Entry to the site for the planned Tesla factory in Brandenburg. (picture alliance/dpa)
Germany's Minister of Economics, Peter Altmaier, a member of the Christian Democrats (CDU), has spoken out in favor of a speedy construction of the Tesla factory in Grünheide, a town just outside Berlin in the surrounding state of Brandenburg. "The construction of the Tesla automobile plant in Brandenburg is of great importance for more climate protection and one of the most important industrial sites to be established in eastern Germany for some time," Altmaier told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Altmaier said that with the US electric carmaker's project, Germany could show that ecology and economy are compatible and that it is possible to plan and build important projects as quickly as in other countries.
At the weekend, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of Berlin-Brandenburg ordered a halt to the planned clearing of about 90 hectares of forest at the site for the time being, following an appeal by environmentalists. Last week, the State Environmental Agency had approved the early start of the clearing of the forest. The final approval is still pending. Tesla wants to produce electric vehicles in Grünheide starting in the summer of 2021.
The president of the Federal Association of German Industry, Dieter Kempf, speaking to the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper, called for a "quicker approval process in Germany." Brandenburg's Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD), pointed out that Tesla had received approval for an early start of clearing less than two months after submitting the application documents.
The German Economic Institute (IW) warned of the danger to Germany as a business location and demanded premiums for quick work. IW director Michael Hüther told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" newspaper that it was generally a problem when investments threatened to fail due to long planning procedures, objections and protests. Christian Lindner, leader of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), told the Funke media group that "regardless of the concrete laws, I see with concern that we are all too often putting the brakes on major projects in Germany."
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