In a podcast interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Wansleben expressed concern about the current economic situation in Germany. The DIHK will present current figures on October 29th. She will also take part in the economic summit organized by FDP leader Lindner and parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr.
In the podcast, Wansleben explains that the situation is “serious, difficult and demanding.” When he looked at the numbers, he spontaneously thought: “It couldn’t get any worse.”
According to Wansleben, the companies complained about a diffuse situation in terms of the government’s communication, but also a diffuse situation in terms of what needs to happen.
At the Asia-Pacific conference from October 24th to 26th in New Delhi and at the Business 20 meeting in São Paulo, it became clear that Europe was increasingly sitting on the sidelines. “With our demands on sustainable finance and the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, we have really kicked ourselves out with our index finger raised. “That can cause a lot of worry,” says Wansleben. We need to talk about “how we can polish up our appearance worldwide” – the German and the European one.
He expects the federal government to do proper government work when it comes to the budget, growth initiatives and the acceleration pact. It is time to “at least get this done now,” said Wansleben.
The economist appealed to Brussels: “We have to go through the entire Green Deal, it is far too narrow-knit, far too narrow-minded, far too bureaucratic. We have to get better at that. Laws like the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act simply don’t work. Not only do we have to abolish the German one, but the European one must also not happen as planned. Because we are unable to exert influence on our potential customers, suppliers and cooperation partners. We are losing influence, business is passing us by.”
From a global perspective, it is “devastating for Europe as a whole that it has not been able to pursue an offensive trade policy in recent years. We have lost significantly globally and need a very different approach.”
The core goal must be to achieve greater productivity again: “We have to make the system more efficient,” said Wansleben. In Germany there is a need for a reduction in bureaucracy and more freedom for those who want to do business – and: “When it comes to the Green Deal, we need less bullying and regulations than training and encouragement.”
