In the face of the tense situation in the construction industry, Tim-Oliver Müller, CEO of the German Construction Industry Association, has expressed clear expectations for the period after the federal election. “If it is clear in the evening of February 23rd which parties will enter the Bundestag, then a new government must be in place in the shortest of times” Müller told the newspapers of the Mediengruppe Bayern.
“If that does not succeed by April, the actors must be held accountable for not understanding the gravity of the situation.” The construction industry, in particular, requires a proper budget. “The provisional budget management we have at the moment means that no new project can be started in the transportation infrastructure at the moment” Müller said. “That is a disaster for the German economic location. If we only get a budget in the summer, we will have lost half a year of new construction activity – a catastrophe.”
According to Müller, it is necessary for the new government to invest: “Every euro invested in construction means a further 2.5 euros in private value creation in our country. Therefore, a large-scale building program must be firmly anchored in the coalition agreement of the next government – ideally with a commitment already for 2025. I say, there should be an additional 1.5 billion euros just for the autobahns in 2025.” Müller sees “no crisis in the construction industry, we are experiencing a crisis of lacking investments”.
Müller expressed his disappointment with the thematic setting in the election campaign: “Above all, it lacks the bite to really deal with the economy and its problems. We are on the verge of putting our economic power at risk for years to come.” The topic of migration is important, but it should not dominate the entire election campaign.