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Berlin (dpa) - The departure of the chairman of the "Wirtschaftsweise", Lars Feld, in the middle of the Corona crisis, has triggered a violent dispute in the black-red coalition.
CDU leader Armin Laschet attacked the SPD because it prevented Feld from continuing in office.
Laschet wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that Feld was one of the most renowned scientists in the social market economy.
With a view to Olaf Scholz, Laschet criticized that the SPD finance minister was using “arrogance” and “ignorance” in the middle of the pandemic to prevent Feld from continuing to work in the council of experts.
"Especially now in the crisis, expertise would be more important than ever."
The allegations were rejected by the SPD.
Laschet's tweet was retweeted by Federal Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU).
Friedrich Merz, who was defeated by Laschet in the fight for the CDU chairmanship, told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “It is more than regrettable that the federal government could not bring itself to its most important economic advisor on board during the greatest crisis in post-war history hold."
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The SPD had prevented a further term of office from Feld.
This means that at the end of February he will be leaving the Expert Council.
The Union wanted to hold on to the Freiburg economist.
Feld has been chairman of the Expert Council since March 2020, of which he has been a member since March 2011.
According to reports, the SPD wanted to push through the Düsseldorf economist Jens Südekum or the President of the German Institute for Economic Research, Marcel Fratzscher, as Feld's successor.
These are closer to positions of the SPD, it said.
But there was no consensus on this in the coalition, so there is initially no successor for Feld.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich said on the sidelines of a parliamentary group meeting in Berlin: “If the Union concentrates very heavily on personnel, I believe that it will not do justice to the challenges we are currently facing.
We have our own considerations and they are definitely not going in the direction of the Union. "
The SPD finance politician Cansel Kiziltepe told the German press agency that a new appointment after 10 years is a completely normal process.
"It is not a normal process for the CDU to perceive it as an asset."
Instead of "bite reflexes", Laschet and the CDU should rather participate in the search for suitable candidates.
The SPD had made constructive suggestions with two excellent candidates.
«We need someone who can offer the answers to the challenges of our time.
Lars Feld embodies ideological neoliberalism. "
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Feld is regarded as a proven regulatory politician, i.e. oriented towards the principles of market and competition and against the great influence of the state.
The deputy chairman of the CSU regional group, Hans
Michelbach, accused the SPD of “partisan motives”.
The Council of Experts is
particularly needed
now as an independent advisor
for a clear regulatory path out of the pandemic
crisis.
SPD candidate for chancellor Scholz and his party were not looking for advice, but "claqueurs" for their policy of returning to the tax-raising and debt-ridden state.
"Mr. Feld is in the way and must therefore be cleared."
Sharp criticism also came from the FDP.
Parliamentary group vice Christian Dürr told the dpa: “It is difficult to understand that the SPD wants to dismiss Germany's most important economic experts in the midst of the crisis.
It is even more inexplicable, however, that the CDU and CSU obviously cannot defend themselves against it.
If the Union allows Lars Feld to leave the economy, it will give up its market economy principles for good. "
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The five-person council of experts to assess macroeconomic developments advises politics.
The experts are colloquially referred to as the «economic wise men».
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210223-99-559816 / 2
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