Scholz proposes a “Germany Pact” to modernize the country
Scholz proposes “Germany Pact” for modernizing the country
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has proposed a “Germany Pact” to the federal states, the municipalities and the opposition to modernize the country. See the full length of the Chancellor’s speech here.
“We have to become faster, less complicated, less bureaucratic”: Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has proposed a “Germany Pact” to modernize Germany. CDU leader Merz had previously opened the general debate in the Bundestag with a scathing of the traffic light policy.
Bundescancer Olaf Scholz (SPD) has proposed a “Germany Pact” to the federal states, municipalities and the opposition to modernize the country. All government agencies should show more speed and courage to make the country faster, more modern and safer from the ground up, according to a position paper on Wednesday’s general debate in the Bundestag.
Things were progressing much too slowly in Germany, Scholz said at the beginning of the general debate in the Bundestag. “The citizens are tired of this standstill and so am I.” Initiatives such as the Deutschlandticket and the Deutschlandtempo, with which liquid gas terminals were quickly connected to the network, are needed. “We have to become faster, less complicated, less bureaucratic,” said Scholz. “No more two meter folders for the construction of a solar roof.”
In order to greatly accelerate the approval process, the federal and state governments are to develop a comprehensive package of measures and launch them this year. This included accelerating general procedural law, digitizing planning and approval procedures and simplifying housing construction. Large-capacity and heavy-duty transports as well as important road and rail projects are also to be simplified.
Scholz compared the magnitude of the necessary transformations with the industrial modernization of Germany at the end of the 19th century. “Only together will we shake off the mildew of bureaucracy, risk aversion and despondency that has settled on our country for years and decades. This mildew is paralyzing our economy,” said Scholz. This requires a “national effort – let’s join forces,” said Scholz. The “need of the hour” is: “Speed instead of standstill, action instead of sitting out, cooperation instead of quarreling.”
Scholz calls AfD “demolition command”
The Chancellor had previously sharply attacked the AfD and accused it of “wanton destruction of wealth”. “The vast majority of citizens know that the self-proclaimed alternative is actually a demolition squad,” said Scholz. “A demolition squad for our country.”
The AfD wants the European Union to be dismantled, even though prosperity in Germany is very closely linked to the EU. On the other hand, his claim as Chancellor was to provide orientation and to make “courageous compromises” and “hands-on work for our country”, said Scholz. “In this way, we counteract those who want to make political profit from relegation scenarios and scaremongering.” This is also his claim on the governing parties, “who have argued too much in the past few months,” said Scholz, referring to the sometimes violent clashes in the traffic light coalition.
The term “Germany Pact” is not unencumbered. Almost 20 years ago, right-wing extremist parties in Germany made common cause under the slogan. In 2005, the parties NPD and DVU agreed that they would not contest elections in the federal states at the same time and would support each other instead. This was intended to pool voters from the right edge. In June 2009, the NPD canceled the “Germany Pact” with the DVU.
Merz misses the “turning point”
Before Scholz’s appearance, Union faction leader Friedrich Merz had reproached the traffic light government in the Bundestag with the budget draft for the coming year, the claim of a “turning point” that the Chancellor had promised after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, not to live up to. He has serious doubts as to whether the dimension of the Ukraine war and its far-reaching effects are correctly assessed, said Merz.
Above all, the CDU chairman criticized the lack of long-term financing for the Bundeswehr. For the “purely formal fulfillment” of the so-called two percent target for ongoing operations, the federal government is increasingly using the special fund for the Bundeswehr. But this will be used up in a few years. Merz warned that there would be a gap of at least 30 billion euros in the defense budget by 2027 at the latest.
“Our country is suffocating in bureaucracy,” Merz also stated, and as a representative of a party that was in government responsibility from 2005 to 2021, he was laughed out loud. What would the Union do differently than the traffic light government? “We would immediately stop all laws that increase this bureaucracy,” said Merz, citing the Building Energy Act as an example.
He also called for “genuine openness to technology” in climate policy. The basic income would shape his party in such a way that work would be more worthwhile, and the Union would not give older people an incentive to take early retirement, but rather to work longer. People who retire early are not “too lazy. People can just do the math,” said Merz. To combat illegal migration, he also called for stronger border controls at the borders with Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland. States and municipalities should not be burdened “unduly” with the problem.