Pledges and the summit format
The German government held its first Invest in Germany summit in Berlin, opening on Monday evening, 19 October, in a decommissioned power plant and continuing on Tuesday at a private business school. Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the gathering that investors he had met and spoken with had committed about 230 billion euros to Germany. The government did not say how many of these pledges were tied to the summit itself or would have been made anyway. According to the government, around 200 international and German chief executives took part.
The Federal Economy Ministry gave a narrower figure of 228.6 billion euros, covering only the largest investment projects in Germany in 2026. Of that total, 95.5 billion euros came from foreign companies. The calculation covered more than 70 projects, each worth over 100 million euros, and the data were presented at the summit.
Corporate pledges and the opening
Amazon announced about 16 billion euros for Germany, which Merz cited as the leading example. In its own statement, the company said it had invested more than 100 billion euros in Germany since 2010 and planned another 16 billion euros in 2027. The money is meant partly for expanding data centres for its AWS cloud unit and modernising logistics sites, and Amazon is opening a second robotics and artificial intelligence research lab in Berlin. The company says it has created more than 40,000 permanent jobs in the country.
Merz also named Nvidia, the Schwarz Group, RWE, Blackstone, Microsoft and Sanofi when listing contributors. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang opened the event with Merz on Monday evening, and the two announced a cooperation on industrial AI. Larry Fink of BlackRock and David Solomon of Goldman Sachs were among the guests on Tuesday.
- Merz and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang open the summit and announce cooperation on industrial AI
- Merz says the Made for Germany initiative plans over 800 billion euros in Germany by 2028
- Main conference with about 200 CEOs at the ESMT business school, where Merz cites about 230 billion euros in pledges
Government message and reform promises
Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the SPD put the government's message in direct terms.
Something is happening in Germany. I would even say very clearly: Germany is back.
Merz said the government would repeat the event and that he and Klingbeil had promised investors to continue the reform course. He called the conference very successful.
We are determined to give Germany a major boost.
Merz said reforms would cut bureaucracy and speed up permits, calling it one of the most ambitious reform and modernisation programmes in decades. Planned changes also include reforms of the social systems to stabilise social spending and more flexibility in the labour market, though the excerpts available do not detail them. Merz thanked investors and pledged a response.
We want to, and we will, live up to this trust.
Merz also said the Made for Germany initiative plans to invest more than 800 billion euros in Germany by 2028, a figure the initiative had first announced at the end of September.
Economic backdrop and investor caution
Germany's economy has been stagnant, and the government's growth estimate for 2026 is 1.3%, relying mainly on public investment. The coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats, in office for a year and a half, has relied on tax and regulatory relief, while business groups press for faster reforms amid high energy prices, US tariffs and stronger Chinese competition, particularly in cars. Merz, weakened by heavy electoral defeats, quarrels within the government and low popularity, needs to show that Germany remains attractive. Choose France, the summit run by Emmanuel Macron, drew a record 93 billion euros announced in June, while the German economy is about 1.5 times the size of France's. Coverage said investors remain hesitant and economists warned of an added risk, though the excerpts reviewed do not say what it is.