Pleasing trend in the German lime industry, despite major challenges

摘要

The annual meeting of the German, Austrian and Swiss lime industries was held this year in Heidelberg/Germany. In his opening address, Chairman Dr. Thomas Stumpf, Member of the Board of Management at Fels-Werke GmbH in Goslar/Germany made clear that the protection of the industrial base, of industrial value chains and of the industry-orientated service sector are, and will remain, the essential preconditions for Germany's continued success as an industrial nation, and thus for the material wellbeing of all Germans. The federal government, he noted, assumes that German industry is on a stable course to recovery in 2014, and in its annual economic report anticipates growth of 1.8% in gross domestic product (GDP). According to Stumpf, however, this forecast presupposes no upsets on financial markets, which the Chairman of the Federal Association of the German Lime Industry (BVK) continues to view as unstable. Also not to be forgotten is the extremely unsettling situation on the boundaries of the EU, in Ukraine, and its economic implications.