Don't Label The Car As The Nation's Bogeyman

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Angela Merkel campaigned for the German auto industry during a visit to the Ford factory. Politicians should not set unrealistic goals, said the Chancellor.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has praised the automotive industry's commitment to climate-friendly models. "I think it's really impressive what progress has been made here," said Merkel on Tuesday during a visit to the Ford factory in Cologne. It goes without saying that all options for reducing CO2 emissions would have to be examined, but the policy of the auto industry should not set unrealistic deadlines. It is important not to label the car as “the nation's bogeyman”.

"Germany and the automotive industry are very closely linked," said Merkel. “I don't believe in regulating an industry - or certain segments, too - in a certain way. Europe must not be put at a disadvantage compared to other regions of the world."

It goes without saying that all options for reducing CO2 emissions must be examined, but one must also remain realistic. "We know that we have a certain time window in order to cope with the challenges of climate protection, and we have to use this time window, but of course we also have to take the development time into account," said Merkel. Politicians should not set unrealistic time limits for the auto industry, as this would entail extreme costs.

Please to the Chancellor

The German Ford boss Bernhard Mattes asked Merkel to work for greater harmonization of national laws and regulations within the European Union. "As an export-oriented company based in Germany, the patchwork of national characteristics really bother us," said Mattes.

Merkel assured him that she would continue to campaign for comparable standards in the EU. The federal government definitely wants cars to continue to be produced in Germany.

The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU) warned against the belief that Germany could become a pure service society. “There must also be people somewhere who manufacture products - for example cars - in the real economy,” he said.

Merkel and Rüttgers visited Ford's development center in Cologne. 17,300 people work for the car manufacturer at the Cologne location. Ford was brought to the Rhine in 1931 by the then mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer. (dpa)