At the end of September 2021 Germans will elect a new parliament. In advance the ZVEH has published an agenda as guidance for the new government.

Energy transition, digitalisation, climate protection – within the next years, Europe has to face a lot of challenges and none of the mentioned ones can be managed without the help and the support of electrical contractors, because they’re the ones responsible for sustainable electrical installations, for future-proof energy grids and a high-performance communications infrastructure.

As the Germans are going to elect the new Bundestag at the end of September which will then determine a new chancellor, future challenges have to be on the agenda of the new government. To highlight the points, where German electrical contractors can help drive climate protection, the Zentralverband der Deutschen Elektro- und Informationstechnischen Handwerke (ZVEH) has published an agenda for the new government, entitled “Sustainable. Digital. Economical.”

The paper gives an overview of all the areas in which the electrical trade can support the government’s climate protection efforts. It explains the opportunities that are given by digitalisation and ongoing electrification – for example in the smart health sector –, but it also identifies challenges such as the renovation backlog in the area of electrical installations. Therefore, the agenda can be seen as guidance on the path towards a climate-neutral, digital, economically successful and competitive Germany.

The catalogue of needs for action starts with the recommendation to introduce mandatory solar energy systems for new buildings. Another key issue is to prevent monopolies relating to data access in order to ensure free markets as well as to further boost the roll-out of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The core demand of the paper towards the new government is to foster the renovation of electric installations with regulatory and monetary incentives. This is of high importance because as the refurbishment of the electrical installation is stipulatory for the energy transition in buildings.

The last chapter of the agenda is dedicated to the skills shortage that will intensify with energy transition as the need for highly qualified employees is growing continually. The German electrical organization is therefore calling for an equal status of vocational and academic education and insists on supporting it in a better way – also financially.

Germany aims to be climate-neutral by 2045. But to achieve this goal a lot of effort is required, and it particularly needs the help of the electrical trade. The agenda “Sustainable. Digital. Economical.” claims to be a guide for the politicians that will build the new government until 2025 and it shows how electrical contractors can contribute to environmental and climate protection as well as to a successful digitalisation. “But all these important tasks can only be fulfilled, if those who will lead the country in the future know about the challenges and are able to operate the energy transition”, strengthens Lothar Hellmann, president of the ZVEH.

“Sustainable. Digital. Economical. – Positions of the electrical contractors regarding the political agenda“ can be downloaded here: www.zveh.de/agenda-bundestagswahl-2021