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Bavarian Automotive Summit with Many Demands on Berlin and Brussels

(dpa/jr) The meeting convened by Bavarian Prime Minister Söder ends with a list of demands - to Berlin and Brussels. Greenpeace warns of further wavering over the phase-out of combustion engines, which Söder wants to reverse. The VDA mainly focuses on cutting bureaucracy.

Hubert Aiwanger (l-r, Free Voters), Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Horst Ott, IG Metall district leader Bavaria, Markus Söder (CSU), Bavaria's Prime Minister, Hildegard Müller, President of the Automotive Association VDA, and Christian Bernreiter (CSU), Bavaria's Minister of Construction and Transport, participate in a press conference following an automotive summit. | Photo: dpa/Sven Hoppe
Hubert Aiwanger (l-r, Free Voters), Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Horst Ott, IG Metall district leader Bavaria, Markus Söder (CSU), Bavaria's Prime Minister, Hildegard Müller, President of the Automotive Association VDA, and Christian Bernreiter (CSU), Bavaria's Minister of Construction and Transport, participate in a press conference following an automotive summit. | Photo: dpa/Sven Hoppe
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The Bavarian Auto Summit ended with a list of demands aimed at Berlin and Brussels. Among other things, the participants of the event, convened by Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), emphasized the desire for new support for electromobility, tax incentives, and investment programs - including for suppliers. Söder also advocated for a reduction in truck tolls, technology openness, and a suspension of penalties for exceeding the CO2 fleet limits under certain conditions. At least in Berlin, the demands will likely become a task for the expected new federal government - possibly with a Chancellor Friedrich Merz and participation from the CSU. 

From the Bavarian side, Söder highlighted, among other things, the previously announced transformation fund, from which at least 100 million will flow into the automotive industry - especially to suppliers. He also reaffirmed Bavaria's goal of having 100,000 charging stations and hydrogen fueling stations in the state by 2030. According to Söder, there are currently 30,000.
 

VDA hopes for Bavaria's voice in Berlin and Brussels

The President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller, once again emphasized how important it is to reduce bureaucracy. She hopes for Bavarian support in this regard. The voice of the Free State is heard in Berlin and Brussels, she said. 

The regional district leader of IG Metall, Horst Ott, welcomed the signal coming from the summit. He emphasized, however, that it is important not only to think about technology but also about the people. Therefore, any possible subsidies needed to be tied to the locations and also serve to secure jobs in this country. Currently, there is fear and uncertainty among the workforces. "People still have jobs, and companies are still in the black," he said. And yet, there is "fear of what might come."

Greenpeace warns of further "zigzag course" in the automotive industry

The environmental organization Greenpeace criticized Söder's call to abandon the exit from combustion engines in the European Union: "Söder does not clearly commit to the electric future of the car and continues to oppose the necessary phase-out of combustion engines. This will further widen the gap for BMW, Audi, and other German manufacturers," said Saskia Reinbeck. Without a clear exit date, the industry continues to zigzag, while Chinese EV competitors outperform German manufacturers.

Translated automatically from German.
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