The south-west Saxony region is to be made fit for the future with a master plan. The cabinet in Dresden is supporting the project with 600,000 euros. According to Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar (CDU), the aim is to support the region in a far-reaching transformation.
So far, the region has been heavily influenced by the automotive industry. On the one hand, this is a strength, but it also makes the region more vulnerable, said the minister after the cabinet meeting in Dresden.
The state grant will be used to develop a strategy in the region itself that will actively shape change in the automotive and supplier industry and create new prospects for the economy, work and quality of life.
At the moment, around one in four jobs depend on this industry. Thousands of jobs are affected by decarbonization, digitalization and the phasing out of the combustion engine. Further challenges would arise from demographic change and infrastructure.
The master plan is to be developed by the regional convention - an association of the district councils of Central Saxony, Zwickau, Erzgebirgskreis, Vogtlandkreis and the Lord Mayor of Chemnitz - with stakeholders from business, science and civil society. It should be available by the end of 2026.
Kraushaar made it clear that this was not an investment program. She described the state grant as "money for reflection". The aim was to give those involved the opportunity to think about where they stand and in which direction they should go, regardless of the pressure of day-to-day business.
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