Berlin/Dresden (dpa/sn) - The CDU Federal Deputy and Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer sees "missionary zeal" of the Greens in economic policy. "There is a clear political stance among the Greens that supports the fact that rising energy prices are driving energy-intensive companies out of the market," he said in an interview with Cicero magazine (September issue). Climate targets could certainly be achieved by eliminating industry. "But these so-called savings then mean de-industrialization and, as a result, a reduction in prosperity."
According to Kretschmer, the "finely balanced" economic system, in which value creation takes place primarily in industry, is in danger as a result of the Ukraine war. Exports, on which a large part of Germany's prosperity is based, collapse sharply, energy prices explode - to dimensions "with which profitable production in Germany is no longer possible". According to Kretschmer, savings "as a consequence" also mean shutting down production and relocating abroad. Many craftsmen, medium-sized companies and consumers see their existence endangered. "This extreme increase in the price of energy cannot be compensated for, no finance minister in the world can do that."
Kretschmer, who has also governed Saxony with the Greens since 2019, advises his party to “make a very clear distinction”. Their ideas are often based on "dirigistic and planned economy" approaches, and economic policy issues in particular are usually not judged on the basis of Germany's competitiveness in international comparison. "We must develop renewable energy sources, but we must not sacrifice the industrial location for this."
