Four main business organizations in Germany have long been at war against the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. They accuse him of underestimating the country's economic problems and not taking their claims into account to impose a series of measures to improve the situation of a faltering economy.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI), the BDA employers' association, the Confederation of German Craftsmen (ZDH) and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) met this week behind closed doors with the social democratic leader. The meeting did not alleviate the tension that has existed for months between the business community and the German Executive, writes Jens Schulte. The German economy was the only one of the G7 countries that contracted in 2023, says Schultes.. Germany is at the bottom of all growth rankings, with a forecast for the current year of 0.1%. In an interview published last week, BDI president Siegfried Russwurm lamented “two lost years” for the economy.