Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce on the new coalition agreement between the SPD and CDU
Cottbus, 4 March 2026 – The Chambers of Industry and Commerce in the state of Brandenburg have taken note of the presentation of the new coalition agreement by the state government. The swift agreement between the coalition partners initially creates political clarity. Practical implementation will show whether the formulated plans will have the necessary effect. The factual nature of the coalition negotiations is viewed positively.
"In economically and geopolitically challenging times, political reliability and constructive dialogue are needed. We hope that this cooperative style will also continue in practical government cooperation and that the new coalition will tackle the upcoming economic and location policy challenges with the same unity and pragmatism," says Jens Warnken, President of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce for the State Working Group of Brandenburg's Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
Important impetus for Brandenburg as a business location
The coalition agreement contains a number of measures that the business community believes will provide important impetus for Brandenburg as a business location. From the point of view of the chambers, three focal points that make key contributions to strengthening competitiveness, innovation and investment security should be emphasised in particular:
The fundamental commitment to the economic and industrial location is positive. For companies such as PCK Raffinerie Schwedt, for energy-intensive businesses and for Brandenburg's steel producers, positive backing is indispensable. The start-up turbo promotes entrepreneurship and removes barriers to self-employment and start-ups. The inclusion of entrepreneurial expertise in shaping the political framework within the Alliance for Industry is expressly endorsed.
Strong education is the basis for a strong economy. The coalition is setting the right focus here. The strengthening of career guidance in schools from secondary level 1, the continuation of the trainee ticket and the strengthening of training locations through housing offers are all in favour. However, this requires the involvement of the business community from strategy development to implementation. Maintaining the educational locations gives trainees, students and the economy security in planning.
When it comes to the economic obstacle of bureaucracy, the CDU and SPD are signalling a streamlining of approval procedures and significant relief for companies, which is to be welcomed. Digital building permit procedures, fast registration and deregistration of companies and a less administrative implementation of the Digital Pact 2.0 are important steps.
Financing proviso as a key risk
"As many positive approaches as the coalition agreement contains, we see the financing proviso as a risk. Brandenburg will have to make annual savings of around 1.7 billion euros from 2027. The how and where remains largely open. Saving some of the state's staff will not be enough. Another savings target appears to lie in the planned downgrading programme for state roads in cooperation with the local authorities. As chambers of commerce, we are committed to good accessibility in all parts of the state – downgrading must not be an option," explains Warnken.
The Brandenburg chambers of commerce and industry expect the economic policy measures to be finalised quickly and implemented reliably despite budgetary pressure. They are counting on close, trusting and practice-oriented cooperation with the state government. Warnken concludes: "In the interests of companies, we would like to further intensify the joint dialogue and shape economic policy projects in partnership in order to sustainably strengthen Brandenburg as a competitive, innovative and investment-friendly location."
The state working group (LAG) is a cooperation between the three chambers of industry and commerce in Cottbus, East Brandenburg and Potsdam in the state of Brandenburg. It represents the interests of around 160,000 companies from industry, trade and services.