Achieving a fair deal with Great Britain at EU summit

“The demands made by the British government are in part very sensible. The EU must strengthen European competitiveness and bring about a major reduction in bureaucracy”, said Grillo. “A Brexit would only lead us up a dead end. Departure from the EU by Britain would not only be a shock for the common single market but would above all send out a strong signal against Europe. In the view of German industry there can be only one message to the British: “Stay in – it is in your own interests.”

On Tuesday Grillo, Kramer and Martin Schulz, President of the EU Parliament, opened the House of German Business, the new BDI/BDA Representation in Brussels.

Employers’ President Ingo Kramer emphasized that the EU summit must achieve substantial progress in European refugee policy: “European solidarity is needed in order to bring the influx into Europe under control and to reduce it. We must help the neighbouring states in the crisis regions even more effectively. In addition, we must work together to achieve better control of Europe’s external borders. Individual member states cannot manage this on their own. Frontex, the border management agency, is in urgent need of greater competences. The securing of external borders is the precondition for open internal borders.”

The Presidents of BDI and BDA warned that the European Union is facing a decisive year. “The opening of our office comes at a time in which it is more important than ever to make our presence felt in Brussels and to shoulder responsibility. For German industry a united Europe is essential. We are convinced Europeans. We know that it is the EU which makes a decisive contribution to our prosperity in Germany and in Europe”, said Grillo.

Europe should take advantage of all opportunities offering the prospect of future growth and stability. For German industry this includes the rapid expansion of economic cooperation with USA within the framework of the free trade agreement TTIP. “We businessmen in Europe must campaign for the agreement. It would be disastrous if we were to waste this opportunity. The Pacific Agreement TPP is now entering upon the ratification phase. That must be an additional incentive to take a major step forward in the next TTIP negotiating round in the coming week”, stressed Kramer.