October | 2020
AGP Conversation with German Consul General Dr. Heike Fuller 
Join us for a conversation with the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany (consular district of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): 

TODAY!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2020
12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. CST
ZOOM Webinar

AGP Chair, Bobby Ingram will provide welcoming remarks and introductions. Michael Johnson, Honorary Consul of Germany to the state of Alabama, will interview the Consul General Dr. Fuller on a variety of topics. 
 
We will cover everything from the role of the consulate, US and Germany’s handling of the COVID pandemic; how German companies represented in the South are doing; the new German President of the European Commission’s first State of the Union speech; transatlantic relationships and other world relations. 

There will be opportunities to ask questions during the interview. 
Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:
An American in Berlin - AGP Webinar
Join us for a conversation with AGP Young Professional, Hannah Mattil, on her journey to learn German as a second language and her move to Berlin, Germany:

Thursday, October 15, 2020
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm CST
via ZOOM Webinar

Hosted by AGP Young Professionals

Have you ever wondered why you should learn a second language? Or what it would take to move to Germany? Then join us for our frank chat with Hannah about her bold move to Germany. She will share how the AGP Young Professionals and AGP Stammtisch motivated and helped her make the decision and the challenges to be dealt with and much more. Hannah will be interviewed by AGP Young Professional Chair, William Hodges.



Mercedes-Benz first ever Alabama produced high-end luxury Maybach SUV
By Michael Tomberlin, Alabama Newscenter
Mercedes-Benz has built its first-ever Maybach SUV in Alabama.

The GLS 600 is badged a Maybach. Once its own brand, Mercedes now reserves the Maybach badge for its top-of-the-line models. The GLS 600 is the first Maybach SUV, joining a Maybach edition of the S-Class sedan.

Added features and luxury additions require special time and effort from a specially-trained team in the production of a Maybach version of the GLS.



Airbus marks 5 years of aircraft production at Alabama facility
By Made in Alabama
The Airbus manufacturing facility in Alabama has marked a significant milestone – five years of aircraft production in its growing U.S. industrial home.

The Airbus manufacturing center in Mobile began producing its first passenger jet — an A321 christened “BluesMobile” and destined for JetBlue — on Sept. 14, 2015.

Since then, the Alabama plant has delivered more than 180 A320 family aircraft to eight airline customers. These Alabama-made passenger jets have flown 60 million passengers 500 million miles, according to Airbus.

“When we announced our intent to build A320 family aircraft in the United States, and to locate that facility in Mobile, Alabama, we also stated our intent to be a good neighbor, to create jobs and opportunities, and to help strengthen the U.S. aerospace industry,” said C. Jeffrey Knittel, president & CEO of Airbus Americas.

thyssenkrupp Materials investing $13M in metro Birmingham expansion project
German-based thyssenkrupp Materials announced a $13 million investment in Bibb County's Scott G. Davis Industrial Park. This industrial park has been a catalyst for economic growth in this part of the Birmingham region and is home to other German-based companies.


We are letting the world know about our success in Alabama
By Foundry-Planet.com
Christoph Dörr, European Office Director, Alabama Department of Commerce

How Alabama is developing into a successful automotive and die casting cluster where Mercedes has invested over $1 Billion in its Alabama location.

The production site in Alabama has grown enormously in importance in the last 25 years, reports Christoph Dörr (European Office Director Alabama Department of Commerce) -- and the manager knows this from his own experience having spent several years there, even building a die-casting foundry.

The success story began in 1996 with the opening of the Mercedes plant, followed by Honda in 1999, and Hyundai in 2002; Toyota-Mazda will soon be based there. With the four automobile manufacturers, Alabama is developing into the second largest production location for the automobile industry in the USA.

Mercedes is investing over $1 billion in its Alabama location, and the success story is currently continuing, Mercedes wants to build up the production of electric vehicles and build a battery plant where the elements of the new digitized production system MO 360 from Mercedes are to be used.


Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:
German Reunification Day - Remarks by German Consul General
30 years ago, East and West Germany reunited as one nation, whole and free. The USA played a major role in that reunification and we invite Germans and Americans in the Southeastern United States to celebrate this important milestone in German history and German-American friendship together.

Please join us for this virtual anniversary greeting from German Consul General, Dr. Heike Fuller on Saturday, October 3, at 12:30 p.m. CST. on German Consulate General in Atlanta's Facebook page.

Day of German Unity 2020 Celebration with German Ambassador
Join the German Ambassador Haber for her virtual celebration of the Day of German Unity. She kicks off the celebration with a Facebook Live Premiere on October 3, at 12 p.m. (CST).

Dear Friends of Germany,

On October 3, 1990, barely one year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany reunited. 

