The business alliance wants to counter right-wing extremist populism and convince 1.7 million employees to vote in the upcoming elections.
A number of German blue-chip companies have joined forces to take action against anti-immigrant political parties ahead of the upcoming EU elections.
Thirty companies, including BMW, BASF and Siemens, announced on Tuesday that they had formed an “economic alliance” to combat populism and promote “diversity, openness and tolerance.” The initiative also calls on the companies’ 1.7 million employees to take part in the EU Parliament elections in June, in which the right-wing extremist parties are predicted to make significant gains.
“Exclusion, extremism and populism endanger Germany as a business location and our prosperity,” says a statement from the “We stand for values” alliance.
The companies said they are “calling on their combined 1.7 million employees to take part in the upcoming European elections… to highlight the importance of European unity for prosperity, growth and jobs,” it added.
The alliance suggested that populists could make the situation worse by making the country unattractive to foreign workers, as German companies are already struggling with a shortage of skilled workers and the population is aging rapidly.
“Our alliance embodies respect, tolerance, openness and diversity,” explained our CEO @BuschRo.
The “We stand for values” initiative, in which over 30 German companies come together, is campaigning decisively against extremism and populism in the run-up to the European elections. 🇪🇺
Find out more here👇— Siemens press office (@siemens_press) May 7, 2024
“I am worried that our democracy and with it all the economic achievements of the last decades are at stake,” said Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy.
“Isolationism, extremism and xenophobia are poison for German exports and jobs here in Germany – we must therefore not give the fear mongers any space and fall for their supposedly simple solutions.”
Germany has 1.73 million unfilled positions and an additional 200,000 to 400,000 workers will be needed annually in the coming years, according to the alliance.
The alliance said it plans to combat far-right messages by running social media campaigns, organizing conversations for employees and sharing counter content within the group.
Polls suggest that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win up to 15 percent of the German vote in the EU election. This would result in a tie with the Greens in second place. The conservative alliance Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union is clearly in the lead.
The AfD has gained popularity in recent years as it sought to capitalize on rising prices and debates over immigration and the war in Ukraine.
However, the party also had to accept setbacks this year. There were widespread protests in January after it was reported that party members had attended meetings of right-wing extremist groups and discussed mass deportations of asylum seekers.
In April, an employee of the AfD’s leading candidate for the EU elections, MEP Maximilian Krah, was arrested on espionage charges related to China. Police searched Krah’s office on Tuesday.
The alliance said it is actively spreading its message to the general public “through a targeted social media campaign designed to reach new populations by building a presence in places where many voters get their information.”