Prosperity through cosmopolitanism
Business associations warn of “great damage” from AfD successes
December 31, 2023, 9:33 a.m
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Surveys see the AfD on the verge of election victories in several federal states. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies some of the relevant regional associations as definitely right-wing extremist. The heads of the leading German business associations are worried – especially in view of the upcoming European elections.
The leading German business associations are warning of AfD election successes next year. “Anyone who is considering voting for the AfD must know: This party causes great damage,” said the President of the Federation of German Industries, Siegfried Russwurm, to the German Press Agency. Employer President Rainer Dulger said: “The increasing popularity that the AfD is receiving really, really concerns me as an entrepreneur and as employer president.”
The European elections will take place in June. The state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will be re-elected in September. The AfD was recently ahead in surveys in all three countries. The AfD state association in Saxony was recently classified by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort; in Thuringia, the state AfD has been classified this way for a long time.
With regard to the elections in the three eastern German states, Russwurm said: “I have great concerns about that. Much of what the federal government says we have delivered is met with great skepticism and a lack of acceptance in large parts of the population. This situation is fishy “The AfD voices with supposedly simple solutions that are not. I almost exclusively meet entrepreneurs who show a clear stance: The AfD’s program is damaging our country. It is damaging the economy and social cohesion.”
Cosmopolitanism “foundation of our prosperity”
Dulger complained that the AfD derives many of its positions from nationalism. “We did not build our prosperity in Germany through nationalism, but we were and are a cosmopolitan and liberal industrial and trading nation.” Germany benefits from its cosmopolitanism like few other countries. “I have not yet seen an answer from the AfD to the question of how we want to fill the skills gap that the aging society is causing us,” said the President of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations.
What particularly bothers him about the AfD is its anti-European attitude, Dulger continued. “We must not forget that the model of the European Union, a united Europe, is not only the reason and the cause of a lasting peace in Europe lasting more than 70 years, but also the guarantee of the prosperity that we all enjoy today “Dulger continued. “That’s the successful model of Europe that we want. And none of that is on the AfD’s agenda – the destructive anti-attitude just worries me a lot.”
Russwurm calls for a pro-Europe campaign
Many AfD voters are disappointed with the large popular parties, said Dulger. “They say: That’s enough. Politicians should pay more attention to this. This means that the federal government now delivers and doesn’t get entangled in debates with itself again. Many parties don’t want to touch on certain topics either. That’s wrong. This is where a situation is emerging Vacuum that the AfD is happy to fill.”
Russwurm called for more commitment to Europe. There are only six months left until the European elections. “I would like to see a campaign by the democratic parties for a long time to convince as many voters as possible of how useful and important Europe is for us. You hear this from industry everywhere. We want more Europe and a “Stronger Europe. Some things that we have not yet tackled in Europe need to be tackled now, for example a capital markets union, deeper energy cooperation, and a digital single market with the same implementation across the EU.”