Harald Christ crosses the border between business and politics. He was the SPD shadow economics minister, federal treasurer of the FDP and is now an entrepreneur. Now he is urging the federal government to hold on, even though he sees massive risks to its continued existence.
He is a jack of all trades, an influential crossover between business and politics. For a long time, Harald Christ practiced the balancing act between his career as a top manager and federal politics. He is now concentrating on expanding his consulting companies and working as an AI investor and donor. On April 19th, he is organizing a fundraising gala for the reconstruction of Ukraine with 1,500 guests in the Berlin Concert Hall – a Ukraine campaign like no other in Europe.
Reconstruction – this is also a topic that concerns him when it comes to trust in the current traffic light government. A difficult undertaking, as Christ explains in the ntv podcast “Biz & Beyond”. In the discussion about the debt brake, which economists are calling for to strengthen the country’s economy, he shows understanding for Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the FDP leader, for whom he raised millions in donations as federal treasurer. He’s just sticking to what he once promised: no tax increases.
“Then it becomes critical for the coalition”
Christ calls for a rethink: If you can secure Germany’s competitiveness and accelerate growth and incur more debt than planned, then in his view that is justifiable. Even inevitable. “I don’t have the imagination as to how one can get the upcoming budget together while adhering to the debt brake and without declaring additional special assets,” says Christ. There will come a point at which this will no longer be possible without jeopardizing all of one’s political projects and concepts. “And then it becomes critical for the coalition,” said Christ.
New elections? They would probably be then. Christ warns: “Breaking the traffic light doesn’t solve any problem.” In case of doubt, any government after that would again be composed of parts of the current government – and would then be faced with the same dilemma as today.
Yes, the burden on companies is high, admits Christ. The current situation is particularly bad for the automotive industry and energy-intensive sectors. But in many other sectors, “the mood is currently significantly worse than the situation.” The results of many medium-sized companies and corporations showed a different, more robust picture.
Can politics change that? Christ thinks this is difficult. “I have the impression that the quality of political personnel in Germany is not the best,” he says. His many conversations with entrepreneurs showed that fewer and fewer people are willing to imagine an alternative career in politics. Why should it be, the path is hard, the maximum publicity that comes with it is unusual and exhausting.