Angela Merkel stresses the importance of investments in new technologies
On the occasion of the celebration of Industry Day, the German Chancellor insisted on the importance of staying at the forefront in the field of technology
German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted in a short video message on the occasion of the celebration of Industry Day, the importance of investing in cutting-edge technologies. She acknowledged that it is not only about quickly returning to the levels before the current crisis, but also about breaking new ground through long-term investments.
The German government decided to approve a program of 1,000 million euros (almost 1,178 million dollars) that foresees, for example, making investments in hydrogen. Merkel emphasized that the investment in digital sphere, artificial intelligence and quantum technology must be promoted. “In addition, we need real progress in protecting the climate,” she added, saying that she is glad that the industry supports the decarbonization of the economy.
The German chancellor went on to say that the coronavirus pandemic had greatly changed lives and work in almost the entire world, noting that German industry was also facing enormous challenges.
She also mentioned that the German government had activated many levers for the economy to recover as quickly as possible and observed that indeed the situation has been recovering cautiously since May.
Merkel said that the German government supported with all its strength this positive trend and that for this a new extraordinary debt is inevitable. The chancellor thanked the industry for its constructive cooperation in overcoming the crisis.
For her part, the president of the European Union (EU) Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a welcome video that the agreed plan of 750,000 million euros to alleviate the crisis triggered by the coronavirus was not just a reconstruction program, but also the opportunity to pave the way for a stronger Europe. In her opinion, the EU has a plan and the means to carry it out.
Von der Leyen indicated that industry and small and medium-sized companies must be at the forefront of change and assured companies that the EU would protect them from unfair competition if, for example, companies from third countries were subsidized by their states.
The president of the EU Commission pointed out that it is necessary to advance in climate protection and digitization, while pointing out that 80 percent of company data is currently not used, which she considered a great waste. “We want to change that,” she concluded.
Source: dpa
