Economic & Social Policy - vdma.eu

Jobs are also being cut in mechanical engineering because the framework conditions are not improving. Politicians are failing to do their homework: Reduce bureaucracy and taxes, make the labour market more flexible.

Europe's and Germany's competitiveness is under threat: weak investment and political inaction are jeopardizing the mechanical and plant engineering industry. Fast, decisive reforms are needed now.

The European Commission has established a platform to make it easier for European companies to access strategic raw materials.

On January 1, 2026 and over the course of next year, various changes will come into force in the areas of the labor market, old-age provision, health and care.

The Act to Stabilize Pension Levels and Equalize Child-Raising Periods has been published in the Federal Law Gazette. This concludes the legislative process.

The electricity tax rate for the manufacturing industry will be permanently reduced to the European minimum. The law is a first step towards effectively reducing electricity costs.

On December 17, 2025, the Federal Cabinet decided to once again extend the period of entitlement to short-time working allowance by decree.

The EU wants to include more products in the scope of CBAM. This means more effort and costs for European companies - a wrong signal in times of growing global trade disputes.

The trilogue meeting on the eDeclaration scheduled for 8 December has been postponed. VDMA is committed to ensuring that negotiations on the final wording are concluded as soon as possible.

The Council must now deliver and ratify the Mercosur trade agreement. After years of negotiations, a clear commitment to free trade and reliable partnerships is needed.

The EU sustainability omnibus package was adopted with the urgently needed adjustments. A strong signal for more legal certainty and practicable solutions for our small and medium-sized industry.

The Federal Ministry for Digitalization and State Modernization launched the EinfachMachen portal on 12 December 2025.

The time to act is now. Bringing forward the tax cut for companies would therefore be an important signal from politicians.

The EU-Commission has published a proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of European Business Wallets. What are the main elements of this proposal?

The VDMA Legal Department, together with employment law expert Dr. Kathrin Pietras, Andersen GmbH Rechtsberatung, is offering a webinar on the 2026 works council elections on January 15, 2026.

In the course of the final debate on December 5, 2025, the previous draft law was adopted in the version amended by the recommended resolution. Please find attached the recommended resolution and the report of the Defense Committee.

The EU Commission is taking the right path with the environmental omnibus. It will finally bring real relief for small and medium-sized industrial companies.

The mechanical engineering industry wants to maintain production in Germany and Europe. However, better location conditions are urgently needed to prevent research, production and therefore innovation from migrating away.

The German government's pension package is a step backwards, not a step forward. Instead of urgently needed structural reforms, it cements the imbalance in the system every year.

With the ResourceEU plan, the EU Commission wants to make Europe less dependent on raw material imports from China. In particular, the development of Europe's own production and processing capacities for critical raw materials is essential in the medium term.

The coalition committee of the CDU, CSU and SPD has agreed to extend the period of entitlement to short-time working allowance.

As part of its new series "Metallurgy in Competition", the Metallurgy Association is organizing an industrial policy forum on 14.01.2026 on the effects of EU climate and competition policy.

The NRW initiative "Europe - Experience and Learn" promotes stays abroad for trainees and strengthens international skills.

Germany as a high-tech location finally needs reforms. Only then can recruitment and employment incentives follow, as well as more interest in the important STEM degree programs.

MATERIAL HUB is a free and publicly funded online platform for publishing and researching material data according to technical and (environmental) regulatory aspects. https://www.materialhub.de

The VDMA interest group materialHUB is working on incorporating current environmental and sustainability aspects and optimizing the user-friendliness of research and data input.

The EU Parliament has taken the right step with the Deforestation Regulation, now it's up to the trialogue. In order for there to finally be planning certainty, the relief proposed by the Commission must be adopted swiftly.

Anbieter, die Informationen zu Materialien, Werkstoffklassen und Anwendungsgebieten teilen, profitieren von der Sichtbarkeit ihrer kommerziellen Angebote und Forschungsaktivitäten. Erfüllen Sie den steigenden Informationsbedarf Ihrer Kunden.

The Chairman of the Metallurgy Association, Till Schreiter, outlined the situation of metallurgical plant engineering in light of current geopolitical and economic upheavals in a keynote speech at the Hüttentag 2025.

Record-high social spending and special funds - these are not the necessary stimuli for growth and modernization. The credibility and transparency of fiscal policy are being damaged in this way.

The results of the COP 30 summit are disappointing - above all, there is no process for phasing out fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the Paris process for global climate protection remains relevant.

Approximately 40 percent of our exports to the U.S. are affected by tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives. VDMA is working to find a solution to these trade barriers with our most important export market.

With the Digital Omnibus, the EU wants to tackle three laws at the same time and thus create initial relief for the industry. However, this is not enough to ensure Europe's competitiveness as a digital location.

At the CECE Summit 2025 in Brussels, leaders demanded measurable regulatory simplification to boost Europe’s industrial competitiveness.

Only 37 percent of mechanical engineering companies are bound by collective agreements. Our latest survey shows: The majority rely on operational flexibility instead of formal collective agreements.

Improvements to the pension package are urgently needed. The Junge Union and Junge Gruppe of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group have a clearer view than the federal government.

Description

The EU institutions have begun trilogue negotiations in order to reach an agreement on the eDeclaration. VDMA hopes that these negotiations will be concluded by the end of this year.

The draft of the NIS-2 Implementation and Cybersecurity Strengthening Act (NIS2UmsuCG) introduced by the German government was passed by the Bundestag today.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has only partially upheld an action brought by Denmark to annul the Minimum Wage Directive and declared only subparagraphs null and void.

The economic reforms announced by the German government are still a long time coming, while jobs are being cut. Companies need tangible relief now and not at some point in the future - including in the social and labor market areas.

The economic reforms announced by the German government are still a long time coming, while jobs are being cut. Companies need tangible relief now and not at some point in the future - including in the social and labor market areas.

The Fifth Ordinance on the Adjustment of the Level of the Minimum Wage (Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance - MiLoV5) was published in the Federal Law Gazette on November 7, 2025.

On November 5, 2025, the Federal Government's Cabinet for Reducing Bureaucracy adopted key points for reducing bureaucracy, which also affect occupational health and safety.

Industry in Europe must finally be noticeably relieved of bureaucracy. MEPs are therefore called upon to push through the sustainability omnibus package now.

The international climate summit took place between 10-21 November in Belém, Brazil

The Bundestag has passed the bill to amend the Carbon Dioxide Storage and Transportation Act (KSpTG).

The mechanical and plant engineering industry is facing new challenges: Legislative changes, political decisions and recent court rulings are changing the employment law framework and presenting companies with new challenges.

CECE has launched the new platform www.compliantconstructionmachinery.eu, a key resource for customers, users, customs officials, and market surveillance authorities.

Disappointing what the cabinet has announced in terms of bureaucracy reduction. It lacks the courage to introduce significant relief for SMEs. This must change.