German businesses are sounding the alarm ahead of the federal election, warning of further stagnation. They’re calling for better conditions and less bureaucracy to help revive the economy.
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00:00They're standing up for Germany as a business hub, pushing to make it more competitive.
00:05Dozens of business groups called for this demonstration at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
00:11Marie-Christine Ostermann, President of the Family Business Association, is taking part.
00:18This is the biggest economic crisis since World War II, and businesses are in distress.
00:23The economy is at risk, and we need better economic policies and cost reductions so companies
00:28can generate growth on their own again.
00:32The German economy has contracted for two consecutive years.
00:35The demonstrators place the blame squarely on politics.
00:38We face excessive bureaucracy in general and especially in the real estate industry.
00:44We've had it up to here.
00:47I work 50% for the tax office and for my tax advisor to make sure I do everything right.
00:52We need a complete freeze on bureaucracy for at least a year to give the economy a chance
00:57to recover.
00:58450 kilometers west, in Ham, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Marie-Christine
01:05Ostermann's company Rölco is a food logistics provider that supplies hospitals and care
01:10homes.
01:11Its shelves hold 21,000 products from around the world, making Rölco particularly impacted
01:17by Germany's new Supply Chain Act.
01:20Major customers now demand proof that environmental and social standards are met during production.
01:27The challenge is that as a medium-sized company with 200 employees, I can't verify 20,000
01:34products worldwide to ensure all environmental and social standards are met, in Indonesia
01:39or Brazil, for example.
01:42After all, I'm not on site to see for myself.
01:45It's simply not feasible with 200 employees.
01:51She supports the goals of the Supply Chain Act, but if it remains unchanged, she risks
01:56losing customers.
01:58To increase political pressure, Ostermann mobilized for the so-called Economic Warning
02:03Day.
02:04We'll have a warning strike on January 29th.
02:07The urgency for change in Germany has only grown since the new U.S. President Donald
02:12Trump threatened to impose tariffs and lure businesses with tax cuts.
02:17This is why bureaucracy has to be reduced, taxes must come down, social security costs
02:23must fall, and energy prices must become competitive again.
02:28She and the other demonstrators are pinning their hopes on the German election in February
02:32and that the next government can bring about a turnaround.