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Tsahkna meeting with the CEO of Rheinmetall: Investments from the German defense industry are welcome in Estonia

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

18.02.2025

On 17 and 18 February, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna is joined by a business delegation on a visit to the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the agenda included a meeting with Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall.

"Russia has increased the capabilities of its defence industry and remains a long-term security threat, and Europe must be ready to counter that threat. Boosting the defence industry and the capacity to produce combat equipment quickly and in large volumes is critical for Europe's defence and deterrence policy," Tsahkna said at the meeting.

The meeting, which was also attended by members of the Estonian business delegation, covered discussions on how to advance cooperation between Rheinmetall and Estonian companies, as well as to attract investments from German defense industry companies to Estonia.

"We discussed specific ways to ensure the best conditions for bringing German defense industry production to Estonia," said Tsahkna.

Tsahkna recognised Rheinmetall for its support to Ukraine and defence industry cooperation with Ukraine, because it directly reinforced Europe's security.

The visit included meetings with the NRW.Global Business trade and investment agency, Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, and Mayor of Velbert Dirk Lukrafka. An agreement between the CR14 Foundation and the Bergisches Land Model Cybersecurity Region was also signed.

The foreign minister said that boosting relations with North Rhine-Westphalia held great potential for Estonian companies because it is the most populous German state with the largest economy.

According to Florian Marcus, Head of Sales and Partnerships at Cybernetica, the goal was to find new customers and partners in Germany. "Our priority client groups include national and state governments and the financial sector - mainly banks," Marcus, a member of the delegation, said.

He noted that Germany was increasingly set on building a digital society. "For this, they need both infrastructure solutions and consultants with expertise. We can offer both," he said.

Marcus added that while Germany's federal system presented some challenges and it was traditionally a closed market, one way of entering the market was to conduct pilot projects in states. "The foreign minister's visit helps us make contact with representatives of state governments, for example," Marcus explained.

The IT and business consulting services firm CGI appreciates the chance to find common ground with companies at home and abroad. State visits offer a good opportunity to make the necessary new contacts. "We are already cooperating with our colleagues in the German unit of CGI; however, it is always good to expand your network," Tobias Koch, CGI's digital state expert and member of the delegation, said.

"We are connected to Germany via the domains of the digital state and space. Several projects of the European Space Agency have been connected to Germany or Germany's space experts. We wish to continue presenting the story of Estonia's digital state to other countries because we have the experience and competence," Koch said.