Lindner calls for “economic turnaround” for relegated Germany
Published: Saturday, Apr 27th 2024, 18:00
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FDP leader Christian Lindner has called on the coalition partners to put Germany's economic recovery at the heart of their coalition work. At the federal party conference in Berlin, he warned of a decline in the country with negative consequences for prosperity and social cohesion. "If a country falls from 6th place in competitiveness to 22nd place in ten years, what is more urgent than a turnaround?" he told more than 600 delegates on Saturday. "Because in the next few years, our ambition must be to return from 22nd to the top of the world." Lindner was repeatedly interrupted by applause. In the end, the delegates celebrated him for three and a half minutes.
Lindner is largely careful with traffic light partners
Lindner's speech had been eagerly awaited after the FDP's proposals to stimulate the economy by reducing taxes and tightening social benefits had angered the SPD in particular. Prior to the federal party conference, the FDP executive committee had adopted a twelve-point plan "to accelerate the economic turnaround". This fueled speculation as to whether the "traffic light" coalition would last due to the very different positions of the SPD, Greens and FDP.
However, Lindner made it clear at several points in his speech, which lasted more than an hour, that he wanted the coalition to be a success, not a premature end. He repeatedly attacked the CDU/CSU. His party won 11.5 percent of the vote in the last general election and is now only hovering around 5 percent in the polls. This would not even guarantee a return to the Bundestag - not a good time to pull the ripcord and let the traffic light collapse.
FDP wants to make recovery a central task
The FDP is now focusing fully on economic competence, maintaining prosperity and opportunities for high achievers and talented people: "We really do have the brains. We have the know-how, we have the capital, but too often our country gets in its own way," said Lindner. And he described an embarrassing moment on the international stage: at a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from 190 nations last week, a slide on weak global growth was illustrated with a street scene from Berlin's Friedrichstrasse.
Economic and growth-friendly policies are also a "requirement of social justice", Lindner emphasized. In addition, people who feel that they are threatened with decline or that others are getting ahead more easily than they are will critically question the democratic framework conditions that have led to this development. "The economic turnaround is the best democracy promotion law you can have."
Kubicki fires back at SPD and Greens
The deputy party leader Wolfgang Kubicki called on the SPD and Greens, partners in the traffic light system, to discuss the FDP's concept of an economic turnaround. "I can only make an urgent appeal from here: Enter into talks with us. Because if there are no talks, there will be no future for this coalition." The FDP has presented a paper on this. "Something must follow from this, because it really is about the country." If the Greens declared that they would simply file it away and SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken said that they would not even talk about it, "then we have a fundamental problem".
However, breaking up the traffic light coalition, which is unpopular with many in the FDP base, was not an issue at the party conference. In the debate on Lindner's speech, only one delegate called for "Out of the traffic light" - he did not receive any applause for this.
Criticism of the Green Minister Paus
The FDP's criticism of individual Ampel projects did not go beyond the usual level. For example, Lindner once again took on the concept of basic child protection from Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) and criticized the fact that up to 5,000 additional jobs would have to be created for this - a figure that she herself had already put into perspective. And according to a study commissioned by her ministry, up to 70,000 people would leave the workforce because they would no longer have an incentive to work, he said. Lindner argued that the money should be invested differently: "Wouldn't it be better to invest these billions in more and better quality childcare so that no one stays part-time against their will because they know their children are well looked after?"
FDP takes von der Leyen to task
The FDP chairman blamed EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) for the excessive administrative burden on companies. "Bureaucratic stress has a first name: Ursula." Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann echoed this sentiment: "I can't reduce bureaucracy in federal law as quickly as Ursula von der Leyen produces it," he said.
European leadership candidate Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann blamed von der Leyen for the problems of companies in the EU and for military weakness. "In the IHK business barometer for the European elections, only five percent of German industrial companies said that the EU had become more attractive as a location in the past five years," she said. "How can you simply want to stand for re-election as Commission President after such a vote of no confidence in our economy?"
Lindner does not want to continue building up the Bundeswehr on credit
The Federal Minister of Finance promised Ukraine further German assistance in its defensive struggle against Russia. This is also in Germany's own interests, he said. "We are supporting Ukraine because it is our first line of defense against Putin." Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin had attacked Ukraine - "but he means all of us and our way of life". Lindner warned: "Putin's goal is not Ukraine. Putin's goal is to be able to exercise power over us. And he must never succeed in doing that."
It is necessary to improve its own ability to defend the country and the alliance. The 100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr will be used up in a few years, then the armed forces will have to be upgraded from regular funds. This will not be possible with ever more debt. The task of defending peace and freedom in Germany, Europe and the world is potentially a task for decades and generations, said Lindner. "And that is why it cannot be done on credit. We need our economic strength to do this."
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