Mr. Bäte, are we at the beginning of a turning point?

And if so, where is it taking us?

Gerald Braunberger

Editor.

  • Follow I follow

Heike Goebel

Responsible editor for economic policy, responsible for "The Order of the Economy".

  • Follow I follow

Henning Peitsmeier

Business correspondent in Munich.

  • Follow I follow

If I'd know that.

With the outbreak of war, we all realized that the so-called peace dividend after the fall of the wall was an illusion.

In Germany, we now have to start thinking about how to proceed.

In many respects, the last ten years have been a land of milk and honey, we had full employment, have benefited from globalization and managed quite well.

Most people were fine, everything was great, at least on the surface.

It's not great now.

Germany is an export nation.

Is our business model at stake with a possible end to globalization?

no

But it has been shown that our market model does not work if you do not give enough thought to strategic dependency and vulnerability.

So we should use this crisis to correct the mistakes.

We must remain an export nation, but at the same time set up our energy supply in such a way that it is insensitive to attempts at blackmail from all directions, including from today's partners.

We can no longer afford our gullibility, because it won't be fun in Europe either.

What do you mean?

A number of countries in Europe have problems.

There's that instinct towards papa state that solves everything.

Then debts are diligently incurred, see France.

Emmanuel Macron took office in 2017 with a strong commitment to the Maastricht budgetary criteria.

Compared to today's election program, I can see that a lot of money is now being printed everywhere - in the end it harms all Europeans.

The belief in the state in France worries me greatly.

That is quite far away from our understanding of the social market economy.

Let's get back to the German model.

Why have geostrategic considerations not played a major role in this country, unlike in France or the USA?

You're right.

The lesson learned by the Americans from the wars of the past twenty years was to become independent in the energy supply, also through fracking, which we frowned upon.

Today they are net exporters and no longer susceptible to blackmail from the Middle East.

In America there is a Business Round Table, and in France there are also regular discussions between politics and business about industrial strategy.

We only have a few trips for politicians with the BDI.

Our strategic business model has never been discussed at a round table.

Why not?

That may have something to do with our allergy to the old "Deutschland AG", this club of men who sat on many supervisory boards and checked each other.

The model didn't work really well.

Nevertheless, one could start the dialogue now...