- Tweeter
republish
A former minister and vice-chancellor at the head of the powerful federation of the German automotive industry? The decision is almost safe, according to the daily Bild Zeitung . Sigmar Gabriel, former president of the Social Democratic Party and minister in various positions under Angela Merkel, is said to be favored by the German car industry.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut
What could be better than a former politician to lobby effectively with the government? With 830,000 employees and a turnover of more than 400 billion euros, the automotive industry is a key sector of the German economy. Right and left politicians have always been strong advocates for this branch, both in their own country and in Brussels.
A former Christian Democrat Minister of Transport led the federation of the German car industry for eleven years. His successor Bernd Mattes retired at the end of the year after less than two years. This former Ford manager did not convince his peers. They regret his lack of contacts in the political sphere and blame him for having badly defended them in the debate on pollution standards and the fight against global warming after the scandal of diesel engines rigged.
With Sigmar Gabriel, minister of Angela Merkel for nine years (Environment, Economy, Foreign Affairs) and president of the Social Democratic Party for eight years, it is a heavyweight of the German policy that would have the favors of the federation of the German automobile industry. " It's 99% sure ," says one of its managers in the daily Bild Zeitung . The official decision must be taken on November 7th. The annual salary is at least 600,000 euros, twice that of Angela Merkel.