Berlin/Brussels, July 4, 2018
Industry in Germany and Europe urgently needs clarity on future relations between the EU and the United Kingdom. With regard to Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to Berlin, the German mechanical engineering association VDMA calls on the British side to finally state a clear and realistic offer for the time after the Brexit.
"The Brexit is already damaging the industry because companies are reluctant to invest, due to continuing uncertainty. In fact, machine exports to the United Kingdom in 2017 fell by 2 percent against the trend and in the first quarter of 2018 the decline reached almost 3 percent compared to the previous year. The British government must finally formulate clear ideas about the time after the EU withdrawal in order to limit the damage to the economy," says Karl Haeusgen, Vice President of the VDMA. "Many of the British proposals, for example on how to handle the border with Ireland, are primarily motivated by domestic policy and are incompatible with the EU's internal market. The German government must work with Prime Minister May to bring the talks to a constructive level now."
The mechanical engineering industry warns that a Brexit without a comprehensive trade agreement would seriously damage existing value chains. From the VDMA's point of view, such an agreement would have to take three points in particular into account:
About VDMA
VDMA represents more than 3200 companies in the medium-sized mechanical and plant engineering sector. With 1.35 million employees in Germany and a turnover of 226 billion euros (2017), the sector is the largest industrial employer and one of Germany's leading industrial sectors overall.
VDMA European Office
Diamant Building
Boulevard A. Reyers 80
B - 1030 Brüssel
Tel. + 32 2 706 8205, Fax + 32 2 706 8210
E-Mail: european.office@vdma.org [1]
Internet www.vdma.org [2]
Präsident: Carl Martin Welcker
Hauptgeschäftsführer: Thilo Brodtmann
Vereinsregister beim Amtsgericht Frankfurt Nr. VR4278
Links:
[1] mailto:european.office@vdma.org
[2] http://www.vdma.org