Minister Habeck, you have just been to Brazil, Colombia and Japan, in between the crisis issues in Berlin – how many hours do you sleep at night?
In weeks like these, you sometimes lose a little sense of the time of day. But I sleep enough, don’t worry.
Banks in America and Europe are reeling like they were 15 years ago. Are we facing the next big crisis after Corona and the energy price shock?
The European banking system is robust, deposit insurance has reached a completely different level than it was then. Today we are not in a systemic financial crisis, but we see individual banks in Switzerland and the USA having problems. I assume that the financial system can take it. There are exchanges within the federal government about the banks, but there are no crisis meetings.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has postponed the key figures for the 2024 budget because of the many spending requests. When do you agree?
In 2024 we will, have to, comply with the debt brake…
… what do you regret?
No. In principle, the suspension of the debt brake can only be justified by a macroeconomic disruption. The pandemic was such an event, and so was the energy crisis resulting from the Russian attack on Ukraine. But we made the energy crisis manageable and averted a severe recession. Fortunately. It would be downright cynical to hope for the next crisis now just to be able to suspend the debt brake again. I am assuming that we will find ourselves in economically calmer waters. The prospects for this are good. But that also means that we will have to save.
What savings do you have?
We won’t get by with one. The finance minister knows my ministry’s ideas. But I will not discuss them publicly. Proposals that are discussed under the glaring spotlight and the escalation of the Berlin business rarely get a chance. Then it’s not a neutral proposal, but one from the SPD, Greens or FDP, and that can’t come for that reason alone. That’s why everyone is well advised to talk things over calmly and in a concentrated manner.
15 months after the Progress Coalition took office, around 30 projects are stuck. Will the breakthrough come on Sunday in the coalition committee?
I expect that from all of us. The coalition committee needs to create momentum. That’s doable, because personally the atmosphere in the coalition is intact. One thing is clear: we can only get out of this if everyone wins something. But that also means that everyone has to give something.
Which projects have to be taken off the table first?
Irrespective of the specific issues raised by the coalition committee, we should get the projects that are already well advanced up and running as quickly as possible. For me as Economics Minister, for example, the Skilled Immigration Act is extremely important. It should quickly pass the cabinet. We are already short of a million workers. And a number of other things are also ready for a decision – from my house, the Competition Enforcement Act, as well as the Energy Efficiency Act.
What is the probability that the traffic light will last until 2025?
110 percent.
The Federal Environment Agency says Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has “no plan” for meeting the climate targets. How useful are the sector targets anyway?
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