Countermeasures could soon be taken against the ongoing economic downturn in Germany. Green leader Ricarda Lang promised early steps at the weekend: “Strengthening the economy will be the first issue that the federal government will have to tackle in the next few weeks,” she told the “Bild am Sonntag”.
SPD leader Saskia Esken also announced measures. The opposition Union increased the pressure on the government made up of SPD, Greens and FDP. She has been calling for an emergency program for weeks.
Söder: make the economic crisis a “top priority”.
“The economy is growing abroad and Germany is falling further and further behind. So the problems are homemade,” said CSU boss Markus Söder of “Bild am Sonntag”. It’s time for Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to make the economic crisis a “top priority”.
Lang said the government was “in good talks”. She again spoke out in favor of an “investment agenda” with investments in railways, daycare centers and digitization as well as incentives for international companies to settle or expand their locations in Germany. It’s about defending Germany’s economic foundation. “We should put together a joint package for this as soon as possible.”
Esken: “Don’t let anyone talk into a depression”
From Esken’s point of view, however, important aspects are missing. It also needs a subsidized electricity price for energy-intensive companies and more public investment in infrastructure, said the SPD leader n-tv.de. At the same time, she warned: “We must not allow ourselves to be talked into a depression that will slow down the willingness to invest and innovate.” Esken spoke of a “valley of opportunities”.
The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz called on the traffic light coalition to vote with the Union in the Bundestag for a reduction in electricity tax and network charges. “This means that energy prices could fall as early as October 1,” he told the newspaper. He also called for a “moratorium on burdens against the escalating bureaucracy”.
Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) said: “We have to throw away the cocktail of high taxes, high levies and high energy prices.” In addition to tax breaks for companies, the CDU and CSU had recently spoken out in favor of making overtime tax-free in an “Agenda for Germany”.
