Statement by VDA President Hildegard Müller on federal government's electricity price package presented today

"We welcome the fact that, by means of the electricity price package, the federal government is taking measures to relieve the burden on companies in Germany. This is an important signal to industry as a whole and also to companies in the German automotive industry.

Reducing the electricity tax to the EU minimum rate for all manufacturing companies also relieves the burden on medium-sized companies in the automotive industry. As the VDA, we have repeatedly pointed out that small and medium-sized businesses must also be relieved of electricity prices and therefore welcome this step.

However, it is regrettable that private households are not included in the reduction in electricity tax - a missed opportunity to create additional incentives for consumers to switch to electromobility.

We find it incomprehensible that future technologies such as batteries and semiconductors are apparently being left out of the expansion of electricity price compensation for very energy-intensive companies, even though the EU provides corresponding options with the Net Zero Industry Act.

The 'traffic light coalition' could have offered a significant incentive for the establishment of these industries in Germany, but is leaving this opportunity unused. One thing is clear: we need domestic production of future technologies in order to reduce dependencies, contribute to de-risking and strengthen our resilience.

In addition to the short-term relief measures required, there also needs to be a long-term, sustainable concept of how electricity prices in Germany can be returned to a competitive level. This includes, in particular, significantly expanding CO2-neutral electricity generation in Germany and establishing energy partnerships with other countries."