Building bridges between business and politics: GFU and ZVEI launch the IFA Leaders & Policy Dialogue

GFU Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH and ZVEI are launching a new economic policy initiative at IFA, the leading trade fair and global platform for consumer technology: the IFA Leaders & Policy Dialogue brings together decision-makers from the home and consumer tech industries with high-ranking representatives from national and European politics. Participants will discuss the industrial policy requirements in the face of intensifying global competition. The focus will be on how to set the right course for fair and appropriate market conditions and economic growth within the European single market.

Products from the home and consumer tech industry shape the everyday lives of billions of people worldwide and make a measurable contribution to energy and resource efficiency in private households. With over 450 million consumers, the EU single market is one of the world’s most significant sales markets and, with a gross domestic product of around 20.0 trillion USD (EU-27, forecast for 2025/2026). Here, the home and consumer tech industry, with its R&D, manufacturing and sales operations, is a key driver of growth and innovation in Europe.

Excessive regulatory complexity poses significant challenges for the industry – a major obstacle, particularly in times of global crisis. In addition to the widely called-for reduction in red tape, the EU single market must now be further expanded and harmonised. Furthermore, a level playing field is needed in competition with China.

Against this backdrop, the newly established IFA Leaders & Policy Dialogue will take place on 7 September 2026 as part of the IFA in Berlin. Participation is by invitation from the organisers.

About GFU, IFA and ZVEI
GFU Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH is the brand owner of IFA, the umbrella organisation for IFA Management and an expert on trends and topics in consumer tech.

IFA Berlin is the world’s largest event for consumer electronics, home appliances and future tech, bringing together the industry’s leading companies, innovators and decision-makers in the German capital, Berlin, every year. IFA 2026 will take place from 4 to 8 September at the Messe Berlin exhibition centre.

The ZVEI represents the collective interests of the electrical and digital industries in Germany and at an international level. At the end of 2025, the sector employed 873,000 people in Germany. Turnover in 2025 stood at 225 billion euros.