The trust and friendship of our neighbors and allies, first and foremost the US, helped bring about this unique success story. We will never forget America’s support – from the Berlin Airlift, to John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner,” to Ronald Reagan’s “Tear down this wall,” to the George H.W. Bush administration’s trust that made German reunification possible.

Thirty years later, we celebrate that historic day and say, “Danke!” to the American people.
Please come join me in celebrating the Day of German Unity, this October 3, at 12 p.m. CST, as I take you on a virtual tour of the German-American milestones marking the way to this historic moment.
With very best wishes,

Emily Haber
German Ambassador to the United States

2020 Investment Climate Statements: Germany

The U.S. Department of State’s Investment Climate Statements provide country-specific information on the business climates of more than 170 countries and economies. They are prepared by economic officers stationed in embassies and posts around the world and analyze a variety of economies that are or could be markets for U.S. businesses of all sizes.

As Europe’s largest economy, Germany is a major destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) and has accumulated a vast stock of FDI over time. Germany is consistently ranked as one of the most attractive investment destinations based on its reliable infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, positive social climate, stable legal environment, and world-class research and development.

The United States is the leading source of non-European foreign investment in Germany. Foreign investment in Germany mainly originates from other European countries, the United States, and Japan. FDI from emerging economies (and China) has grown slowly over 2015-2018, albeit from low levels.

The German government continues to strengthen provisions for national security screening inward investment in reaction to an increasing number of high-risk acquisitions of German companies by foreign investors in recent years, particularly from China. German authorities strongly support the European Union framework to coordinate Member State screening of foreign investments, which entered into force in April 2019, and are currently enacting implementing legislation.



Germany Economics Ministry Says Corona Recovery Well Underway
By GTAI - Germany Trade and Investment
Economy likely to return to pre-corona levels in early 2022

The German government is projecting 4.4 percent growth for 2021, with the economy likely to return to pre-corona levels in early 2022.

Berlin (GTAI) - Germany’s relative success in containing the coronavirus is paying economic dividends. That’s the conclusion of the German government drew in its interim economic forecast, which was released on September 1. Government data shows that Germany had already gotten through the worst of the corona-related recession in May and has been on the upswing ever since.
“The economy’s recovery after the lockdown in the spring has commenced,” German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier told reporters. “It underscores the strength and resilience of companies in Germany and their employees’ willingness to work hard. It shows that the government’s unprecedented emergency economic protection measures and its economic stimulus package, together worth over one trillion euros, are reaching people and businesses and are clearly providing impulses to get the economy back on the growth track.”
Altmaier said that his ministry expected the German economy to resume expansion in the third quarter of this year. He also noted encouraging signs in the labor market, where the number of people returning to full-time work has begun increasing.


Cullman Oktoberfest
The 2020 Munich Oktoberfest was cancelled. The reason, as with so many major events, is the coronavirus pandemic. So we are excited to announce that Alabama's oldest Oktoberfest - the 2020 Cullman Oktoberfest - will take place on Friday, October 2 & Saturday, October 3, 2020. It will be a more limited version of the usual event. Learn more about their program here.
AGP Members in the News
Ron Davis, President, Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA), announced their AAMA Suppliers of the Year. Congratulations to AGP member Mercedes-Benz U.S. International!
AGP member EDPA names Bakari Miller as the organization's vice president of business development. Read more at AL.com.

AGP member Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority (JCEIDA)'s executive director (and AGP board member), Ted vonCannon, shared with Birmingham Times how he sells JeffCo to the world. Read Birmingham Times' story here.  
COVID-19 RELATED NEWS AND RESOURCES
NEWS:

Germany Extends Successful Coronavirus Short-Time Work Scheme
The Federal Government has decided to extend its Coronavirus Kurzarbeit (“Short-Time Work”) scheme through to the end of 2021 to maintain jobs and lay the way for economic recovery. Germany is set to extend the Kurzarbeit (“Short-Time Work”) furlough scheme that protects businesses and jobs to the end of next year. To date, companies have signed up almost 12 million workers to the scheme, designed to protect jobs from the Coronavirus crisis lockdown (around six million employees have in fact utilized the scheme, with the remainder able to continue working unaffected). GTAI's full story here.


Traveling to Germany: Coronavirus restrictions — questions and answers
Within the EU, holiday flights are again operating and tourists from selected third countries can also enter Germany again. Everyone is strongly advised to seek the latest information before packing their bags. What applies to the EU does not necessarily apply to Germany. Quarantine regulations are not only applied differently within the EU, but also within Germany. The plethora of regulations, rules and exceptions to the rule is confusing. It makes people uneasy. Read the DW.com's full story here.




RESOURCES

We have collected a list of resources that can provide information and assistance during these challenging times. You can find them on our website under Helpful Resources.



AlabamaGermany Partnership:

You can continue to reach us by phone: (205) 341-7880 or email: director@alabamagermany.org.


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