19.01.2025 – "The renewed tariff threats from US President Trump towards European countries overshadow the World Economic Forum. The hope of a normalization of transatlantic trade relations has thus suffered a setback. Diplomatic skill is now required. The high-level meetings on the sidelines of the forum provide an opportunity to prevent an escalation of the current conflict. A looming trade war must be prevented at all costs.

Instead of erecting new trade barriers, the major economies should agree on more cooperation. For this, a coalition of the EU with relevant partners in Asia, Latin America, and Africa is urgently needed, standing together against economic coercive measures. Under these new conditions, the federal government should push even harder to reduce strategic dependencies and become more economically resilient.

The current forecast of the International Monetary Fund is no reassurance for Germany: Although the growth dynamics in Germany for the coming year are assessed as somewhat more positive than the previous year and the global economy is expected to show stable growth, this positive development is not reflected in German export figures. Despite a robust global environment, German exports have declined over the past year.

It shows that the German export economy does not have a demand problem abroad, but we have a location issue at home. We urgently need to improve competitiveness so that Germany can participate in global growth. The reduction of bureaucracy, faster planning and approval procedures, and reliable energy and fiscal policy frameworks are indispensable. The federal government must now urgently do its economic-policy homework."