The economic experts have presented their opinion. Unlike in previous years, the work will probably not be put away immediately, on the contrary. The Chancellor promises that it will go straight to the executive floors of the Chancellery, Economics and Finance Ministries. That doesn’t sound very spectacular. But for the council of experts it is a success.
In the past few years, one had the impression that the federal government was looking for an umbrella stand as soon as the report was handed over, in which it could sink the tome like an unwanted gift. The Council of Economic Experts was too orthodox in politics, too small-minded and always in a bad mood. It’s different this time.
Olaf Scholz smiles friendly and praises the consensus of the experts. The experts smile back. The economists no longer argue in terms of regulatory policy, as their predecessors did (and about which they quarreled hopelessly). They see themselves as political advisors, pragmatic people who know and respect the federal government’s decision-making dilemmas.
Lots of new faces on the council and lots of women
It helps that everyone is pretty fresh. Ulrike Malmendier and Martin Werding have premieres this year, Veronika Grimm and the new chairwoman Monika Schnitzer have only been on the committee for two years. Achim Truger, delegated by the employees, has been working since 2019.
Still, one has to ask: is it really wise to advise the government to adopt energy solos? First, money is cobbled into the hands of the wealthy and rich that they don’t need (the expert Veronika Grimm was also chairwoman of the Gas Heat Commission, which recommended this).
Then you complain about it and suggest collecting the money elsewhere. That’s very pragmatic. But it is not reasonable. It would be better to only help those who need help from the outset and thus limit government spending.
That would have been the advice one would have expected, and which, by the way, is also found in the report. Only: The experts cannot insist that the chancellor, the finance minister and the economics minister leaf through so far. They are already paying a high price for their newfound popularity.
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Source: Tagesspiegel
I am an author and journalist with a focus on market news. I have worked for a global news website for the past two years, writing articles on a range of topics relating to the stock market. My work has been published in international publications and I have delivered talks at both academic institutions and business conferences around the world.
