German-Danish cooperation on European industrial policy Bødskov visits Habeck in Berlin

Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck and Morten Bødskov, the Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, will be talking about further cooperation on the strengthening of Europe’s competitiveness, the reduction of bureaucracy and the climate-friendly transformation of the economy in Berlin today.

Federal Minister Habeck said: We have been working together very closely and successfully with our northern neighbour Denmark, not only in the field of energy and climate policy, but also on European industrial policy. I visited Morten Bødskov in Copenhagen one year ago – we will be continuing our trusting dialogue in Berlin today. I look forward to developing ideas for the future European industrial policy together with my colleague. The aim is to strengthen Europe as a centre for business and investment and safeguard its global competitiveness by improving the policy environment. In this context, the Green Deal Industrial Plan plays a key role. It sets the right priorities and provides a good basis for urgently needed joint measures, which will result in more industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty in the field of forward-looking climate technologies. We need to fill the Net Zero Industry Act with life. We are therefore supporting the industrial production of net-zero technologies in Europe and helping to trigger necessary investments for growth and more innovation. In particular, we need to accelerate authorisation procedures and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.

Minister Bødskov said: I am delighted to meet again with my German colleague Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck today. Our meeting is taking place during a crucial time, as Europe is at risk of losing green jobs. Germany and Denmark not only share a unique border region with a lot of potential for the industrial transition. We also have the same mission: the EU needs to become a leader in global competition again, and we need to secure forward-looking jobs. We need to create incentives for more private investments, accelerate authorisation procedures and reduce the burden on our companies. In a next step, we will jointly submit specific solutions to the European Commission. Our meeting today underlines the close ties between our two countries and our joint commitment to safeguarding the future of a competitive EU.

Today’s meeting of the Ministers also includes a roundtable together with German and Danish business representatives to exchange views on the policy environment for the green industrial transition. The focus here is on the question of how an appropriate policy environment can accelerate the expansion of wind energy and the hydrogen industry to attain the climate and energy targets and the related necessary ramp-up of capacities for the production of wind power installations, electrolysers, energy efficiency solutions and products for the heating transition.

The two Ministers will also visit the Danish biotechnology company Novonesis in Berlin to explore possible synergies in this forward-looking industrial sector and the potential of biotechnologies as driving force for the green transition.

Denmark ranks among Germany’s top 20 trading partners. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume totalled €36.5 billion.