BERLIN, October 19. /TASS/. Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche has decided to review its investment strategy for Germany and suspend new projects in the country, Daniel Steiners, head of the company’s German division, said in an interview with the Die Welt newspaper.
He noted that the move was driven by stringent austerity measures introduced by the German government in the healthcare sector.
"We have temporarily put all future investment decisions in Germany on hold. Roche – and by this, I include our global headquarters – wants to see how things develop in Germany. We need to assess whether Germany will remain a partner that provides a predictable framework. We need to know whether or not investments are still welcome here," Steiners said.
"As far as the pharmaceutical sector is concerned, I can say that recent policy has significantly eroded trust," the head of the Roche branch stated. He sharply criticized legislation aimed at stabilizing mandatory health insurance contributions. Steiners emphasized that instead of addressing the sector's systemic issues, German authorities focused on short-term cost-cutting and imposing additional financial burdens on businesses. Without deep structural reforms, the savings achieved will soon be exhausted, and the state will once again face a budget deficit, he estimated.
He added that the tax and regulatory relief planned by the German government for R&D and manufacturing enterprises would only partially offset the industry's losses. In this context, Steiners urged Berlin to develop a predictable regulatory framework and a comprehensive strategy to support the industry.
The Roche representative spoke favorably of US industrial policy, which fosters a highly attractive and straightforward environment for business investment. "Above all, Europe needs to learn how to put in the effort again," he concluded.
The statement from Roche’s leadership coincides with a major investment summit in Berlin, where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is personally working to attract international capital to the country.
Roche is not the first corporation to scale back its presence in Germany due to government policy. Earlier, US-based Eli Lilly announced it would halve its planned €2.5 billion investment in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim has completely scrapped projects worth €900 million, while American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has frozen its German programs to re-evaluate their viability.