{"id":419217,"date":"2025-02-19T18:38:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T17:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2025\/02\/19\/elezioni-germania-temi-dibattito-partiti\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T19:47:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:47:37","slug":"german-elections-the-main-themes-of-the-public-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2025\/02\/19\/german-elections-the-main-themes-of-the-public-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"German elections: the main themes of the public debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels –\u00a0Next Sunday (Feb. 23), Germany will hold parliamentary elections<\/strong>. This is an important election not only for Europe’s leading economy but also for the entire EU and Old Continent, including Ukraine. In the coming days, we will publish an update on the polls and trends of the various parties on the eve of the vote.\u00a0Here, we offer an\u00a0<\/span>overview of the main issues<\/strong>\u00a0of the public debate and the\u00a0<\/span>election campaign<\/strong>\u00a0to understand what Germans are worried about and what will motivate them to go to the polls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Migration and Security<\/h3>\n

In recent months, the issue of immigration<\/strong> has sprung to the top of voters’ thoughts. After a series of deadly terrorist attacks<\/strong> (three since last December, in Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg, and Munich), many political actors have made it<\/a> a security issue<\/strong>. On this issue, the positions of all parties have stiffened.<\/p>\n

The Christian Union Democrats<\/strong>\u2014consisting of the CDU<\/strong>, led by Friedrich Merz<\/strong>, and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU<\/strong> of Markus S\u00f6der<\/strong>\u2014want a tightening of illegal immigration<\/strong> that also passes through a tightening of asylum policy<\/strong> and the strengthening of national border controls<\/strong>. They have attempted to
\nmake the Bundestag <\/a>approve
\na series of restrictive measures on the issue by playing hand in hand with the ultra-right<\/strong> AfD<\/strong>\u00a0but ultimately failed. The Union\u00a0favours\u00a0expanding the video surveillance network in public spaces<\/strong> and introducing facial recognition systems<\/strong> (e.g., in stations and airports).<\/p>\n

\"Friedrich<\/a>
The leader of the CDU, Friedrich Merz (photo: Michaela Stache\/Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Social Democrats<\/strong> of the SPD<\/strong>, the party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz<\/strong>, have promised to accelerate asylum procedures<\/strong> for refugees, to work on comprehensive agreements to incentivise economic immigration<\/strong> and facilitate the repatriations<\/strong> of those who do not qualify for international protection in Germany.<\/p>\n

The Greens <\/strong>have a similar position.\u00a0On the one hand, environmentalists pledge to\u00a0defend the right to asylum<\/strong>\u00a0and to honour Berlin’s commitments under\u00a0EU and international law<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0On the other hand, they oppose repatriations to war or crisis zones<\/strong>, just as they oppose the externalisation\u00a0<\/strong>of asylum procedures\u00a0in non-EU countries<\/strong> (as attempted by Italy with the CPRs in Albania).<\/p>\n

For the nativist and xenophobic right-wing AfD, led by Alice Weidel<\/strong> and Tino Chrupalla<\/strong>, permanent controls<\/strong> at German borders should be re-introduced (in open contravention of Schengen rules) and legalised refoulements<\/strong> (in violation of international law). Regarding security, it\u00a0favours preventive detention<\/strong> but opposes extensive video surveillance<\/strong>\u00a0in public places.<\/p>\n

The liberal-conservatives of the FDP<\/strong> oppose surveillance in public places as well as online<\/strong> and on social platforms, while agreeing with a clampdown\u00a0on illegal immigration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The radical left Die Linke<\/strong> proposes a deep reform of state management of migration flows<\/strong>, creating among other things a dedicated ministry. Liberalization of visa policy,\u00a0funding for “welcoming” municipalities, revision of the citizenship law (including the introduction of\u00a0ius soli<\/em>), stopping repatriations, and legalizing<\/span>\u00a0irregular migrants are some of the proposals on migration.<\/p>\n

