Trembling before Trump

Government search: German business demands speed

The hopes of many business leaders in Germany now lie in election winner Merz - but can he counter Trump?(Bild: AP)

In view of the aggravated relations with the USA, German industry is now calling for speed in forming a government. We now need "a new federal government capable of acting very quickly with a stable majority in the democratic center", said the head of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Peter Leibinger, on Sunday evening.

"The backlog of decisions and actions on many existential issues for the economy, such as the reduction of bureaucracy, state investments, energy supply and security policy, urgently needs to be resolved." The longer the uncertainty persists, the more companies and consumers will hesitate to invest and buy, the economy will stagnate and the country will be weakened.

"Headwinds from the USA have become stronger"
The German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association (BGA) is calling for a national effort to get the German economy back on track. "We all, including German SMEs, must make a contribution here," BGA President Dirk Jandura told the Reuters news agency. In view of the international situation, the German government must be able and willing to act.

"The headwind from the USA has become stronger - we have to react to this," said Jandura. In order to prevail in the trade conflict with the USA and China, "we must stand united and speak with a clear voice". A clear stance in favor of open trade routes and new free trade agreements is necessary. "We don't have time for eternal procrastination, because the world out there is not waiting for us," said the BGA President.

Call for "better economic policy"
The President of the association "Die Familienunternehmer", Marie-Christine Ostermann, sees a clear mandate from voters for Friedrich Merz of the CDU/CSU to finally reverse Germany's economic decline. "This urgently requires a better economic policy and reforms." The German economy is not in an economic slump, she said, in view of two consecutive years of recession.

Economy in "worst crisis in its history"
"Expectations are high for a government that will in all likelihood be led by the CDU/CSU," said Marc Tenbieg, Managing Director of the Deutscher Mittelstands-Bund (DMB). "It faces the task of leading the German economy out of one of the worst crises in its history."

The CDU/CSU election manifesto contains the most SME-friendly approaches of all parties. However, in order to be able to implement these, a stable coalition capable of taking action is needed.