Markus Blume moved to Söder’s Ministry of Science. In the Merkur interview, he talks about future fields, nuclear energy, traffic lights and the Ukraine.
Munich – He is said to be Bavaria’s high-tech minister: Markus Blume is now the head of the Ministry for Science, Research and Art. The 47-year-old, until recently CSU General Secretary, outlines the plans for Bavaria in the first major interview after taking office: embody a modern economic policy, talk more about Markus Söder’s high-tech billions – and honestly make it clear what will no longer be affordable in the future . Blume, married, two children, Protestant, is a member of the state parliament in the east of Munich.
You should also compete with the Minister for Economic Affairs in your job. Are you now unofficially Minister of State to annoy Aiwanger?
Innovation minister hits it better. Bavaria is so incredibly innovative and creative, an international hotspot for technology and talent. That’s an order! I want to promote this spirit of innovation even more. Incubators should be created everywhere and a new entrepreneurial spirit should blow.
What are the future fields? Medicine? supercomputer? air taxis?
All that and much more! Bavaria is a high-tech state. In Bavaria we have a unique density of global corporate champions and excellent universities that push the boundaries of what is technically possible every day. A group of researchers is currently working on creating one of the world’s most powerful lasers at the LMU Munich. This is crucial for energy research. We need to shed some of the humility with which we talk about high tech.
Interview with Markus Blume: “We are in the middle of a turning point”
Wait a minute: the CSU is many things, but we never noticed “modest”…
Well – remember before, Edmund Stoiber’s big offensives to modernize the economy. With the high-tech agenda, Markus Söder has launched an innovation offensive that puts it in the shade: 3.5 billion euros, that’s unique in Europe. I want us to talk more about this. And I want to make it clear: We are in the middle of a turning point. We need not only new military, but also new technological strength. We must no longer be dependent on other great powers.
Didn’t work out with the energy before. Wasn’t it a huge mistake by the CSU in particular to throw itself at the gas supplier Putin like that?
With today’s knowledge, it’s easy to know everything better. Unfortunately, the whole world was wrong about Putin. Now we see that he doesn’t want systems competition, but a war of systems. With the Russian natural gas, we are threatened with breaking away a pillar of the energy supply. We have to react quickly to this: I rely primarily on gas and hydrogen imports and an accelerated expansion of domestic renewables. Bavaria is a land of sun and geothermal energy.
Was it also a mistake to phase out nuclear power?
That was the social consensus at the time. Nuclear energy, like natural gas, has always been a bridge. However, I think it is absolutely right that we are now talking about extending the running times in this new situation. The continued operation of the Bavarian piles is technically safe and reliable. I don’t understand the government’s hesitancy. She is haphazard.
Bavaria’s Minister Markus Blume: “The traffic light is falling apart”
Do we hear the CSUler’s frustration that at least the FDP does not share your concerns?
The traffic light is falling apart. In many places, the FDP can no longer remember what was important to them during the election campaign: energy, the economy, digitization, stable finances – Christian Lindner’s debt programs give me chills.
Bavaria is probably taking in a hundred thousand refugees from Ukraine. What is your perspective: are scientists coming to us, or low-wage workers?
There are people who fear for their lives. That’s why our first answer is: help wherever we can. I spoke to some Ukrainian students and just felt a great gratitude for the willingness to help, but they also want to rebuild their country as soon as possible. However, I fear that we will have to prepare for a longer phase of war in Ukraine. That is why we will also take care of young people in our schools and universities. It is correct: In the natural sciences, some of them have an excellent level of education.
Are Russian refugees welcome before Putin?
Russia faces an exodus of scientists and artists. Thousands have shown tremendous courage to speak out against Putin and the war of aggression. The institutional cooperation between our universities and Russia is completely on hold, but not the individual one. Our arms are open to all bright minds who turn away from the Putin system or may even have to flee.
Markus Blume: “We have an extremely large number of large projects in the pipeline in the fields of culture and science”
You are now also responsible for the Munich concert hall. This has been tampered with for a decade and a half. Do you promise a concrete start of construction?
We have an extremely large number of projects in the pipeline in the fields of culture and science. We want to invest billions in our university hospitals, in expanding the universities, in culture. Especially during the Corona crisis, we provided massive support for art and culture with our aid programs. At the same time, there is a high level of uncertainty: the burden of the Corona crisis is still having an impact – and the consequences of the war against Ukraine cannot yet be assessed. We have to be honest.
So the schedule for the new hall: open?
The planning continues unabated, but it is also clear that not everything can be done at once. We’ll have to prioritize overall, talk about timelines. Preserve what already exists and set new accents at the same time.
A start of construction in 2025…
…seems ambitious given the current world situation. But since we’re talking about innovation, why don’t we use the time and unused space to break new ground? Pop-up theaters and pop-up concert halls, that would be something!
Summarized by Christian Deutschländer
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