Overview

• Brandenburg's Ministerpräsident Dietmar Woidke and industry leaders met to address challenges facing the steel, automotive, and energy sectors.
• Key demands include reducing electricity and gas prices, simplifying bureaucratic processes, and accelerating the recruitment of skilled foreign workers.
• Economic pressures have led to widespread short-time work and the threat of closures in industrial plants across the region.
• The state government urged the federal government to implement a '100-day program' to prioritize energy policy and construction reforms.
• Germany is experiencing its longest recession in over two decades, with a second consecutive year of negative GDP growth in 2024.