Christian Hartel, head of Wacker Chemie, is concerned about the economic situation in Germany. He warns of gradual deindustrialization and criticizes high energy prices and too much regulation. He absolutely wants to avoid Germany becoming a “Disney land for rich tourists from Asia”.
Wacker Chemie boss Christian Hartel warns of the gradual deindustrialization of Germany. “I’m worried about Germany as a location,” said the manager in the SZ interview. “Energy prices are a challenge, as is the strong regulation in Germany and the EU.”
Many “small and medium-sized companies” are “struggling”. Medium-sized businesses in particular suffer from bureaucracy, for example from “the EU reporting requirements on the sustainability of their business”. Wacker Chemie then “hires five people for this and BASF maybe two dozen, and that’s it for us. But what do the small, medium-sized companies do?”
Germany is losing more and more competitive power. “I don’t want Germany and Europe to simply become magnets for tourists from Asia in 2040 or 2050,” said Hartel. “They then come here and spend their money because the landscapes and cultures here are so diverse and beautiful – a kind of Disney Land for rich tourists from Asia.”
The manager defended the German economy’s business with China. “Everything is not always wrong in China”. The fact that Germany also benefits from the country is “far too little seen,” said Hartel. “Just because of the sheer quantities, we can obtain technologies and products at reasonable prices, which is positive.” The public often has an image that “the Chinese have a master plan to dominate the world, like in a James Bond film.” He considers the fact that “everything runs according to such a fixed plan” to be “exaggerated”.