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Berlin (dpa) - According to the industry association, the East German chemical and pharmaceutical industry has so far got away with the corona crisis with a black eye.

Despite temporary short-time work, there were no complete failures or shutdowns in production, said the general manager of the Northeast Chemical Associations, Nora Schmidt-Kesseler.

One reason for this is that the industry in East Germany is very heterogeneous, characterized by special products.

In addition, the share of pharmaceuticals in total sales in the industry is significantly higher at 40 percent than in Germany as a whole with 25 percent pharmaceuticals.

With the corona pandemic, the demand for disinfectants has increased, as well as syringes, needles for vaccinations and for equipping vaccination centers.

Regarding the voluntary support in the vaccination centers by employees from the company, she said: "This is a highly sensitive area, only for the cooling and portioning of the vaccination doses is required pharmaceutical staff."

It is currently very difficult to make a forecast for the east German chemical and pharmaceutical industry for 2021, said Schmidt-Kesseler.

"There is great uncertainty in companies about what effects the long lockdown will have on how vaccination will develop worldwide," she said.

Political framework conditions and a clear strategy for the time after the lockdown are necessary.

The Northeast Chemistry Associations represent the interests of around 360 member companies.

The industry has around 55,000 employees in eastern Germany.

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“Despite the uncertain situation, we expect the number of employees to remain stable.

In addition, our companies were able to report a record 95 percent in taking on trainees last year, ”said Schmidt-Kesseler.

According to the information, sales in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry in Germany fell by six percent to around 186 billion euros in 2020 compared to the previous year.

In Eastern Germany, sales were 26 billion euros.

That means a comparatively small decrease of four percent.

The economically sensitive industry in Germany suffered from the economic slump in the Corona crisis, for example in the automotive industry.

For example, chemistry is an important producer for the vehicle industry with paints and specialty plastics.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210301-99-636072 / 2

Facts about East German chemistry