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俄羅斯抵製之後，德國的去工業化比以往任何時候都更加接近
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Economy/germany-s-deindustrialization-closer-than-ever-after-Russia
作者：Al Mayadeen 英語 2024 年 2 月 11 日
15% 的德國企業陷入困境且資產負債表疲軟，為歐洲最高。
2023 年 9 月 7 日星期四，德國特種化學品公司贏創工業的燃煤發電站在德國馬爾的馬爾化學園區投入運營（美聯社）
由於德國製造商一直在努力維持具有成本競爭力的產品，烏克蘭戰爭導致俄羅斯廉價天然氣的流失對德國來說是“最後一擊”。 彭博新聞昨天宣布，該國作為工業超級大國的統治似乎“即將結束”。
大多數俄羅斯進口產品在 2022 年遭到抵製，作為一種“懲罰”，這使得德國自 2017 年以來本已下降的工業產出進一步下滑。 彭博社稱，彭博社宣布百年工廠正在關閉，其他公司正在將生產線轉移到成本更加友好的國家。
首席執行官、酋長和政府官員對此表示擔憂
機械製造商 GEA Group AG 首席執行官 Stefan Kelbert 表示：“說實話，希望不大，”並擔憂地補充道，“我真的不確定我們能否阻止這一趨勢。 許多事情必須很快改變。”
德國工業聯合會去年9月發布的一項調查顯示，投資轉向海外的首要原因是對能源安全和能源成本的擔憂。
歐洲最大的化學品生產商巴斯夫公司和朗盛公司正在解雇數千名員工，因為化學品製造商是受俄羅斯天然氣抵製影響最嚴重的製造商之一。 法國輪胎製造商米其林和美國競爭對手固特異也正在關閉或縮小其德國工廠的規模。
米其林區域負責人瑪麗亞·羅特格(Maria Rottger)告訴彭博社，這是由於成本極高，她解釋說：“盡管我們員工有積極性，但我們已經到了無法以有競爭力的價格從德國出口卡車輪胎的地步。如果德國可以的話 如果不能在國際環境中具有競爭力的出口，該國就會失去其最大的優勢之一。”
德國財政部長克裏斯蒂安·林德納在本月早些時候的彭博會議上表示，“我們不再具有競爭力”，並補充道，“我們變得越來越窮，因為我們沒有增長。 我們正在落後”，凸顯了危機的嚴重性。
俄羅斯、中國和粗心的政府
俄羅斯總統普京去年12月表示，西方國家與俄羅斯作對，試圖讓俄羅斯垮台，這是在“裝傻”，因為這隻會傷害本國人民，而不是通過經濟合作使他們受益。 他強調，德國領導人在美國的壓力下“愚蠢地傷害”了自己的經濟，並“默默地接受了北溪管道爆炸事件”，他認為中央情報局是幕後黑手。
德國經濟去年第四季度出現萎縮，谘詢公司 Alvarez & Marsal 的一項研究顯示，15% 的德國企業因資產負債表疲軟而陷入“困境”，這一比例位居歐洲之首。 該公司補充說，去年這一比率為 9%。
彭博社表示，德國製造商將德國基礎設施落後、勞動力老齡化、官僚主義繁文縟節、教育體係惡化以及來自中國的競爭加劇列為導致其消亡的其他原因。
德國工商會對外貿易負責人沃爾克·特雷爾 (Volker Treir) 表示：“你不必悲觀地說我們目前所做的還不夠，”他補充道，“ 結構性變化令人眼花繚亂。”
Germany's deindustrialization closer than ever after Russia boycott
By Al Mayadeen English 11 Feb 2024
15% of German companies, the highest in Europe, are in distress and have weak balance sheets.
A coal-fired power station of German specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries is in operation at the Marl Chemical Park in Marl, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 (AP)
As German manufacturers have been struggling to maintain cost-competitive products, the loss of cheap Russian natural gas due to the war in Ukraine has served as a "final blow" for Germany. The country's reign as an industrial superpower seems to be “coming to an end," Bloomberg News announced yesterday.
Most Russian imports were boycotted in 2022 as a "punishment", which pushed Germany's already declining industrial output since 2017 further down the line. Bloomberg announced that century-old factories are closing and other companies are moving production lines to more cost-friendly countries, Bloomberg said.
CEOs, Chiefs, and government officials are concerned
CEO at GEA Group AG, machinery producer, Stefan Kelbert, stated, “There’s not a lot of hope if I’m honest,” adding, with concern, “I am really uncertain that we can halt this trend. Many things would have to change very quickly.”
The Federation of German Industries previously released a survey last September revealing that the top reasons for shifting investment abroad are concerns over energy security and energy costs.
BASF SE, Europe’s biggest chemical producer, and Lanxess AG are letting go of thousands of employees as chemical makers were among the manufacturers affected the most by the boycotting of Russian gas. French tiremaker Michelin and US rival Goodyear are also closing or downsizing their German plants.
Regional Chief of Michelin Maria Rottger informed Bloomberg that this is due to the extremely high costs explaining that "despite the motivation of our employees, we have arrived at a point where we can’t export truck tires from Germany at competitive prices. If Germany can’t export competitively in the international context, the country loses one of its biggest strengths."
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner stated at a Bloomberg conference earlier this month, “We are no longer competitive,” adding, “We are getting poorer because we have no growth. We are falling behind,” highlighting the severity of the crisis.
Russia, China, and a careless government
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in December that Western nations are “playing the fool” by standing against Russia in an attempt for its fall as this only hurts their own people, rather than benefiting them through economic cooperation. He stressed that German leaders are "foolishly hurting" their own economy under US pressure and "silently accepting the bombings of the Nord Stream pipelines," which he believes the CIA is behind.
The German economy shrank in last year’s fourth quarter as a study by consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal showed that 15% of German companies, the highest in Europe, are in “distress” having weak balance sheets. The firm added that this rate was 9% last year.
Bloomberg said German manufacturers listed the country's deterring infrastructure, aging workforce, bureaucratic red tape, worsening education system, and increased competition from China as other reasons leading to their demise.
Foreign Trade Chief at the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Volker Treir, said, “You don’t have to be a pessimist to say that what we’re doing at the moment won’t be enough,” adding, “The speed of structural change is dizzying.”
