Berlin – With the first National Foundry Dialogue on Friday, July 10, 2026, a clear signal regarding industrial policy was sent to preserve a key industry for Germany as an industrial hub. For the first time, the economic ministers of twelve federal states, together with IG Metall and the Federal Association of the German Foundry Industry (BDG), have agreed on a joint position paper addressed to the federal government and the European Union.
The message is clear: The German foundry industry is an indispensable component of industrial value chains and a prerequisite for resilience, transformation, and the ability to act in the areas of security and defense policy. At the same time, the industry finds itself in an exceptionally difficult situation due to high energy costs, growing distortions of international competition, increasing regulation, and persistent weak demand. It therefore now requires decisive support through industrial policy.
In the position paper, the participants call for concrete measures in the areas of energy, transformation, reducing bureaucracy, fair trade, and industrial resilience: an effective industrial electricity price with a target of 5 cents per kilowatt-hour; improved carbon leakage protection instead of a 40 to 50 percent reduction in the EU ETS product benchmark for iron castings; faster grid connections for the electrification of melting processes, as well as support programs that also reach small and medium-sized enterprises. The results of the National Foundry Dialogue are to be directly incorporated into the federal government’s announced industry dialogues as part of the Program for Recovery and Employment, which were announced on July 2 for the third quarter of 2026.
Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs for North Rhine-Westphalia: “Without foundries, there can be no strong automotive industry, no high-performance mechanical engineering, and no successful climate-neutral transformation. They ensure innovation, employment, and the resilience of our supply chains. That is why we want to make foundries fit for the future: With this position paper, the states—together with the social partners and the industry—are making it clear that a strong industry requires an active industrial policy. Now the federal government and the European Union must create the necessary framework conditions so that our companies can compete internationally and invest.”
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs for Baden-Württemberg: “The situation facing the foundry industry in Germany is truly very serious. We must now work decisively and collectively to secure the future of this key industry. Without effective measures, we will lose expertise and jobs, which will impact our overall value creation across nearly all sectors. An immediate consequence is an increase in dependence on foreign actors. We must not allow that to happen.”
Clemens Küpper, President of the Federal Association of the German Foundry Industry: “Today’s National Dialogue sends an important signal to our industry. For the first time, all foundry-producing states have clearly committed to preserving our industry. With our joint position paper, we are setting out concrete expectations for Berlin and Brussels. It is now crucial that this broad political solidarity be swiftly followed by concrete measures.”
Jürgen Kerner, Vice Chair of IG Metall: “The foundry industry, with its total of around 140,000 jobs, must be safeguarded in Germany. As a state-of-the-art key technology at the beginning of industrial supply chains, it is crucial for numerous sectors. Furthermore, it relies on the circular economy, thereby establishing a dual locational advantage: raw material sovereignty and climate protection. To ensure a secure future for the industry and its workers, we now need: competitive energy prices, strong carbon leakage protection to safeguard production here, and an industrial policy that strengthens German and European value chains through local content regulations.”
The joint position paper will be available online at the conclusion of the Foundry Dialogue around 4:00 p.m. at: https://www.guss.de/themen/nationaler-giesserei-dialog-2026
