Federation of German Industries (BDI)

The general meeting of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Berlin/Germany, has elected Siegfried Russwurm as President (Figure 1). Russwurm is chairman of the supervisory boards of industrial companies thyssenkrupp AG and Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA. He was a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG from 2008 to 2017. Russwurm succeeded Dieter Kempf on 1st January 2021, whose term of office ended on 31st December 2020. Kempf became Vice President of the BDI after the end of his term of office in accordance with the statutes. (BDI/Si.)

Since 1st January 2017, Dieter Kempf has been President of the Federation of German Industry (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V., BDI) in Berlin/Germany. He takes over from Ulrich Grillo, whose term in office ended on 31st December 2016 and who is now starting his term as BDI Vice President.

In April 2017, Joachim Lang, who is currently Head of the Berlin representative office of E.ON SE, will become General Manager of the Federation of German Industry (BDI) in Berlin/Germany. He will succeed Markus Krebber, who will be moving to the IT industry.

In its paper on raw materials policy in the 21st century, the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Berlin, points out that, as an industrialised country and centre of high technology, Germany is especially reliant on a secure supply of energy resources and non-energy raw materials. In particular, the country can only achieve its climate policy objectives – above all the Energiewende (energy transition) – with innovative technologies that will increase the demand for raw materials in the future.

The BDI dedicates three extensive chapters to addressing each of the three pillars of raw materials policy: domestic extraction, sustainable use, and international markets. One of the BDI’s main demands is for policymakers, authorities and industry to work together on strengthening awareness of domestic raw materials extraction and on better communicating the fact that Germany is, in many respects, a country rich in raw materials. It holds up Saxony’s raw materials strategy as a good example of a plan with differentiated proposals for action, and suggests that other German states with large deposits of raw materials should develop their own strategies.

In the chapter on guaranteeing access to domestic deposits of raw materials, the BDI says that spatial planning activities should create the conditions that will pre-emptively secure raw materials over the long term. Deliberations linked to state planning should take equal account of environmental, economic and social concerns.  The BDI also calls for continued adherence to Germany’s proven mining law.  (BDI/FAB/Si)