The CDU and CSU state parliamentary groups in Thuringia, Saxony, and Bavaria have called for a clear industrial policy direction for the struggling automotive industry. It is essential to keep jobs, development, and production in Germany, the three parliamentary groups stated after a meeting near the Opel plant in Eisenach. High energy and location costs, excessive bureaucracy, and growing international competitive pressure are increasingly jeopardizing investments and jobs. According to their joint demand, location costs should therefore be significantly reduced within two years, and approval procedures for investments should generally be completed within twelve months. Among other things, there is also a need for more accessible subsidy programs for small and medium-sized suppliers, as well as early and binding dialogue when locations are threatened by relocation or closure. In particular, the future of Volkswagen in Zwickau, Saxony, has been the subject of discussion for weeks. Zwickau is not an extension of the Wolfsburg production line, but rather the most productive and efficient VW vehicle plant in all of Germany, explained Christian Hartmann, the Saxon CDU parliamentary group leader. “The current debate over the future of the plant in Zwickau is therefore sending the completely wrong signal.” In Thuringia, too, the supplier industry—which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises—is under pressure due to structural change and declining orders, as Andreas Bühl, the Thuringian CDU parliamentary group leader, noted. This transition must not be hindered by high energy prices, crippling bureaucracy, and one-sided technological mandates. Klaus Holetschek, chairman of the CSU caucus in the Bavarian state parliament, cited a study by the Technical University of Munich showing that electric cars emit, on average, 41 percent less carbon dioxide than internal combustion engine vehicles. Therefore, he argued, there can be no talk of climate neutrality. A policy that forces the phase-out of internal combustion engines on this basis would cause massive harm to Bavaria. The three parliamentary groups met for the first time last year in Mödlareuth for a joint “Free State” meeting. These meetings are to be established as a permanent political format, according to the statement. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved“Zwickau Is Not an Extension of Wolfsburg’s Assembly Line”
