Frankfurt/Brussels, 2 July 2025 - VDMA Executive Director Thilo Brodtmann comments on the European Commission's proposal for a 2040 climate target:

• "It is encouraging that the EU remains ambitious when it comes to climate protection. The proposal for the 2040 climate target confirms the Commission's determined stance; an ambitious target for 2040 is necessary."

• "The EU member states should be allowed to achieve a limited part of the climate targets by reducing emissions in non-EU countries. This can make sense in order to bring climate-relevant technologies to global markets more quickly."

• "To achieve this, simple legislation and sufficient investment are crucial. The mechanical engineering sector is a key enabler for international climate action and its contribution must be consistently recognised in EU legislation."

• "We expect the European Parliament and the EU Council to swiftly adopt the new climate target. A clear and unified EU position is crucial in the run-up to the COP30 summit in November."

VDMA represents 3600 German and European mechanical and plant engineering companies. The industry stands for innovation, export-orientation and medium-sized companies. The companies employ around 3 million people in the EU-27 , more than 1.2 million of them in Germany alone. This makes mechanical and plant engineering the largest employer among the capital goods industries, both in the EU-27 and in Germany. In the European Union, it represents an estimated sales volume of 870 billion euros. Around 80 per cent of the machines sold in the EU come from a production facility in Germany.