Mr. Peitsmeyer, why do we need our hydraulics to be more efficient?
Dierk Peitsmeyer: In December 2019, the German government adopted the Energy Efficiency Strategy 2050, and the EU is planning something similar with the “Green Deal” initiative. It has been recognized that the CO2 reduction targets cannot be achieved without further legislative measures and subsidies. By 2030, the German government wants to reduce primary energy consumption by 30 % compared with 2008. The EU Parliament has now even decided on 60 % compared with 1990. Germany also needs to make much faster progress if it is to meet the annual savings commitments for 2020-2030 set out in Article 7 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. The “Efficiency First” principle is intended to help in this respect.