Newsletter: German elections: what it means for Europe
Wednesday, 29 september 2021
Good morning Future is blue readers,
This week we are focusing on the results of the German election. The stakes are obviously high for Germans, but also for Europe as a whole. It’s no secret the weight that the future German government will have on the EU’s key economic discussions.
To better understand how the coalition talks may evolve over the next months and how different parties in government may impact German EU positions, we’ve reached out to Peter Bofinger, Chair for Monetary Policy and International Economics at Würzburg University and a former member of the German Council of Economic Experts. Peter is our guest speaker this week in our new podcast, together with Raymond Torres, Funcas Europe Director, and Carlos Carnicero Urabayen, Future is blue editorial coordinator. More details below.
See at the end what we are reading these days.
New podcast available!
Olaf Scholz, the SPD candidate has come first with a very small margin. Presumably, he will try now to form a coalition with the Green Party and the liberals of FDP. This would be the so-called traffic light coalition (red, green and yellow). A Jamaica option is also on the table (with the CDU joined by Greens and Liberals).
Worth noting as well that in both traffic light and Jamaica option, the Greens would be positioned as the second partner. This should be important for the EU economic agenda, according to Peter Bofinger.
Key European policy positions for Germany's four largest parties
It may be worth keeping in the pocket the above visual created by Algebris including the positions of the main German parties on the EU’s key economic debates.
What we are reading
German election 2021: what’s the outlook for economic policy?
Tao Pan and Silvia Merler from Algebris share key insights on what’s at stake for the EU.
German elections: seizing the moral and economic opportunity of global health insecurity
Europe and Germany have both a moral and an economic opportunity to increase their commitment to global health even further.
Energy crisis is moment of truth for Europe’s green ambitions
“Now that higher prices are suddenly here, it is going to be harder still. Whether EU leaders can keep a cool head in the current crisis… will show whether their aspiration to global green hegemony has any staying power.”
Getting on the road to Glasgow: the sustainable development impact summit
Interesting World Economic Forum podcast about progress being made ahead of the UN climate conference in November.
Have a nice rest of the week!
Raymond Torres, Funcas Europe Director