The key facts

  • Participants in the Made for Germany initiative pledged to invest more than €800 billion ($898 billion) in Germany by 2028
  • Merz spoke before roughly 200 German and international business leaders and investors in Berlin
  • According to Merz, foreign direct investment in 2025 grew by about 50% compared with 2024, reaching €86 billion

Investor pledges at the Berlin summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Tuesday, October 20, that leading companies have pledged to invest more than €800 billion ($898 billion) in the country by 2028. The statement was made at the Invest in Germany summit in Berlin, where Merz spoke before roughly 200 German and international company executives and investors. According to him, the commitments were made by participants in the Made for Germany initiative, many of whose representatives attended the event.

Areas of investment and government reforms

As the chancellor noted, the planned investments will cover automation, robotics, the defense industry, optics, photonics, fusion technologies, quantum computing and the health industry. “It is precisely such projects that will secure our long-term productivity gains and growth,” he said. Merz promised that the governing coalition would continue to provide tax incentives to investing companies, work toward cheaper and more reliable energy, and reduce bureaucratic barriers. He also announced plans to reform labor market rules and the pension system to improve the investment climate.

Economic indicators

Merz said that the government's policies are already yielding first positive results: economic growth is accelerating in 2026, despite geopolitical pressure and rising energy prices. He cited the fact that last week the IMF raised its forecast for German GDP growth to 1.3% for the current year and expects this trend to continue in 2027. The chancellor also pointed to significant growth in foreign direct investment: according to him, in 2025 it increased by about 50% compared with 2024 and reached €86 billion.

Appeal to investors

Addressing investors, Merz called Germany “a unique combination of industrial excellence, technological innovation and access to the world's largest single market.” He invited companies to bring their capital, ideas, technologies and entrepreneurial expertise to the country, promising that the government would do everything possible to create favorable conditions for investors.