Dr. Jürgen Heraeus © Christoph Michaelis

BDI, BDA and DIHK to hold German B20 Presidency

The German government has asked the leading German business associations to conduct the official G20 economic dialogue – the Business 20 (B20) – under the German G20 presidency, which will start at the end of 2016. Dr. Jürgen Heraeus will chair the B20 under German presidency. The Federation of German Industries (BDI), the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) and the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) announced the appointment in Berlin on Friday.

Dr. Heraeus is the chairman of the Supervisory Board of Heraeus Holding GmbH. The technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, was founded in 1851 and today is a globally leading, family-owned company. Dr. Heraeus also serves as the chairman of UNICEF Germany.

During his one-year term as chairman of the B20, Dr. Heraeus will be assisted by Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner as Sherpa. She currently heads the Department External Economic Policy at the BDI. Germany will take over the B20 presidency from China in September 2016.

“Germany assumes the G20 presidency at a critical time for the global economy,” Dr. Heraeus said. “A number of issues require intensive global cooperation.” Among these, he noted, are the implementation of the Paris climate agreement, the future WTO work program, migration, digitization, resource efficiency, the investment gap, and the fight against corruption. “The G20 process is the cornerstone of global governance, and therefore also vitally important for the economy,” Dr. Heraeus explained. As examples, he cited crisis management as well as deliberations leading to the regulation of financial markets, international tax cooperation, and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Business plays a significant role in the G20 process, Dr. Heraeus noted. “Conducting business responsibly today requires globally binding rules. The increasing tendency to isolate individual countries cannot represent a promising approach, either for people or for the economy. In order to identify and pursue the proper measures, policymakers can rely on input from the business sector.” About the G20 Collectively, the G20 economies account for about 85 percent of global economic output, more than 75 percent of global exports of goods and services, and two thirds of the world’s population.  

About the G20

Collectively, the G20 economies account for about 85 percent of global economic output, more than 75 percent of global exports of goods and services, and two thirds of the world’s population.

 

About the B20

The B20 is an integral part of the G20 process, representing the entire G20 business community. The mission of the B20 is to support the G20 through concrete policy proposals, consolidated representation of interests, and expertise. In addition, the B20 promotes dialogue among policymakers, civil society and business at the international level. In the B20, business representatives from the G20 develop joint recommendations and advocate specific policies across the entire G20 agenda. In addition, the B20 organizes a number of events and provides a platform for exchanges with governments and other stakeholders of the G20 process. Like the G20 presidency, the B20 presidency is a year-long project. 

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