The day after the European elections, Andreas Vogel and Ron Kneffel traveled to Brussels on June 10, 2024, together with a business delegation from Lower Saxony at the invitation of the Institute of North German Business (Institut der Norddeutschen Wirtschaft e.V.) and the UVN | Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Lower Saxony (UVN | Unternehmerverbände Niedersachsen).
The trip further sharpened our understanding of European challenges and opportunities and enabled us to make many new contacts. We recognized that it is becoming increasingly important for us as a Lower Saxony-based company to bring more practical knowledge and information to Brussels and to regularly strengthen the intensive exchange between business and politics here.
Discussions on European Policy
In addition to visiting the NATO base SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Mons (Belgium), we were invited by the Lower Saxony Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction and Digitalization, we were invited to the traditional asparagus dinner at the Lower Saxony State Representation in Brussels, where we discussed future European policy with Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies and Michael Freericks, Head of the Lower Saxony State Representation.
At this meeting, Michael Freericks reported that the feared shift to the right had not materialized and that the EPP remained the strongest party. He considers Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election as EU Commission President to be likely, but not certain, as surprises are always possible. As reported by ARD Studio Brussels on June 25, 2024, the heads of state and government of the major parties agreed to renominate Ursula von der Leyen.
Olaf Lies commented on the election results as follows: The alliance of democratic parties against the right has been effective. However, the election results show a clear divide between eastern and western Germany. How can this be after more than 30 years of reunification? The west must take a self-critical look at itself here. Olaf Lies makes a strong statement, calling for confidence and optimism in looking ahead and tackling the challenges in Germany and the EU in a positive manner.
Significance of Changed Conditions for the Economy
During a visit to the European Commission, we had inspiring discussions with Daniel Gerber and Istvan Németh. Daniel Gerber from the European Commission’s Green & Circular Economy Unit gave a presentation on “An industrial plan for the Green Deal – The Net-Zero Industry Act to support the competitiveness of a European CO2-neutral industry and the rapid transition to climate neutrality.”
István Németh, Policy Officer at the European Commission, followed with his presentation “The New Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive” and explained how the Supply Chain Act is linked to this new regulation. It was interesting to hear what the framework conditions created here really mean for implementation in day-to-day business. The intense discussion that followed made it impressively clear how strongly this topic is affecting the entire economy.
The day’s program was rounded off by a dinner speech by Matthias Petschke, Director of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, on the reform of the EU customs union. The Lower Saxony members of the European Parliament Lena Düpont, Jens Gieseke, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Bernd Lange, and Katrin Langensiepen made a particularly valuable contribution to the discussions.
Agreement: Less Bureaucracy
All participants in the economic delegation agreed on one point:
Less bureaucracy in Berlin and Brussels is urgently needed to give small and medium-sized enterprises in particular room to breathe again. Openness to technology, competition, and transparent bureaucracy are crucial to overcoming challenges such as the Green Deal.
Many thanks to Dr. Volker Müller, Benedikt Hüppe, and the UVN team for this exciting trip.
Autor
Ron Kneffel
Ron Kneffel ist seit mehr als 20 Jahren Experte für Informationssicherheit, IT-Notfall- und Riskmanagement. Außerdem ist er zertifizierter Datenschutz- und Informationssicherheitsberater und in diesen Funktionen als Berater und externer CISO tätig. Seit 2022 ist er zusätzlich Vorstandsvorsitzender des CISO Alliance e.V.
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