“We want to ensure our country has a sound future, maintaining both global competitiveness and carbon neutrality while at the same time being at the forefront of the digital transformation – to name just two fields that we will be addressing,” said Federal Chancellor Scholz at the start of the event at the Chancellery.

“The issue we are dealing with today is absolutely vital – namely climate-neutral industry and the transformation of energy production,” said Scholz. It was also important to send out the message “that this was not just about a single meeting but that the idea was to meet several times a year to discuss precisely this issue of change in our society, involving different groups of participants each time,” said the Federal Chancellor.

Transformation as a joint task

The meeting at the Chancellery focused on arriving at a common understanding of the notion of “transformation” and what the Alliance would seek to achieve. Participants also exchanged views on which areas of transformation should be addressed in the future. “Transformation is the word on everyone’s lips – and rightly so,” said the Federal Chancellor.

Topics will include a climate-neutral economy, digitalisation and sustainable work. “Transformation involves change,” said the Federal Chancellor. “So a lot of people naturally have questions and concerns,” said Scholz. This was why a collaborative approach was being pursued to ensure not just that the Federal Government was at the forefront when it came to the latest technologies and tackling the great challenges of the future, said Scholz, “but also to make sure everything turns out well for the people of our country.” 

One key aspect of the transformation is securing the supply of energy: the current upheaval clearly demonstrates how important it is to produce climate-neutral energy while at the same time reducing dependency on raw materials and supply chains. The topic for the start of the dialogue is: “The energy transition at the turning point: accelerated development and expansion of a new energy supply as a task facing society as a whole.”

Central dialogue involving representatives of business, trade unions and the associations

The “Alliance for Transformation” is a central dialogue involving decision-makers from business, trade unions and the associations, with the aim of establishing a solid alliance to provide stable support for the transformation process in Germany. Originally promised by the Federal Government in the coalition agreement, the Alliance is conceived as a forum that will underpin this transformation process in the long term with concrete solutions. 

The first dialogue session forms the prelude to regular high-level talks with the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Government, so in addition to the Federal Chancellor, other participants included Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, Federal Ministers Hubertus Heil,Volker Wissing, Steffi Lemke and Bettina Stark-Watzinger, as well as leading representatives from business and society. Further high-level talks in this format on a series of topics will follow throughout the legislative period. 

Dialogue series planned

The following transformation topics are on the agenda for further meetings of the Alliance

• Climate neutrality and resource efficiency
• Digital innovation and technological sovereignty
• A modern and resilient state
• A society open to innovation

The next dialogue event is planned for October.