MUNICH: It's not often German big business openly dabbles in politics, but many companies are urging their employees to reject eurosceptics and right-wing populists in May 26 European Parliament elections.
Alarmed by projections that see the far-right garnering at least one in five votes in the polls, the head of the German Employers' Confederation,"boss of bosses" Ingo Kramer, in February warned of the"serious" threat extremist forces pose to the European project. The rest of the European Union accounted for €780 billion worth of German exports last year, its biggest market.
Among other German business players, the Central Association of German Trade has published a"Yes to Europe" leaflet, while Ruhr industrial region giants Thyssenkrupp, RWE, Eon and Evonik will also encourage their employees to vote. Beyond the issue of maintaining open trade, a company taking a clear political stance can also boost its image as a responsible corporate citizen, experts say.