German firms' 'Made for Germany' investment initiative pledges €800 billion 

FRANKFURT, July 21 (Reuters) - A German corporate initiative called "Made for Germany" on Tuesday said its 139 member firms have committed to invest more than €800 billion in the country through 2028. 

• The investment project was first launched in July 2025 with 61 companies pledging €631 billion euros and was aimed at resuscitating investor confidence in Europe's largest economy

• It includes leading companies including Siemens and Deutsche Bank

• It was not clear what proportion of the investments were already planned, and which were new commitments

• Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank, urged the government to pick up the pace of reforms

• "We need more momentum. We need more courage. And we need it on a lasting basis," he told journalists

• Asked about upcoming elections in eastern German states where the far-right AfD is leading in the polls, Sewing said: "If we have an election in which, so to speak, extreme parties come to power, that is absolutely negative for investors"

• Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens, in the same journalist briefing, called for more flexible working hours

• "People have to work more in this country," Busch said

(Reporting by Tom Sims and Alexander Huebner; Editing by Linda Pasquini)