Evaluation of Czech-German Relations from the Point of View of

Mr Bauer, could you briefly tell our readers what the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry does? Germany is the biggest export territory for the Czech Republic. What is the secret behind the mutual benefit of our cooperation? It is no secret that Czechia, as well as Germany, are very industrially successful countries. Among all the European countries, Czechia’s economic structure is most similar to Germany’s. If we then take into account our shared cultural history and geographical proximity, we can see that the prerequisites for a successful partnership are already in place. One third of Czechia’s exports go to Germany and German businesses know that they can expect quality and reliability from our products, meaning that we have been able to build trust between our two countries, and trust is possibly the most important part of business. It is also important to point out that our mutual trade is important for both countries. Czechia is Germany’s tenth most important business partner globally, ranking above even countries like Spain and Russia. We, as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, offer Czech and German companies a vast network of contacts and services as well as a representative body for communication with politicians and the general public. We conduct research to identify areas of CzechGerman trade that have room to grow and make sure that companies can stay dedicated to their business rather than be drowned in bureaucracy. Are German investors and business owners satisfied with the conditions Czechia offers them for business? What could we change or work on in order to make these conditions even more mutually favourable? German investors greatly appreciate the productivity of local employees as well as the availability and quality of local suppliers. What we still need to work on, nonetheless, is a lack of employees; we are currently in a deficit of hundreds of thousands, which makes multiple big projects impossible. It seems that even above-average pay, offered by German employers, is not enough. Another factor that needs improvement is the digitisation of government administration. Each year we conduct a business cycle study where we ask German investors which countries in central and Eastern Europe are the most interesting in terms of investment. The Czech Republic held the top spot in these studies for years, however, it was recently beaten out by Estonia, with their more advanced levels of digitisation. Do company representatives and members of your chamber consider Czechia, or even the Moravian-Silesian Region, as a lucrative location for business? Definitely. That is why there are so many of them. This is best illustrated with specific examples, like the globally successful company Brose in Kopřivnice. When a company of such a caliber chooses a region as a base for their development, it means that it views the area to have great potential. Another example, Siemens, one of the largest investors in Czechia, opened an R&D centre in Ostrava to develop electric motors and solutions for Industry 4.0. This is a strategic investment with global reach. German investors also supported a practically oriented pilot project in dual education in the Moravian-Silesian Region, and Brose was one of the parties involved in it. I already mentioned the big issue of Czechia’s lack of qualified employees. If the Moravian-Silesian Region were to implement the programme of dual education, the region would have a great advantage over the rest of the country within only a couple of years. Currently, there are many German investments in the Czech Republic that drastically help the development of automation, robotisation and digitisation. What is your personal view on Industry 4.0 and digitisation? What are your hopes for the future of the cooperation between Czechia and Germany? With all due respect, it was our chamber that got the ball rolling on Industry 4.0 for the Czech Republic back in 2015. Over the past roughly seven years we have come a long way, and it comes as no surprise because, in order to keep up with global competition, countries need to adapt their economies to global trends, be it digital interconnection or, for example, sustainable technologies. These are fields that have a high probability of increasing the value of domestic industry. My main hope for the future is the continuation of our close partnership. A mutual exchange of experience will definitely be necessary as the MoravianSilesian Region is undergoing the shift away from the coal mining and heavy industries into cutting-edge industrial models. Germany also still has to face some of these similar changes, therefore it will be beneficial for both our countries to work together to develop new sustainable production processes and business models. We, as the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be heavily supporting these efforts. Mr Bauer, thank you for the interview. Text: Ing. Radúz Mácha Foto: archiv ČNOPK POSITIV 4/2021 ǀ 49