Politicians want to give the economy a boost. But it concentrates too much on the big players, criticizes crafts president Dittrich. He warns: medium-sized businesses must not be left behind.
Germany’s economy is in shambles and the traffic lights seem to have understood: Things can’t go on like this, something has to change as quickly as possible. In addition to the “growth initiative” that has already been launched, which is intended to stimulate the economy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is inviting people to the industrial summit. Meanwhile, his SPD is formulating ideas for a new economic policy – and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) wants a large “Germany Fund” to promote investments.
Is this still real economic policy or is it already an election campaign? Or is it both? Which of these can help companies and businesses and which cannot? t-online spoke to Jörg Dittrich, President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH), about the current situation. The appeal of the country’s top craftsman: Instead of just looking at the large corporations, politicians should focus more on medium-sized businesses.
t-online: Mr. Dittrich, what goes through your mind when you think of Olaf Scholz?
Jörg Dittrich: He is a quiet and thoughtful man, but sometimes it is difficult for me not to perceive his calm demeanor as stoic.
Is the Chancellor good for crafts, for the economy, for Germany?
I have great respect for his role in world politics. When it comes to the economy, I would like to see more courage from him. And when it comes to craftsmanship, I know how much the Chancellor values it. However, his actions don’t always match. My final impression was that he preferred to look after industry and not medium-sized businesses.
You are referring to the industrial summit in the Chancellery, to which you are not invited.
This summit annoys me very much, yes. And the Chancellor knows that too. The industry is important, also as a customer for the trades. But we shouldn’t just look at the industry alone. The economic weakness is a problem for all companies and businesses in Germany, and these are mostly small and medium-sized companies and businesses. We don’t need an industrial summit, but rather an economic summit at the Chancellor’s that takes into account the interests of all industries and economic sectors.
Scholz’s SPD has also recently focused heavily on industry: It wants e-car bonuses, lower electricity prices for large companies and a minimum wage of 15 euros, which doesn’t affect many large companies at all because they already pay it anyway. A mistake?
I don’t like that at all. The middle class falls by the wayside. The e-car bonus is beneficial for the large car manufacturers; the reduced electricity prices should not apply to many small and medium-sized businesses, such as the metal construction company or the textile cleaner that supplies the local hospital with laundry. The middle class and therefore most of the economy have nothing to do with these ideas. And this despite the fact that, in the second year of recession in a row, the entire economy urgently needs stimulus.
And what do you think of the higher minimum wage?
The employee representatives in the trades may approve of this, but the interests of the employers must always be kept in mind. It is therefore right that the independent minimum wage commission decides on the amount. That is a matter for the social partners; politicians have to stay out of it. If it doesn’t, collective bargaining coverage is likely to fall even further. The minimum wage must not become a campaign hit.
The person who is currently paying more attention to crafts is Economics Minister Robert Habeck. What do you think of his idea for a large Germany fund?
The clean path from a regulatory perspective would be to reduce taxes and additional wage costs. This gives companies scope to initiate more investments on their own. Targeted incentives can support this. But this must not end in a huge subsidy mechanism. Because these funds are then missing for relief. It would also be dishonest to demand a leaner state with more personal responsibility while at the same time demanding subsidies. What is needed is a coherent concept from the federal government as a whole with a clear perspective up to 2035. We would like to take a look at what the Federal Minister is now putting on the table. And above all, what chance this has of being implemented in the government. What matters for the location is not what is announced, but rather what politicians actually implement. We don’t need another project that ends up on the implementation dump.