Medical technology companies specializing in so-called in-vitro diagnostics have longer to implement the new EU requirements.
The EU Commission has announced that it will meet Baden-Württemberg's demand for an extension of the deadline for such products, confirmed Minister of Economics Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut (CDU) of the "Schwäbische Zeitung" (Saturday).
Ravensburg - "This is great news for our medical technology companies." This eases the time bottleneck at the certification bodies.
Hoffmeister-Kraut said this was only a first step.
"We must now use the time gained to support companies in implementing the regulation." The deadlines will be extended by two to five years, depending on the product group, as the ministry also announced.
The regulation has been in force since May 2017 and should actually have been implemented by July 22, 2022.
The European regulation for in-vitro diagnostic products (IVDR) has caused great concern for the state government of Baden-Württemberg since then. According to Hoffmeister-Kraut, the small and medium-sized of the around 800 medical technology companies in Baden-Württemberg fear business closures, a loss of international competitiveness and obstacles to innovation. The decision of the EU Commission has now significantly defused this risk.
Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) attributes the relenting of the EU Commission to the innovative strength of his federal state and the importance of industry based in the south-west for the entire EU.
"We are regularly in first place in the innovation index of the regions of the EU. That is well known in Brussels," he was quoted by the "Schwäbische Zeitung" newspaper.
also read
Postponement of EU-US peak meetings due to submarine deal?
France feels snubbed about a deal between the US and Australia.
Apparently this has implications for the EU as a whole with the United States.
Postponement of EU-US peak meetings due to submarine deal?
Techniker Krankenkasse: Fewer premature babies in the southwest
For 2020, the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) reports a decline in premature births in Baden-Württemberg by almost ten percent.
"While the share of premature children in all deliveries at TK in the country was 5.9 percent in 2019, there was a significant drop to 5.3 percent last year," said a statement from the health insurance company on Thursday.
Techniker Krankenkasse: Fewer premature babies in the southwest
Look for insect-friendly lighting
In three nature reserves in the southwest, researchers have been catching insects in the service of science for months.
The NaturLicht project is about finding more insect-friendly lighting, as the Karlsruhe Regional Council explained.
In the "Ofen-Riedwiesen" in the Rhein-Neckar district, at the "Alten Flugplatz" in Karlsruhe and in the "Heimbachaue" in the Freudenstadt district, the type and number of insects in the traps are to be analyzed with previous lighting - and after an exchange less harmful light sources.
Look for insect-friendly lighting
In addition, the Green politician welcomed the decision as a sign that it is possible to influence politics in Brussels if you put forward good arguments.
dpa