Concern about going it alone: ​​”National special routes don’t help”

Düsseldorf, Berlin European solo efforts in climate protection can, according to the conviction of managers and economists, damage the economy considerably. There is a risk that “the EU and Germany will move so far away from the rest of the world that industrial competitiveness will be massively impaired,” said BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller to the Handelsblatt.

Christian Kullmann, Evonik boss and president of the industry association VCI, warns that the fight against climate change can only be won internationally. “National special routes don’t help,” Kullmann also told the Handelsblatt.

The two leading chemical managers have deliberately chosen the time for their warning: the World Climate Conference will begin next Sunday in Glasgow. The EU and especially Germany recently sharpened their climate targets significantly. Like other sectors, the European chemical industry will have to invest massively in its own decarbonisation in the coming years in order to meet the stricter CO2 requirements. In comparison, competitors from non-European countries are predominantly subject to lower climate protection standards.