Ausgeschnittene Industrieanlage symbolisiert grüne Industrie

Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck and the French Minister of the Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, met for bilateral talks in Paris today. The two Ministers have agreed to strengthen cooperation on industrial policy. For this purpose, they have adopted a Joint Statement, which you can find here.

According to the Joint Statement, Germany and France aim to strengthen their cooperation on industrial policy in strategic areas. This includes Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) in the fields of battery cell manufacturing and healthcare, and in particular the field of hydrogen. Furthermore, the two countries advocate a strong European response to the Inflation Reduction Act. The Ministers also agreed that it is important to call for common investments in a cross-border infrastructure.

Minister Habeck said: "Europe is facing serious challenges which we have to tackle simultaneously: Russia’s war of aggression, high energy prices, global competition against a changed backdrop, and the climate crisis. We need to develop European strategic sovereignty to be able to master these challenges. To this end, it is of enormous importance that Germany and France join forces. Together, we want to provide stimuli for a European industrial policy which makes us fit for the future. For this purpose, we want to further press ahead with and expand specific Franco-German projects in key areas – ranging from battery cell production to hydrogen. We also intend to work closely together in the field of raw materials to make Europe independent.

"Europe also needs to find a common answer to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act so that our companies can cope well with the global competition. We therefore agree with our French partners that we will press ahead with a new European platform for transformation technologies in order to strengthen Europe’s innovative power. Such a platform aims to rapidly expand industrial production capacities in Germany and France for technologies which we need for the energy transition and the Green Deal. Wind power, photovoltaics, electrolysers, power grids and lines, heat pumps – in these fields, we need higher industrial production capacities in the EU to be able to meet the growing demand for domestic products, including supplies of raw materials and components."