Five MEPs from Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee will be in the Ruhr area from 26 to 28 May 2025 to meet with business leaders, trade union representatives and the state government. The delegation will be led by Dennis Radtke (EPP, DE). The other four members of the delegation are:
Interested journalists can accompany the delegation or join the concluding press briefing on 27 May.
On Monday 26 May, MEPs will visit the Chemical Park Marl, one of the largest chemical industry centres in Europe. They will also visit thyssenkrupp Duisburg, an international industrial and technology group.
On Tuesday 27 May, the parliamentarians will meet workers and trade union representatives for a discussion at the Quaz-Ruhr Qualification Centre in Bochum. The delegation will also stop at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), where they will visit the Worldfactory Start-up-Center and Makerspace, both central RUB hubs for start-ups and technology transfer.
In the afternoon, the MEPs will visit DASA − Germany’s largest exhibition on the world of work, where they will have a debate with the North Rhine-Westphalia State Minister for Labour, Health, and Social Affairs, Karl-Josef Laumann.
Press briefing
On Tuesday 27 May, at around 17:30, there will be a press briefing with Dennis Radtke (EPP, DE), the head of the delegation, and State Minister Karl-Josef Laumann at DASA, Working World Exhibit.
For any media questions, or to register for the press briefing, you are kindly advised to get in touch with Parliament’s press officer in Germany, Thilo Kunzemann (email: thilo.kunzemann@europarl.europa.eu; phone: +49 171 388 4775).
Background
Historically, the Ruhr area is well-known across Europe for its production of coal, iron, and steel. Production reached peak levels in the 1950s, when the sector accounted for about 70% of the Ruhr’s total workforce. With decarbonisation, jobs in the sector have since decreased drastically, and the region has shifted from an industry-based economy to one based on services and knowledge. The region is often seen as a successful example of the just transition, having transformed into a major “green hub”.