Out of the euro, the threat of “Dexit” and a no to migration as an instrument to combat the shortage of skilled workers: these are three of the AfD’s central positions on economic policy. Experts warn of the consequences.
The AfD in Hesse warns: There is a threat of a “planned economy 2.0”. More and more market interventions result in “further government measures”. This is developing into a “death spiral of socialism”. That’s what it said in the program for the state elections last year.
There are no such exacerbations in the AfD federal program. But Andreas Lichert, economic policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group in Hesse, claims that the European Union is a danger to the German economy. Among other things, because the EU is stipulating new reporting requirements for companies: on sustainability, social indicators and their climate protection efforts. Lichert considers this to be a “bureaucratic monster” and therefore dangerous.
Playing with fear of loss
Knut Bergmann, head of the Berlin office of the German Economic Institute (IW), sees it the other way around. Bergmann considers the AfD and its political course to be problematic: “It is a risk for Germany as a location,” says Bergmann.
In his analysis of the AfD’s economic policy ideas, he comes to the following conclusion, among other things: The AfD is trying to give people who are afraid of loss the feeling that they, as a hard-working part of the population, are threatened from two sides: on the one hand by migrants – on the other hand political establishment that betrays their interests.
Hot topics: migration and the EU
This story can also be heard from Andreas Lichert from the Hesse AfD: Fighting the shortage of skilled workers through immigration – under no circumstances. Educational reforms are necessary in our own country. Lichert answers the objection that it takes far too long: “There are no shortcuts.”
Lichert complains that the federal and state governments are allowing the European Union to become more and more dominant – to the detriment of the Germans, he claims. “The EU must stop pretending to be able to decide for itself which policy areas it has sovereignty over and which it does not.” In which policy areas exactly the EU is “assuming” this remains unclear. Lichert mentions “overregulation” and the purchases of government bonds by the European Central Bank, which “de facto financed the state”.
From the AfD’s perspective, the EU must therefore be fundamentally reformed. Lichert wants “people to pound their fists on the table”; this is the only way fundamental reforms can be credibly advocated. But because he doesn’t believe that these reforms can be implemented, “I think the Dexit is an absolutely valid option.”
“A real disaster”
This “Dexit” option, i.e. Germany leaving the EU, is assessed by the President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller, in the ARD-Program “Hard, but fair” said: “That would be a real catastrophe for Germany.” 70 percent of the automotive industry relies on exports.
The German Economic Institute (IW) comes to the conclusion that if Germany were to leave the EU, it would lose around 2.2 million jobs over the next 15 years. The gross domestic product could fall by ten percent per year, which amounts to around 400 million euros per year.
“Sprawling EU bureaucracy”
Jürgen Stehr sees it differently. He is an entrepreneur in Schwalmtal, Hesse. He founded his company Jürgen Stehr Baumaschinen 40 years ago. Today he employs around 130 people. Business is going well, very well in fact, says Stehr.
Nevertheless, he is angry: at the federal government, the EU, and their “excessive bureaucracy.” Environmental regulations, sustainability rules, supply chain law – Stehr sees this as harassment. This makes it more difficult for him to work with suppliers and ties up more and more resources in his company.
“This party is more concerned with problems than others”
Stehr has held several events with AfD politicians on his company premises. He describes himself as a “right-wing conservative.” He is not an AfD member. But the entrepreneur makes no secret of his sympathy for the AfD. Question: Does he believe that the AfD will solve the problems? “I can’t answer that directly,” says the entrepreneur. “But I believe that this party is more concerned with these problems than other parties.”
Stehr is not frightened by the fact that the AfD is holding out the prospect of a referendum on a “Dexit”, describes the EU in the AfD’s manifesto for the European elections as “unreformable” and is aiming for a “refoundation”. In any case, “Brexit”, i.e. Great Britain’s exit from the EU, did not harm his business. The entrepreneur is not interested in the fact that studies have long since confirmed the economic damage of “Brexit”.
Companies don’t like to talk about the AfD
Other companies and associations find it more difficult to make statements about the AfD’s economic policy positions. In recent weeks there have been repeated commitments to democracy, diversity, cosmopolitanism and against racism from business and company representatives. But taking a stand on individual AfD positions: Many people hesitate.
One argument is that we don’t want to unnecessarily upgrade the AfD. Or you would rather stand up for values than position yourself against the ideas of individual parties. In general: In principle, one does not comment on individual party political positions. The business associations are also cautious.
“Dexit would be poison for our company”
After all, individual companies take a written position. The mining company K+S says on the subject of the EU and the “Dexit” referendum: “We generate around 50 percent of our sales within the EU. The idea of Germany leaving the EU is completely absurd.”
It sounds similar at Software AG in Darmstadt: “Any reform approaches that fundamentally question the EU or the euro represent a significant economic risk for Software AG and we resolutely reject it. A Dexit would be poison for our company.”
“We need migration”
The two companies also clearly contradict the AfD when it comes to the issue of a shortage of skilled workers and migration. AfD-affiliated entrepreneur Jürgen Stehr says we need migration, we need skilled workers who want something: “They have to have two ‘H’s’ – brains and hands.”
The attitude towards the AfD’s economic policy positions may vary – when it comes to skilled workers from abroad “with brains and hands”, many business representatives are likely to largely agree. However, not with the AfD.