The political landscape in Germany changes its skin after the departure of Angela Merkel . The Social Democrats, the Greens and the FDP have won this latest convocation and are on their way to becoming a government never seen before. It would be the first tripartite government in a so-called “traffic light” coalition because of their different colors. The three parties that are negotiating to form the government have promised not to raise taxes and Olaf Scholz , of the Social Democratic Party, has proposed together with the liberals to increase the minimum wage by no more and no less than 25%.
In this way, the Social Democrats have won a fight with the Conservatives. Where is Germany going now? David Henneberger , director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom believes that this change in trend does not have to be bad, in fact it can be positive to advance liberal issues.
Will the Liberals finally join the government soon? Ready for 2040, a strong Germany for a strong Europe. As Henneberger points out, “if a coalition agreement is reached in the next few weeks, the self-styled ‘coalition of progress’ would seek to renew the country profoundly.
In this sense, in this new stage Germany faces key issues such as combating climate change, education in favor of opportunities for all, innovation, digitization, the combination of fiscal responsibility with the restart of the post-covid economy , the modernization of the social system and the future of the EU, including its international role ”.
It is thus a new era for Europe’s largest economy, he believes, in which Liberals and Greens are already the majority among young Germans. Faced with this situation, Henneberger points out that “many Germans from both the center-right and the center-left are excited about the possibility of a government of progress that would overcome old ideological barriers.”
Furthermore, Henneberger adds, “it is now about turning the successful German model of the past, the social market economy, into the guarantee of a prosperous future for all: a social-environmental market economy, underlining the key objectives of each party. The young Germans would finally be represented by a federal government. If only the young people voted, the Greens and Liberals would have an absolute majority. This government could combine the best of the three worlds and that is what young people want: a competitive economy, progressive social policies and a serious fight against climate change ”.
David Henneberger is the director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) in Madrid. He is an economist and the only source to discuss German news first-hand and evaluate certain policy proposals. The foundation is one of six German political foundations, each with a very close link to its respective political party. The FNF, founded by the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1958, Theodor Heuss, is the liberal foundation, close to the liberal party of Germany, FDP (Freie Demokratische Partei).
