Chancellor Scholz wants to bring the country into shape together – and his “Germany Pact” meets with the approval of the employers’ association and several country heads. The Union, on the other hand, is skeptical: the modernization plan offers little that is new.
Employers responded positively to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s appeal for a “national effort” to modernize the country. Several state heads of government also signaled their involvement in the proposed “Germany Pact”. “The federal government is finally waking up with the announced ‘Germany Pact’,” commented Employer President Rainer Dulger in the “Rheinische Post” 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).
Scholz proposed the modernization plan to the federal states, municipalities and the opposition – with the exception of the AfD – in the Bundestag on Wednesday. The SPD politician named the acceleration of approval procedures, the digitization of administration and support for companies as key points. The immigration of skilled workers from abroad should be further promoted.
Union: “Nothing new in the Chancellery”
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 leader on “RTL Direkt”. However, the opposition leader is not sure whether Scholz can convince in his own coalition. “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.
In terms of content, however, the group leadership is skeptical about Scholz’s initiative and points out that some of the points from the state side have been demanding for a long time. “Nothing new in the Chancellery” is the headline above a so-called lightning briefing by the leadership and planning staff of parliamentary group leader Merz, which the dpa news agency has available. “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.”
The parliamentary group announced in the briefing that a number of economic policy measures would be put to the vote in the next week of the meeting. “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.”
Approval from several states
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 daily topics. “I think the first issue is asylum. The second issue is the energy crisis.”
The prime ministers of the federal states also wanted to talk about the proposal at their conference in Brussels, which lasted until Thursday. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) 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 Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said: “Now it must not just be about big words, I expect that the Chancellor will follow 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.
NRW boss Wüst speaks of “PR gag”
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) had described Scholz’s proposal as a “PR stunt” 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 Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer – like Scholz, she is a member of the SPD – and from Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann from the Greens.