Employers' associations and trade unions in eastern Germany have presented the federal government with a five-point plan to stabilize the chemical industry and warned of a significant reduction in industrial jobs. "We need a crisis roadmap. The time for talking is over - action must now be taken," said Nora Schmidt-Kesseler, Managing Director of the Northeast Chemicals Associations, at the "East German Chemicals Summit" south of Leipzig. The demands were presented to the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD).
According to the social partners, production and sales in the eastern German chemical and pharmaceutical industry have been in continuous decline since 2022. At a maximum of 70 percent, capacity utilization is well below the profitability threshold. More than 63,000 jobs with an annual turnover of over 30 billion euros are at stake.
However, the chemical industry is also under pressure nationwide - primarily due to high energy costs, weak demand and increasing international competition, including from China.
