Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman CEOs will meet EU chief to discuss industrial competitiveness amid trade challenges and high energy costs.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Germany will send some of its top industrial CEOs to Brussels next week to hold talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on how to preserve the sector's competitiveness in light of trade wars and high energy costs, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Spearheaded by Hendrik Wuest, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, the meeting will be attended by the CEOs of Thyssenkrupp, Lufthansa, Rheinmetall and Lanxess, among others, the source said.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous state and also the country's industrial heartland, which has come under pressure from a mix of Asian rivals, red tape, some of the world's highest energy costs and rising trade barriers.
The CEOs of E.ON Covestro, Lanxess, Evonik, Henkel, DHL, and Uniper will also attend the working lunch scheduled for July 2, the source said.
The companies attending the meeting are all headquartered in North Rhine-Westphalia, and represent around 1.5 million workers and around 500 billion euros ($585 billion) of combined sales, the source said.
The meeting comes as Brussels is seeking a trade deal with Washington ahead of a July 9 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump, with U.S. imports of 50% on EU goods possible unless an agreement is reached.
Politico first reported the planned meeting.
($1 = 0.8544 euros)
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Sabine Wollrab, Friederike Heine and Ludwig Burger)
The talks are spearheaded by Hendrik Wuest, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia.
CEOs from Thyssenkrupp, Lufthansa, Rheinmetall, Lanxess, E.ON, Covestro, and others will attend.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous state and its industrial heartland, facing challenges from international competition.
Brussels is seeking a trade deal with Washington, with a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump, which could lead to 50% tariffs on EU goods if no agreement is reached.
The companies attending the meeting represent around 1.5 million workers and approximately 500 billion euros in combined sales.
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