Former Siemens boss Joe Kaeser assumes that Qatar will invest even more in Germany. “Profits from oil and gas are bubbling up and the euro is cheap,” says Kaeser. According to the ex-Siemens boss, shares in German companies are also a matter of prestige for investors from Qatar.
The longtime former Siemens boss Joe Kaeser expects that Arab sovereign wealth funds like the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) from Qatar will continue to expand their investments in Germany in the future. “The profits from oil and gas are bubbling up and the euro is cheap,” Kaeser told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In addition, local companies are “valued favorably”, while at the same time “many other investors, such as those from the USA, are withdrawing, leaving entry opportunities for new investors”. He would therefore “not be at all surprised”, said Kaeser in an interview with the SZ, “if the sovereign wealth funds of the Middle East take over other important investments in Germany in the future and rather buy them than sell them”.
In particular, the sovereign wealth fund from Qatar, one of the largest in the world with assets of around 450 billion dollars, is likely to further expand its holdings in Germany in order to invest its income from gas and oil deals profitably. The investor already holds larger shares in companies such as Volkswagen, Siemens and Hapag Lloyd. “For the investors from Qatar, the investments in Germany are also a question of prestige,” said Kaeser, who is now, among other things, the chairman of the supervisory board of the energy plant manufacturer Siemens Energy. They want to “be involved in large, well-known companies and at the same time invest their capital securely”. In the end, “but then the dividend must also be right”.
Qatar made the headlines not least in connection with the soccer World Cup that was just taking place. Critics accuse the Gulf state of sometimes serious human rights violations and discrimination against women. This is not a reason to leave the investor out of the picture, says Lamya Kaddor. “We cannot afford to only talk to democracies, then unfortunately it will soon be very lonely for us,” said the Green MP in the SZ. The small country is also an important and reliable foreign policy partner, so the evacuation of local Bundeswehr forces from Afghanistan was only possible with the help of the Emirates. Problems should be addressed, but this must be done “in a respectful and trusting manner”. Germany needs “more partners in this troubled world and not fewer,” says Kaddor, who knows this region well.
The emirate is also considered a largely reserved investor in the industry. “I don’t have the impression that investors in this country want to exert a great deal of influence,” says Kaeser. “Strategically, the Katari are primarily concerned with creating prospects for a time after oil.”
