a vote in the European Parliament. Important parts of the EU climate legislation were rejected in the European Parliament and sent back to the parliamentary committees.
The upcoming WTO ministerial conference in Geneva must lead to a revival of multilateralism within the World Trade Organization. Otherwise, the WTO is in danger of sinking into irrelevance.
The debate about so-called excess profits and their taxation is misguided. Excess profits cannot be defined in concrete terms or delimited for tax purposes. Their levying would thus be completely arbitrary.
The event discussed the energy transformation and digitalization, which are increasingly pushing into the industry, with their consequences for German and international tax law.
Statement by Dr. Ehrhard, Managing Director of the German Agricultural Machinery Association, on the decision in the EU Parliament on a reform of CO2 fleet limits, which is likely to lead de facto to the end of combustion engines for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
The EU Parliament has agreed to limit CO2 vehicle emissions to zero without regard to the fuel used. This will de facto ban the internal combustion engine for passenger cars - a mistake! Because the ban will reduce the diversity of climate-neutral drive technologies.
The postponement of the CBAM vote in the EU Parliament offers the opportunity to further develop the highly sensitive CO2 border adjustment in a second attempt. Exports of machinery and equipment, for example, must not be placed at a competitive disadvantage. These technologies are urgently needed worldwide to achieve the Paris climate targets.
Two labor court rulings clearly show when employers can be liable in connection with Corona infections of employees.
On 12 May 2022 the first reading on the bill to implement the Working Conditions Directive took place in the Bundestag.
The EU decided in May 2022 that import tariffs on Ukrainian exports (including industrial products) will be temporarily suspended.
The Trade Council will discuss the status of bilateral EU trade negotiations on 3 June 2022. The export-oriented machinery sector needs EU trade agreements, which also enter into force.
Can a falsified certificate of recovery or an invalid test certificate constitute grounds for termination of employment?
Employers may order corona tests for employees in the workplace
For the fifth time, the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs is the patron of the "NRW Economy in Transition" competition. Applications are open until June 30, 2022.
The Data Governance Act shall apply from 24 September 2023. This law is an important part of the EU's data strategy, which aims to strengthen the data economy.
The mechanical engineering industry is looking for employees. In fact, the number of job ads is now at record levels. The indicators all speak the same language and the shortages are getting worse.
The German Federal Ministry of Labor (BMAS) has now published an updated FAQ catalog following the expiration of the SARS-CoV-2 occupational health and safety regulation and rule on May 25, 2022.
How should Europe reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas and how should the mammoth project be financed? There are no simple answers - but there was an exciting discussion about this at the VDMA reception at the Hannover Messe.
The specified obligations mainly affect large companies, but the requirements can also be passed on to smaller companies in the supply chain - a legal classification.
The Russian war of aggression is largely bringing the close relations of European mechanical engineering with Russian industry to a standstill. This is shown by the results of the current VDMA survey on business with Russia.
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