BDI - Federation of German Industries

Executive Summary Connectivity is central to our society and economy and will only grow in importance in the future. However, Europes digital networks of today are not yet ready to address these challenges. Prior reports, such as those from Letta and Draghi, correctly describe the status quo of digital infrastruc-tures in terms of facing investment challenges, the need to stay resilient and technologically future…

Europes competitiveness is under severe pressure. The EU has fallen behind the USA and China in terms of growth, productivity and innovative strength. Against this background, German industry has very much appreciated the attention to digital infrastructures attributed by the European Commission through the White Paper How to master Europes digital infrastructure needs, the Letta Report and the Draghi Report.

Environmental claims are playing an increasingly important role in shaping consumers' opinions and purchasing decisions. The sustainability of products and services has become a competitive factor. Products declared as "green" or sustainable are now experiencing greater growth in the EU domestic market than other products.

The BDI supports the further development of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method as a voluntary procedure for evaluating the environmental impact of products. The further development should be brought in line with the ISO standards for calculation and reporting or communication. The methods for calculating (eco)toxicity need to be technically revised.

Successfully transforming the European transport sector to become climate-neutral while maintaining competitiveness poses a major challenge for European and German mobility industries and service providers. Defossilising road transport is key to this: Roads are the main mode of transport in Europe and ensure efficient and resilient logistics chains for the EU economy.

The ever-increasing cybersecurity threat landscape requires both regulators, industry and operators of critical infrastructures to adopt risk-adequate cybersecurity measures. Such concrete measures should be supported by a lean regulatory framework that outlines requirements and provides companies with the necessary support framework.

The ever-increasing cybersecurity threat landscape requires both regulators, industry and operators of critical infrastructures to adopt risk-adequate cybersecurity measures. Such concrete measures should be supported by a lean regulatory framework that outlines requirements and provides companies with the necessary support framework.

German industry welcomes the European Commissions aim to significantly strengthen Europes cyber-resilience and to create a level playing field for essential and important entities across the European Union. Cyber and IT security are the basis for a long-term secure digital transformation of the state, economy and society.

The European Innovation Act is an important initiative to strengthen Europes innovation capabilities and sustainably secure the competitiveness of the European economy. It is crucial that the Act creates better conditions for genuine innovation and provides a reliable, business-friendly framework.

The European Commission rightly places a political focus on digital infrastructure in the next legislative period. Digital infrastructure and the provided connectivity are crucial to making Germany fit for the future. Sufficient bandwidth, low latency and resilience of digital networks are key to enabling industry to leverage the potential of important future technologies.

Measures and weights in road freight transport and commercial vehicles are highly relevant in terms of exploiting potential for efficiency gains and thus CO2 optimisation in the transport sector. Long trucks: In order to facilitate the use of long trucks, cross-border use of these vehicle combinations should be made easier between the EU Member States that today allow the use of these vehicles.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

From the perspective of German industry, the simplification and de-bureaucratisation of procedures and laws in environmental law are not fundamentally at odds with high environmental and health protection standards. The aim is to better reconcile competitiveness with a high level of environmental protection.

The aviation industry and the air transport sector ensure the mobility of passengers and goods, safeguard both civil and military technological leadership, and thereby substantially contribute to climate protection, security, and the strategic sovereignty of the European Union. As a key strategic industry, aviation drives cross-sector innovation, creates high-quality jobs, and generates sustainable value.

BDI welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to develop the EU Quantum Act as an initiative, facilitating the implementation of the Quantum Strategy of the EU. BDI welcomes the suggested focus on research and innovation, industrialisation and supply chain resilience, and supports the focal role played by industrialisation activities.

The automotive industry and its suppliers are of strategic importance for Germany and Europe as industrial locations. The industry, which includes many small and medium-sized enterprises and family businesses, faces enormous challenges due to the dual transformation toward climate neutrality and digitalization, geopolitical risks, challenging business conditions and fierce international competition.

Its important that the EU places competitiveness at the centre of its political reform agenda. The proposals for the Data and AI Omnibuses, the Regulation to establish EU Business Wallets, the Cybersecurity Package and the Digital Networks Act underline that the European Commission recognises in principle the necessity to cut unnecessary complexity, simplify regulatory requirements, and enhance coherence across the…

German industry welcomes the European Commissions proposal for the establishment of EU Business Wallets (EBW). The introduction of EU Business Wallets will make it much easier for companies to interact with public administrations across Member States. It has the potential to significantly reduce bureaucratic costs and can act as an anchor of trust between companies and between companies and public authorities.

Reducing the bureaucratic burden and streamlining the EUs rulebook have the potential to unleash Europes innovation potential, and thereby, enhancing the EUs long-term competitiveness. Since businesses have on average 200 contacts with the public administration per year and have to fulfil an ever-increasing amount of reporting obligations not least due to EU legislation an EU Business Wallet as part of a…

The BDI supports the European Commission’s initiative to promote potentially dual-use technologies more effectively. It is a good step to strengthen synergies between civil and non-civil research. The aim must be to generate and strengthen the spill-over effects of defence and dual-use research for the civilian domain and, on the other hand, those from civil research for defence.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) welcomes a uniform and horizontal regulation of the use of Common Specifications (CS) but expresses serious concerns about the European Commissions proposal. While the initiative aims to counteract delays in the availability of harmonised European standards (hENs), BDI warns that the systematic use of CS risks undermining the integrity, efficiency, and global relevance of…

Executive Summary Data centres form the backbone of the digital transformation and are a critical enabler of Europes competitiveness, innovation capacity, and digital sovereignty. They underpin the storage, pro-cessing, and provision of data in an increasingly interconnected and data-driven world.

The German Industry is under significant competitive pressure. Investment decisions are being weighed very carefully, and there is now a clear need for strong, positive signals from policymakers. The forthcoming EU Commissions tax omnibus package presents a valuable opportunity to deliver meaningful relief: reducing administrative burdens, simplifying tax obligations, and eliminating redundant reporting…

Combined transport (KV) is the rail segment with the highest growth potential. Therefore, CT has an important role to play in strengthening intermodality in Europe and in catching up rail. The privileges existing or possible for transport today are crucial and fundamental incentives for the choice of transport modes and should therefore be maintained and expanded.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

Digital development creates fundamental changes in many markets. A central role is played by digital platforms, a powerful dominating the digital economy have become business model. Thus, six of the top ten companies in the world and seven of the ten höchstbewerteten start-ups successfully with this model in the world.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) welcomes the initiative for a military mobility package as a key component of European security and defense policy. Strong European defense capabilities require resilient infrastructure, efficient logistics and reliable supply chains.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The BDI welcomes the overall objective of the Implementing Regulation to improve data exchange in rail freight and to increase its interoperability. However, as it stands, there are legal concerns and regulatory uncertainties that require a revision of the current draft with a greater involvement of the railway sector.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

We would like to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to provide input in the context of the Call for Evidence on Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of direct taxation (DAC), as well as its subsequent amendments. The proposed DAC recast offers numerous opportunities to improve the efficiency of data reporting.

The Foreign Subsidies Regulation is an essential tool to prevent distortions of competition in the internal market. However, two years after the entry into force, many questions remain open and the bureaucratic burden on companies to process FSR reporting obligations internally is enormous. Any clear guidance on the application of the Regulation is therefore welcome.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

For German industry, the standard for the exchange of electronic invoices (EDI and in particular EDIFACT in the automotive industry), which has been proven for decades, must be maintained with the introduction of the European reporting system.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission