The Chancellor, his deputy, and his Minister of Finance during the retreat in Meseberg. Bild: dpa
The restlessness among people is increasing, and with it their willingness to strengthen the political fringe. The economic policy must align itself with what is urgently necessary and abandon illusions and ideologies.
DThe widespread uncertainty about Germany’s economic future is palpable. At the same time, trust in the ability of established parties to tackle problems proactively is rapidly declining. Pollsters observe a growing willingness among many people to make decisions at the ballot box in response to their dissatisfaction and concerns, decisions they would not have considered possible a few years ago.
As experiences from other countries demonstrate, the political fringe often benefits from this willingness to change, even if they themselves may not present meaningful alternatives. However, it is also possible, as Emmanuel Macron has shown, for a sudden and far-reaching reorientation of the political center, which pushes established centrist forces to the brink of implosion. It would be naive to think that such upheavals could only happen elsewhere and not in Germany.