Bring economy and ecology into line with each other

For this, companies need competitive framework conditions which promote a willingness to innovate and a promising positioning in international competition. In dialogue with the Federal Government, it is our wish to create framework conditions through an interaction between ecology and economy to the benefit of both.

German industry supports the objective of protecting and promoting biodiversity as well as making sustainable use of its components. Stable eco-systems and their goods and services are important not only for ecological but also for economic and social development. However, BDI is in favour of the direction of economic policy being oriented on value creation in the business location that is Germany. Germany is an industrial nation and should also continue to be one. To this end, the industrial country Germany must be strengthened through sustainable economic growth. Implementation of the Federal Environment Ministry’s national biodiversity strategy must also take these realities into account.

Complying with nature protection provisions in planning and authorisation procedures is associated with major practical difficulties which are one-sidedly to the detriment of project promoters. All industrial sectors are affected here due to nitrogen, acid, light and noise emissions in the vicinity of FFH areas and due to the species protection legislation that applies independent of protected areas.

The instruments of FFH area protection and species protection developed at EU level in the framework of the Natura 2000 directives lead to priority being given to nature protection over and above all other interests, in particular also those of an economic and social nature. Society and policy-makers are invited to consider all interests equally and to come to a fair balance. Given the increased pressure on land, this is all the more important, if not decisive, to identify economic needs as well as taking nature protection interests into account.