IHK in Bielefeld formulates expectations for politics

The East Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Bielefeld links its outlook for 2026 with concrete expectations for economic policy: energy costs should noticeably decrease, administration and permits should become faster and more digital, and investments should become more attractive from a tax perspective. In a press release at the turn of the year, the Chamber makes it clear that what is lacking is not new announcements, but reliable implementation in the daily operations of businesses (IHK Ostwestfalen, 26.12.2025).

The focus is therefore on framework conditions that affect all sectors: ongoing costs, plannable procedures, and investment incentives. The message is clear: programs only become economically relevant when they reach companies – that is, when they make decisions easier, accelerate projects, and increase financing leeway.

The IHK focuses on costs, speed, and investments

1. Energy costs: For many companies, electricity and gas prices are not just a price factor, but a matter of competitiveness – especially where energy-intensive processes or high base loads can hardly be reduced in the short term. Relief, for example through components such as grid fees, can quickly have an effect from the perspective of the economy, because they impact ongoing calculations without lengthy individual programs.

2. Speed of the state: When permits, funding notices, or planning procedures take too long, this becomes an investment risk: machines are ordered later, sites are developed later, orders are accepted later. The Chamber therefore ties its expectations to a modernization agenda that reduces bureaucracy, strengthens digital procedures, and makes processes more plannable (IHK Ostwestfalen, 26.12.2025).

3. Investment conditions: Tax incentives cannot replace investments, but they influence timing and scope: those who can depreciate more quickly improve liquidity in the short term and reduce uncertainty in the initial phase of a project. This very "kick-start" moment is at the forefront of the IHK's demands.

Why the announced programs are now crucial

The debate becomes particularly concrete with two initiatives that have already been launched in Berlin: the "Investment and Growth Booster" and the "Construction Turbo." From the IHK's point of view, it is not the program title that counts, but the practical implementation: will it actually become easier for companies to calculate investments and to realize construction and expansion projects more quickly?

For the Growth Booster, the Federal Cabinet adopted the draft for a tax investment immediate program on June 4, 2025. Among other things, a declining balance depreciation (AfA) of 30 percent for movable assets for investments from July 1, 2025, until the end of 2027 is planned, as well as other tax elements intended to promote investments (Federal Ministry of Finance, 04.06.2025). For companies, the decisive factor is whether the rules can be used quickly, with legal certainty, and without additional proof requirements – because only then does a fiscal instrument become a real investment stimulus.

The "Construction Turbo" is intended to facilitate and accelerate planning and approval procedures through changes to the Building Code. In June 2025, the federal government announced a draft law that is intended, among other things, to enable densification, additional stories, and faster processes (BMWSB, 23.06.2025). For the regional economy, this would be particularly relevant where companies want to expand sites, modernize locations, or create housing for skilled workers – because time losses ultimately not only drive up costs, but also shift growth opportunities.

The demands match the burdens of many companies

The fact that the IHK addresses key levers with energy costs and bureaucracy matches the priorities of many companies. In the IHK business barometer for the 2025 federal election, bureaucracy and energy costs are cited as central burdens for competitiveness; as the most important tasks for politics, companies primarily name reducing bureaucracy, accelerating planning and approval procedures, as well as the acceleration and digitization of administrative services (IHK business barometer, 12.03.2025). These responses explain why the Chamber does not tie its expectations to individual measures for sectors, but to structural issues that affect the location as a whole.

At the same time, a look at price developments shows why the IHK is calling for further relief despite some signs of easing. According to Destatis, energy prices at the producer level in April 2025 were below the previous year's level; natural gas was 6.2 percent cheaper year-on-year, electricity 7.5 percent (Destatis, 20.05.2025). For many companies, however, a decline in such indicators does not automatically mean plannable, permanently competitive energy costs – for example, if price components, contract structures, or volatility continue to complicate calculations. This is precisely where the IHK's demand for reliable relief comes in.

The core message at the turn of the year is therefore pragmatic: For 2026, from the perspective of the regional economy, it will be crucial whether relief in energy, faster administration, and tax investment incentives arrive as tangible relief in everyday business – and not just as a political headline.