The red-browns of the BSW<\/strong>, the alliance led by Sahra Wagenknecht<\/strong> (rising star of Germany’s so-called “conservative left”<\/a>, who came\u00a0right out of the Linke), instead adopt a more chauvinist<\/strong> stance, not far from that of the AfD.<\/p>\n

\"Sahra<\/a>
BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht (photo: Ferran Cornell\u00e0 via Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Economy and cost of living<\/h3>\n

The other major campaign theme is the state (rapidly deteriorating<\/a>) of the national economy<\/strong>, which has been in recession for more than two years. Businesses are on the warpath, demanding tax cuts<\/strong> and a reduction in both energy<\/strong> and bureaucratic costs<\/strong>, while unemployment is rising in the country and foreign investment is falling.<\/p>\n

Germany’s trade model, which had ensured its solid success over the past decades, was based on imports of cheap raw materials and energy<\/strong> and exports of valuable products processed by industry<\/strong>, on which about a quarter of GDP depends.\u00a0However, the economic downturns of recent years (from the suspension of international trade during\u00a0COVID-19<\/strong>\u00a0to the\u00a0energy crisis<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0inflationary spiral<\/strong>\u00a0that followed the war in Ukraine<\/strong>) have made the system unsustainable.<\/span>\u00a0Exacerbating the situation are the trade tariffs<\/strong>\u00a0that\u00a0Donald Trump is threatening<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

All of this has resulted in a\u00a0generalised rise in the cost of living<\/strong>, from which the\u00a0young generation,<\/strong>\u00a0in particular, is suffering. In fact, they are abandoning traditional parties and paying renewed attention to formations perceived as anti-system, starting with the\u00a0AfD<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Linke<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The backbone of Germany’s economic strength, the automotive industry<\/strong>, has been\u00a0in the dump for some time<\/a> (like the entire automotive sector on the Old Continent).\u00a0After historically being the driver of growth, it is now\u00a0<\/span>dragging the entire country<\/strong>\u00a0into the precipice as\u00a0<\/span>Chinese competition floods the European market<\/strong>\u00a0with good-quality electric vehicles with incomparably lower production costs thanks to generous government subsidies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"auto\"<\/a>
Photo: Volkswagen via Imagoeconomica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the contrary, German\u00a0<\/span>companies<\/strong>\u00a0have had to bear\u00a0<\/span>intensive costs for electrification in recent years<\/strong>. This is why many of them are opposed to the dreaded backtrack on the\u00a0stop to the endothermic engine in 2035<\/strong>\u00a0(wanted by the\u00a0CDU\/CSU<\/strong>, the\u00a0AfD,<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0BSW<\/strong>\u00a0but opposed by the\u00a0SPD<\/strong>,\u00a0Greens,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Left<\/strong>), as it would blow up their medium to long-term planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Merz is intent on breaking<\/strong>\u00a0dependence on the People’s Republic<\/strong> by, among other things, discouraging German automakers from investing and relocating to the Asian country (ruling out new bailouts with public money). At the same time, the CDU wants to lower corporate taxes<\/strong> and reduce energy costs<\/strong>.\u00a0Among the SPD’s proposals is a\u00a0<\/span>new phase of public investment<\/strong>, including in traditionally industrial rural areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Public Finance<\/h3>\n

One of the most thankless tasks for the new German government will be <\/a>to<\/span>\u00a0close the approximately \u20ac25 billion budget hole<\/strong> in the state coffers, the source of the collapse of Scholz’s “traffic light coalition” that left Germany without a budget for the current year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The problem is that the German constitution enshrines the principle of fiscal parity<\/strong>, which effectively imposes a ceiling on\u00a0<\/strong>Berlin’s debt<\/span>\u00a0annually, setting the borrowing limit at 0.35 per cent of GDP<\/strong> (barring emergencies). However,\u00a0with soaring defence spending and green and digital transitions, tax revenues are no longer enough to cover spending.<\/p>\n

