“Nothing new from the office”
Scholz’ Germany pact meets with mixed echo
09/07/2023, 07:20 am
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For the modernization of the state, the chancellor swears to close ranks with the federal and state governments. Union-governed federal states sometimes react benevolently, sometimes they see his announcement as a PR stunt without substance. Above all, employers want to see action from the traffic light.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has met with the approval of employers with his appeal for a national effort to modernize the country. Several state heads of government also signaled their participation in the “Germany Pact” proposed by Scholz. Union faction leader Friedrich Merz reacted in a similar way, but the faction leadership sees the content of the initiative as critical. The day before, Scholz had proposed such a pact to the federal states, municipalities and the opposition, with the exception of the AfD. He named the acceleration of approval procedures, the digitization of administration and support for companies as key points. The aim is to further promote the immigration of skilled workers from abroad.
“The federal government is finally waking up with the announced Germany Pact,” commented Employer President Rainer Dulger in the “Rheinische Post” on Scholz’s announcement. Dulger criticized the traffic light government for sleeping through digitization for too long and clinging to bureaucratic hurdles for business and society. “Together with the federal states, she must now quickly launch the package of measures. Announcements are not actions,” warned the President of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA).
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz was also open-minded. “We, the opposition, are of course willing to take part in reasonable proposals,” said the CDU boss at “RTL Direkt”. “The chancellor is right, but first he has to find order in his own coalition,” added Merz. “Is he now looking for a majority outside of his own coalition?” asked the CDU politician.
Union: The project is not new and has been delayed for a long time
In terms of content, however, the group leadership is skeptical about Scholz’s initiative and points out that some of the points have been required by the state side for a long time. “Nothing new in the Chancellery” is the headline above a so-called flash briefing by the leadership and planning staff of parliamentary group leader Merz. “The proposal contains several projects to accelerate planning, promote growth, digitization and migration. None of the projects mentioned in the ‘Pact’ is new,” says the analysis. “All of the proposals have already been communicated. Many of the projects mentioned have been delayed by the federal government for months.”
As a constructive opposition, the Union is always available for talks in order to make the right political decisions for Germany, the briefing goes on to say. A number of economic policy measures will be put to the vote in the next week of meetings. “We will also put measures in the area of migration policy to a vote that the Chancellor has already agreed with the Prime Minister but has still not implemented. We will see how serious the traffic light is about the offer of cooperation.”
Günther: Countries ready if the chancellor follows up with action
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer emphasized with regard to the Scholz initiative: “We should be involved.” Out of civic responsibility, one should say yes to such talks and not set any preconditions, said the CDU politician in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. The Prime Ministers of the federal states also wanted to talk about the proposal at their conference in Brussels, which will last until Thursday. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner from the Union had also shown himself open to a “Germany Pact”, but said that this would require an “effective and hands-on federal government”. Schleswig-Holstein’s CDU Prime Minister Daniel Günther said: “Now it must not just be about big words, I expect the Chancellor to follow up his announcements with action. The federal states are ready.” At the same time, Günther was “surprised” by Scholz’s suggestion. The federal states have been pushing for such a pact for a year and a half, the federal government has wasted valuable time here.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst from the CDU had described Scholz’s proposal as a “PR gag” and felt “kidded”. Wüst told the “Rheinische Post” that it was about projects that had already been planned and had been requested by the federal states for a long time. Scholz received approval from the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer, like Scholz a member of the SPD, and from Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann from the Greens.