IHK demands for 2026: Relief and investments must reach the everyday operations of businesses

The East Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Bielefeld (IHK) links its outlook for 2026 with a clear benchmark: Not new programs should set the tone, but tangible improvements in costs, procedures, and investment conditions. At the center, from the Chamber's perspective, are lower energy costs, less bureaucracy, and tax incentives that actually enable companies to invest.

The IHK Ostwestfalen, as a public law corporation, claims to represent the overall interests of around 115,000 to 116,000 companies in East Westphalia-Lippe. The district includes Bielefeld as well as the districts of Gütersloh, Herford, Höxter, Minden-Lübbecke, and Paderborn. Accordingly, the expectations the Chamber formulates towards politics are broad: They are not aimed at individual sectors, but at the framework conditions of the location.

The IHK focuses on economic policy framework conditions

The core of the demands is a question of implementation. Political initiatives that are supposed to facilitate or accelerate investments must be designed in such a way that they have an effect in practice: in financing and planning as well as in approvals, construction, and operation. For companies, this is crucial because investments are often postponed when costs remain uncertain, procedures take a long time, or tax relief only takes effect with a delay.

Energy costs and administration are considered central brakes

The IHK is particularly clear on the subject of energy costs. High prices remain an immediate burden for many companies—not abstractly, but in the monthly and annual budget. The Chamber therefore insists on "consistent relief." In previous statements, the IHK had also pointed to levers that, in its view, could have a short-term effect—such as lower grid fees and the political debate about an industrial electricity price. From the IHK's perspective, the key is not the buzzword but the calculability: Only if energy costs are reliably predictable will investments in production, digitalization, or efficiency measures not become a risk.

In parallel, the Chamber calls for a modernization of the state and administration. Behind this is a very concrete business experience: When applications, inspections, and approvals take a long time or are handled differently depending on the authority, this increases project costs, ties up personnel, and postpones investments. The IHK therefore relies on faster procedures, less bureaucracy, and more reliable processes—not as an end in itself, but so that decisions in companies can once again be made based on market opportunities rather than the duration of procedures.

The implementation of already announced measures is crucial

The IHK places particular emphasis on projects that have already been politically announced and now need to quickly reach the reality of businesses. Mentioned are the "investment and growth booster" as well as the "construction turbo."

Investment and growth booster

From the economy's point of view, the growth booster is primarily about tax investment incentives that are intended to immediately improve liquidity and willingness to invest. In June 2025, the federal government launched a tax investment immediate program to relieve companies when investing and to strengthen competitiveness. For the IHK, the practical effect is crucial: Tax relief only has an economic and location policy impact if it is easy to use and actually brings investment decisions forward—instead of triggering additional proof requirements.

Construction turbo

The "construction turbo," in turn, aims at faster planning and construction processes. In June 2025, the federal cabinet adopted the draft of a law to accelerate housing construction and secure housing, which is intended to give municipalities more leeway and shorten procedures. For companies in East Westphalia-Lippe, this is not just an issue for the construction industry: If housing becomes scarcer and more expensive, it exacerbates the shortage of skilled workers; if commercial and infrastructure projects are stuck in procedures for a long time, it slows down expansions and settlements. From the IHK's perspective, success will therefore be determined by the speed of implementation—and whether the procedures actually become simpler.

A test for the location in 2026

The IHK's message for 2026 is thus less a call for new headlines than a mandate for politics: Relief in energy costs, a noticeable reduction in bureaucracy, and investment-friendly taxes should be implemented in such a way that companies can once again reliably calculate decisions. Whether announced instruments such as the growth booster and construction turbo quickly have an effect in the region is likely to become a benchmark for many companies—and a decisive test for the business location in 2026.