At the start of the exploratory negotiations in Berlin on Monday, 69 German companies called for more concrete measures for climate protection from a new federal government.

Germany must be brought on a "clear, reliable and predictable path to climate neutrality", it said in the appeal published on Monday.

The signatories include companies such as Allianz Insurance, SAP, Eon, Bayer, Adidas, General Electrics, Deutsche Post, Ikea and several energy companies and supermarket chains.

The signatories demanded an "implementation offensive for climate neutrality" from the new federal government within the first 100 days of government.

The initiator of the appeal is the entrepreneurial initiative “Foundation 2 Grad”.

"Climate protection was the key issue in the Bundestag elections and must be put at the top of the agenda by the parties in the formation of a new federal government," said the Foundation's President and Chairman of the Otto Group's Supervisory Board, Michael Otto.

The decade of action for climate protection has begun.

"The new federal government must now set the framework so that we as entrepreneurs can make climate neutrality a trademark of the German economy," Otto continued.

Expansion of renewable energies

The undersigned companies come from various sectors, such as the basic materials and chemical industry, mechanical engineering and vehicle construction and the financial industry.

According to their own statements, they employ more than a million people in Germany and generate global sales of around one trillion euros.

In their appeal, the companies particularly emphasized the expansion of renewable energies and the electricity networks required for them.

Climate-friendly industrial plants and transport infrastructure would also have to be expanded further.

In addition, further steps in the building renovation are necessary.

"The new federal government must act courageously and decisively in terms of climate policy and can rely on the support of this broad corporate alliance", explained the board member of the 2 Grad Foundation, Sabine Nallinger.

"Now it is important to put an implementation offensive for climate neutrality at the center of the formation of a government."

The SPD, Greens and FDP started their in-depth explorations on Monday to form a traffic light coalition.

In addition to tax and financial policy, the main point of contention is also climate protection.

Another four-hour exploratory discussion is planned for Tuesday morning.