Head of the Chemical Association VCI calls up employees for longer work

Mr. Große Entrup, there were already some big speeches in Berlin. For example, the jerk speech by Federal President Roman Herzog. How much did she messed through Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first declaration of government?

Wolfgang Große Entrup: One of Mr. Merz’s most important messages was that you do not set big visionary goals in the new government, but simply say: We have an incredible number of tasks, challenges that we have to work on. Therefore, his speech was fully in the corridor of our expectations. The messages of the industry have apparently arrived in the Chancellery. We are now relying on the announced departure to be implemented seriously. Our industry is ready for this huge effort.

There is criticism that Mr. Merz and Katherina Reiche made a former lobbyist and later boss of an energy group. How do you see that?

Big entrup: The Chancellor has made some personnel decisions that are completely atypical for politics. Taking several people in political responsibility in the economy is an extremely strong, important signal. Conversely, there are courageous decisions by personalities such as Ms. Reiche or the new digital minister Karsten Wildberger to go from industry to politics.

Have you already met Mrs. Reich, the new Federal Minister of Economics?

Big entrup: I have known Mrs. Reiche for a long time. She has met positively in politics, she recently gained the greatest attention in her function as an energy manager because the topic is very important for us as an energy -intensive industry. She is an absolute expert for the energy topic, it is one of the core challenges for the new Federal government.

How satisfied are you so far with the announcements of the government to reduce electricity prices or energy costs as a whole?

Big entrup: The right and important fields were named. The government must now quickly get energy prices down with emergency aid, for example reducing electricity tax. This is the be -all and end -all. Second, it has to tackle the structural undesirable developments of the energy transition. The network charges, for example, have developed into an enormous cost factor. Here is an important lever for competitive electricity prices.

What do you say about the new power plant strategy?

Big entrup: Spain and Portugal showed us how quickly a blackout is possible. The Federal Network Agency says that we are double and triple secured in Germany. But there are quite a few experts who find the opposite. New power plants are therefore important and necessary. The coal phase -out may only be carried out when these power plants are there. We also have to pay attention to the affordability. Cost efficiency and security of supply are things that have to be in the foreground. And not the wild addition of regenerative energies.

Like Ms. Reiche, they advocate natural gas power plants because they are quickly available on the market. Why doesn’t it stay with power plants as before that can burn green hydrogen?

Big entrup: If you immediately use the color « green » with hydrogen, you take the 16th step before the first. When we introduced the catalyst, the Euro 7 standard did not immediately apply. You have gradually developed this. In the case of green hydrogen, nobody is currently able to give a resilient answer where he should come from the required quantities. The hydrogen kernel network does not yet exist and there is hardly anyone at the moment who wants to invest in electrolysis. There are many questions unanswered. Climate -friendly hydrogen as early as possible and as much as possible, that must be the goal. But it makes no sense to break that over the knee.

Your association is for the storage of CO₂ underground. How do you explain to other people in ten or twenty years that they were once to press poisonous carbon dioxide into the ground?

Big entrup: Sustainability is our driver and has three dimensions: ecology, but also economy and social issues. That is often forgotten. We don’t just want to give ourselves a green coat of paint, we want to achieve competitiveness and climate protection alike. A company that is not economically successful will not invest in climate protection and will not be able to keep its employees. This part of the truth was displaced. It therefore stands The question of whether it will be economically justifiable everywhere to get out of fossil fuels as early as we would like to imagine all as part of the climate protection goals. If not, we have to think that there are other ways. Until 2045, until the climate neutrality is reached, there must therefore – as of today – give alternatives.

The new government has promised them a “chemistry agenda 2045”. Do you now know a schedule for this?

Big entrup: There were two chemical peaks in the Chancellery under the old government. They didn’t work. That has to change with the 2045 chemistry agenda. There is no schedule yet, but the topic is recognized in the new government. It is important that everything happens in harmony with Brussels. Because a lot of what we are discussing here needs the blessing of the Brussels administration.

Does the EU consider?

Big entrup: The Commission with Ursula von der Leyen at the top has explained very powerfully, very clearly what has to change in an industrial policy. Anyone who only relies on ecology will drive the European Union economically in front of the wall, which is now recognized in Brussels. Interestingly, everyone is looking at Germany and say: It is crucial that the engine jumps again. In the end that helps all of Europe.

With regard to economic policy, the Chancellor said, quote: We can become a growth locomotive on our own. Do you share this assessment?

Big entrup: Business has a lot to do with psychology. You shouldn’t fool yourself now. The government is new in office, sometimes ministries are responsible that have no rooms and no staff. It is therefore crucial that there is a clear roadmap. This must be underlaid with specific measures. This will not work in next seven days or 22 days or whatever. But I have to be able to rely on something happening. Then entrepreneurs take new courage, belief in Germany is returning. This in turn gives politics and our democracy the necessary tailwind.

Friedrich Merz Has demanded that more work in Germany. What do you think of it?

Big entrup: The Chancellor said that we did not get the old prosperity back on work-life balance and four-day week. He is right, something has to change. We have the lowest weekly working hours among all OECD countries, we have a lot of holidays. If we want to continue playing a role among the top export nations in the world, what is important for our location, then we have to think about it. It is of great importance that we take the shovel back in hand and work on the future viability of Germany. Our problems are mostly homemade, so we can solve them here and alone. We just have to want and start now.

To person: Wolfgang Große Entrup has been the managing director of the Chemical Association VCI since 2019. The doctoral engineer worked as a manager at the chemical trips Bayer and BASF. The 62-year-old once started his professional career as a speaker of an FDP member of the Bundestag. The German chemical industry is particularly suffering from the energy prices that has been noticeably increased since the loss of Russian natural gas. Around 460,000 employees work in the industry.