BERLIN (Reuters) -German Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s Free Democrats (FDP) are organising their own economic summit next Tuesday, the same day Chancellor Olaf Scholz has invited business groups to the chancellery to discuss how to fight the weak economic outlook.
The summit marks the latest attempt by a partner in the loveless coalition government to make its voice heard on pressing economic issues as the FDP, Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Greens increasingly turn their focus to 2025 elections.
Earlier this week Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is widely expected to be named the Greens’ chancellor candidate for September 2025 elections, released his own 14-page position paper outlining his plan for how to save Europe’s biggest economy.
He told journalists on his visit to India on Friday that he did not need a summit at the moment as he was constantly in talks with the business community.
Scholz urged the coalition partners to develop a common consensus instead of trying to show each other up and to discuss matters “away from the theatre stages”.
However, in a sign of the coalition discord, Lindner told broadcaster ZDF on Thursday night that he had not been told in advance about Scholz’s summit or Habeck’s proposals.
“That is a problem in itself. I want to make that very clear to you. It creates uncertainty,” Lindner said, adding that he does not want to let the coalition government collapse.
‘COMPLEMENTARY’ SUMMIT
Lindner tried to downplay claims about the FDP summit’s timing on Friday, describing it as “complementary” to Scholz’s because it focused more on small- and medium-sized businesses and the trades instead of just industry.
“What is wrong with a governing party faction meeting with other parts of the German economy?” said Lindner on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Washington on Friday.
Scholz wants to discuss measures with industry and trade union representatives “to jointly strengthen and modernize Germany as an industrial location,” a government spokesperson said on Friday, but did not say who would take part.
According to media reports, the BDI industry association and IG Metall union are among participants.
Invited to the FDP event – but not Scholz’s – are the BDA employers’ association, the DIHK chamber of commerce, the ZDH skilled trades group and the association of family businesses.
(Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Christian Kraemer and Holger Hansen; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
