North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and eleven CEOs of major corporations have urged the European Commission to boost the European Union's (EU) competitiveness.
"In our positive and constructive discussion, there was a palpable shared spirit to make the European economy more competitive again," said the CDU politician on Wednesday following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels. "Moreover, we achieved very concrete results," Wüst added. "Today could mark a new chapter in the relationship between German business and the European Union."
Wüst was accompanied by the heads of E.ON, Henkel, Evonik, Uniper, Thyssenkrupp, DHL, Rheinmetall, Hochtief, Rewe, Covestro, and Lufthansa. Many of them criticized the excessive bureaucracy and regulation within the Union during the visit. The companies represented at the meeting collectively generate around 500 billion euros in revenue and employ nearly 1.5 million people. North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the EU's leading industrial regions. The state's economic output is about 20 percent above the EU average, Wüst noted.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Matthias Inverardi, edited by Sabine Ehrhardt. For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)
