Ladies and gentlemen, I have mentioned some of the pressing subjects in this field. I intend to invite all those who are responsible for and interested in education policy from the federal and state governments, research organizations, business, unions, and political parties to a conference this fall – hopefully, a well-prepared one – on the future of the education system.
The prerequisite, however – and only when this condition is met will I issue such an invitation – is the existence of some chance to achieve actual, concrete results. This sort of discussion would miss the mark – let me begin by saying this – if it dealt solely and exclusively with financial matters. What we need is far more than financing for institutions. We need a comprehensive consensus on all essential points concerning education and vocational training. We can only maintain our top position in international competition if qualified employees are working with state-of-the-art equipment. The observations that I was able to make, even as a layperson, at the CeBIT trade fair in Hannover offer further confirmation of this appraisal.
Modern, high-quality machinery is expensive. And if it keeps getting more expensive, then it must be used optimally. It is no longer tenable that machine operating hours in German companies are shorter than elsewhere in the EC.
I am absolutely convinced that it should be possible to entirely abandon the all too rigid working-hours regulations, which not only do not pay off economically, but also prevent people from discovering additional opportunities for development and greater space for maneuver. In this area, as with working lifespans, we must break new ground. Demographic developments are forcing us to do this.
Here, too, I see great opportunities for older workers. I am certain that it would be beneficial to workers’ quality of life if a gradual transition into retirement became the standard alternative to the usual abrupt departure from working life.
Whoever wishes to work longer should be able to do so, and it should be worth it. We have created the prerequisites for this with the 1992 pension reform. In connection with the overarching subject of “Germany’s future,” we now have to make the necessary decisions together.
Ladies and gentlemen, as an export country, Germany needs top performance in research and development as a necessary foundation for prosperity, social security, employment, and growth.
We still occupy a top position in a whole host of important areas – and this is also part of the big picture, and we need to reiterate it now and then since there are some people out there who speak only of shortcomings. But it is alarming to see that more and more research capabilities for future technologies, in genetic engineering, for example, are being outsourced because all of the regulations and bureaucracy here slow down progress.
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