Gastkommentar: Europa hat viele Stärken – und braucht mehr Partner
In Branchen wie Maschinenbau, Chemie und Pharma muss sich die EU unverzichtbar machen und auf gegenseitige Abhängigkeiten setzen, meint der Ökonom Lars-Hendrik Röller.
The European Union boasts numerous strengths, but it requires a greater number of partners. Decisions taken from afar, such as a tanker passing through the Hormuz Strait, a customs notice from Washington, and an export license from Beijing, significantly influence the cost of energy in Germany and the operation of our factories.
Interdependencies have evolved into tools of power. The Iran crisis triggered the largest disruption of oil supply ever seen worldwide. US tariffs disrupt markets. China leverages its position in rare earth elements as leverage. No one needs to be an economist to understand that being dependent on a single supplier makes one vulnerable.
Every investment portfolio manager would strive to reduce such embedded risk. Economies should do the same. The article "We offer Germany a raw materials partnership" emphasizes the need for diversification: Germany requires more partners and markets. Possessing options enables negotiation from a position of strength, regardless of the direction the pressure comes from.
The most dangerous dependency is unilateral reliance. Whenever others rely on us, we must be able to resist. Europe possesses strategic strengths in engineering, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals that must be defended. Where Europe excels, it should remain indispensable and rely on mutual interdependence.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
