3 days ago
German industrial top brass to hold talks with EU chief on sector challenges
FRANKFURT, June 27 (Reuters) - Germany will send some of its top industrial CEOs to Brussels next week to hold talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on how to preserve the sector's competitiveness in light of trade wars and high energy costs, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Spearheaded by Hendrik Wuest, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, the meeting will be attended by the CEOs of Thyssenkrupp ( opens new tab, Lufthansa ( opens new tab, Rheinmetall ( opens new tab and Lanxess ( opens new tab, among others, the source said.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous state and also the country's industrial heartland, which has come under pressure from a mix of Asian rivals, red tape, some of the world's highest energy costs and rising trade barriers.
The CEOs of ( opens new tab Covestro , Lanxess ( opens new tab, Evonik ( opens new tab, Henkel , DHL ( opens new tab, and Uniper ( opens new tab will also attend the working lunch scheduled for July 2, the source said.
The companies attending the meeting are all headquartered in North Rhine-Westphalia, and represent around 1.5 million workers and around 500 billion euros ($585 billion) of combined sales, the source said.
The meeting comes as Brussels is seeking a trade deal with Washington ahead of a July 9 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump, with U.S. imports of 50% on EU goods possible unless an agreement is reached.
Politico first reported the planned meeting.
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