The Union<\/strong> and the FDP<\/strong> regard the sacredness of curbing public debt<\/strong> as inviolable. Merz aims to reduce subsidies<\/strong> and bureaucracy<\/strong>\u00a0while reviewing social spending by reducing the income tax<\/strong>. He does not talk about cutting pensions but envisions an incentive plan for those who wish to continue working beyond retirement age. However, according to various estimates, even these proposals would cost at least 90 billion.<\/p>\n

In contrast, SPD<\/strong> and Gr\u00fcnen<\/strong> are pushing for a reform of constitutional provisions<\/a> to “modernise” state spending rules<\/strong>. In an unprecedented historical twist, the reform of budget constraints<\/strong> would even appear to be supported by an absolute majority of German voters.<\/p>\n

\"Olaf<\/a>
Outgoing German Chancellor and SPD candidate Olaf Scholz (photo: European Council)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Social Democrats<\/strong>\u00a0are not intent on reforming the pension system, but they would like to\u00a0increase the minimum wage<\/strong>\u00a0and introduce a\u00a0capital levy<\/strong>\u00a0for the super-rich<\/strong>, as would the\u00a0Greens<\/strong>. Environmentalists propose\u00a0new subsidies for electric cars<\/strong>\u00a0and a “citizens’ fund” to guarantee pensions. Taxes for the wealthiest segment of the population are also a workhorse for the\u00a0Linke<\/strong>, which is also calling for an\u00a0inheritance tax on large\u00a0inheritances<\/strong>\u00a0in addition to\u00a0increases in minimum wages and pensions<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Scholz, forcing a 60 percent cap on GDP is counterproductive, given that all G7 economies already exceed 100 percent. The chancellor\u00a0also opened<\/a>\u00a0the door to\u00a0revising EU budget constraints<\/strong>, supporting the\u00a0uncoupling of defence investment<\/strong>\u00a0from calculating the deficit\/GDP ratio to move closer to the\u00a0NATO spending targets<\/strong>\u00a0(currently at\u00a02 per cent<\/strong>\u00a0but\u00a0targeted to increase<\/a>\u00a0in the near future).<\/span><\/p>\n

The FDP<\/strong>, like the CDU<\/strong>, calls for a revision of the pension system<\/strong>, a relief of the tax burden on businesses<\/strong> and a reduction of the bureaucratic structure<\/strong>. Social spending, they say, should be redirected from employment subsidies toward incentives to hire<\/strong>. As for social security<\/strong>, the AfD<\/strong> is pushing for foreign nationals<\/strong> to be eligible only after working in Germany\u00a0for\u00a0a<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0minimum of 10 years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ukraine and defense<\/h3>\n

German public finances have also\u00a0been\u00a0put<\/a><\/span>\u00a0under pressure<\/a> by the increased defence spending<\/strong>, a hallmark of this historical phase. Shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022, the Bundestag approved the introduction of a special 100 billion<\/strong> fund (financed by borrowing) to modernise the German military (Bundeswehr<\/strong>), and from which to also draw to provide military aid to Ukraine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the massive fund injected 20 billion into the defence budget<\/strong>, boosting it to about 72 billion (a figure that rises to over 90 billion<\/strong> if aid for Kyiv is also counted). In this way, Berlin hit the target of 2 per cent<\/strong> decided by the alliance for the first time, but maintaining it would require nearly 30 billion additional per year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Bringing defence spending to an even higher\u00a0<\/span>percentage of GDP<\/strong>\u00a0(with annual investments in the order of 80 billion) is a goal of the\u00a0<\/span>CDU\/CSU<\/strong>, which says it is in favour of\u00a0<\/span>continuing support for Ukraine<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0Indeed, increasing military spending and maintaining support for Kyiv’s resistance are commonalities with the SPD and Greens<\/strong>.\u00a0The leading candidate of the Gr\u00fcnen, outgoing vice-chancellor\u00a0Robert Habeck<\/strong>, says he wants to allocate\u00a03.5 per cent of GDP<\/strong>\u00a0to defence, raising the necessary resources through borrowing.<\/span>\u00a0On the front of the “no” side of sending arms<\/strong> to the former Soviet republic, however, are the Linke<\/strong>, the AfD<\/strong> and the BSW<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Alice<\/a>
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel (photo: Michele Tantussi\/Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

