* EconMin says new strategy is key to national prosperity
* Proposes investment fund to support core industries
* Identifies Siemens, Thyssenkrupp, Deutsche, carmakers
(Adds quotes, background)By Paul Carrel and Michelle MartinBERLIN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Germany's government could takestakes in key domestic companies to prevent foreign takeovers,its Economy Minister said on Tuesday, presenting a marked shiftin industrial strategy he said was needed to safeguard thecountry's prosperity.The pivot to a more defensive industrial policy is driven byGerman concerns about foreign - particularly Chinese - companiesacquiring its know-how and eroding the manufacturing base onwhich much of its wealth is built.Peter Altmaier said the survival of marquee companies likeThyssenkrupp , Siemens , Deutsche Bank and Germany's carmakers was of national importance,suggesting the creation of an investment fund to support keybusinesses."It can go as far as the state taking temporary stakes incompanies - not to nationalise them and run them in the long runbut to prevent key technologies being sold off and leaving thecountry," he told a news conference.The drive to protect and promote its industry coincides witha lull in Germany's economy, Europe's largest, which is losing
momentum following a decade of robust expansion.
It also comes against a backdrop of growing protectionisttrends worldwide, with Washington and Beijing embroiled in adamaging tariff dispute, and uncertainty surrounding futuretrade relations between Britain and the euro zone.Altmaier identified Germany's key industrial sectors as:steel and aluminium, chemicals, machine and plant engineering,optics, autos medical equipment, Green technologies, defence,aerospace and 3D-printing.Presenting his report, 'National Industry Strategy 2030', hesaid his preference was for the state not to intervene but, onwhat he called an uneven global playing field, it might need to.With its "Made in China 2025" plan, Beijing is pushing thedomestic development of technologies including electric cars. Ithas also been buying know-how abroad through acquisitionsincluding German robotics maker Kuka . China's transformation from customer to competitor, combinedwith the rapid development of new technologies like artificialintelligence has prompted Germany to defend its industry.
'SIZE MATTERS'
Altmaier's report said an erosion of Germany's industrialbase would lower education, environmental and living standardsand, arguing that "size matters", stressed the importance ofnational and European champions."The fact that in Germany hardly any new businesses of thisscale have emerged for years is grounds for concern," the reportsaid. European and German competition law should be reviewed toallow businesses to compete fairly at an international level.
Germany's economy grew at its weakest rate in five years in2018. Growth is forecast to shrink further to 1 percent thisyear and the country is facing a budget shortfall of around 25billion euros by 2023..Germany's blue-chip DAX share index is full ofmature businesses. Berlin had a right and a duty to work withindustry to develop, for example, an Internet transport platformor businesses in the health sector, Altmaier said."With this we can achieve a turnaround, so that Germany goesfrom being a passive observer of a development that is alreadyin full swing in the United States, in Japan and in China toagain being an actor and a shaper."Calling for a reform of energy prices, corporate taxes andsocial security contributions, Altmaier said his strategy aimedto build on 70 years of German prosperity."This is a fundamental issue... a question that has greatsignificance for cohesion of the country and the legitimacy ofthe democratic system," he said.
(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers; editing by JohnStonestreet)