External Relations<\/h3>\n

While\u00a0most German political forces<\/strong>\u00a0do not question Germany’s\u00a0Euro-Atlantic collocation<\/strong>\u00a0(net of President Trump’s unpredictability), several criticisms\u00a0<\/span>come from opposite ends of the spectrum. The AfD<\/strong> would like to abandon the EU and the single currency<\/strong>, while the Linke <\/i><\/strong>and the BSW<\/strong> are deeply critical of Berlin’s role in NATO<\/strong>. The far-right<\/strong> of Weidel and Chrupalla pushes for\u00a0a\u00a0rapprochement<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0with Moscow<\/strong> and the abandonment of sanctions, as do the red-browns\u00a0<\/strong>of Wagenknecht. All three of these formations share a platform of marked anti-Americanism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>Union<\/strong>\u00a0remains\u00a0<\/span>pro-Israel<\/strong>\u00a0(while declaring itself in favour of a two-state solution) while framing\u00a0<\/span>relationships with Beijing<\/strong>\u00a0within\u00a0<\/span>a “<\/span>systemic competition<\/strong>“<\/span>\u00a0framework<\/span>: maintaining close economic ties but reducing strategic dependencies.<\/span>\u00a0The SPD<\/strong> also claims a similar\u00a0approach to China<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Climate and environment<\/h3>\n

Ecological transition<\/strong> has become a rather controversial issue<\/a> in Germany. On the one hand, the measures taken by the outgoing government (most notably the regulations on heat pumps<\/strong>, which Habeck himself wanted) have provoked a strong public reaction<\/strong>, both from businesses and from the less protected segments of the population.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the need to respond to Russia’s aggression on Ukraine<\/strong> (especially after the Constitutional Court opened a 60 billion hole in the state budget) has caused climate goals to drop down the priority ladder<\/strong>. The Gr\u00fcnen themselves have lowered their sights from the maximalist demands with which they had brought home an excellent result in the 2021 elections.<\/p>\n

\"Habeck\"<\/a>
German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck accepts nomination as the Greens’ chancellor candidate, Nov. 17, 2024, in Wiesbaden (photo: Daniel Roland\/Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Merz calls wind turbines a “thorn in the flesh,” while the CDU\/CSU is banking on nuclear power<\/strong> even though research has stalled for decades. Electricity production from renewables (solar and wind) accounted for over half of the total in 2024. Germany’s last atomic plant was decommissioned in 2023<\/strong> under decisions made by the last Christian Democratic chancellor, Angela Merkel<\/strong>. The Union plans do not include reducing greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> by 65 per cent by 2030.<\/p>\n

Scholz<\/strong> has also advocated increasing the\u00a0import of oil and LNG from the United States<\/strong> to bring down soaring energy costs. For its part, the AfD denies human causation of climate change<\/strong>, supports the creation of new coal-fired and nuclear power plants,\u00a0<\/strong>and aims to resume imports of Russian natural gas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahead of next Sunday’s polls, Eunews has compiled a compendium of the hottest topics of the German election campaign and the positions of the parties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7876,"featured_media":419212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25681],"tags":[26267,27336,26471,26298,30515,30532,26454,29715,26204,29635,26205,26268,29085,28036,25789],"class_list":["post-419217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-alice-weidel-and","tag-automotive-en","tag-nato-en-8","tag-politiche-climatiche-en","tag-economy-2-en","tag-election-germany-2025-en","tag-cup-in","tag-friedrich-merz-en","tag-immigration-en-2","tag-olaf-scholz-en","tag-robert-habeck-en","tag-sahra-wagenknecht-en","tag-ukrainian-en-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7876"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419217"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":419235,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419217\/revisions\/419235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}