Merz raises inflation alarm: Scholz government will “make everything more expensive again”

Created: 01/18/2022, 02:11 p.m

By: Stephanie Munk

Friedrich Merz probably wants the parliamentary group chairmanship of the Union.

© Sepp Spiegl via www.imago-images.de

Friedrich Merz sees no end to record inflation in Germany.

He accuses the Scholz government of soon making everything "significantly more expensive" - ​​and makes demands on the ECB.

Berlin - Energy prices in Germany are rising and rising. The reason for this is inflation, which is at its highest level in decades. The European Central Bank (ECB) sees this as a short-term phenomenon and sees no cause for concern. The future CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has a completely different opinion. He is now sounding the alarm and sees the ECB, but also the traffic light coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as responsible.

Merz, who is to be elected CDU party leader on Saturday*, sees the high inflation rate as a long-term phenomenon.

"The signs that we will also have considerable currency devaluation in 2022 are increasing every day," said Merz.

He calls for a reaction from the European Central Bank*.

"I can only appeal again and again to the ECB to correct its view that this inflation rate is only temporary," Merz told the

.

"The ECB must recognize the problem as not just temporary, then draw the first conclusions with regard to the bond purchase programs and then finally announce interest rate hikes, just like the US Federal Reserve has done."

Friedrich Merz (CDU) warns: "Government on the way that will make everything considerably more expensive"

When asked how people suffering from high prices could be helped, Merz replied: "First of all, the federal government is responsible here." Especially when he hears Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD). , but he has “increasingly the feeling that the federal government is on a path that will make everything considerably more expensive again”.

"Therefore, a lot would be gained if the federal government would at least once concede that, for example, the galloping energy prices* cannot go on like this," said the CDU economic politician.

In any case, the abolition of the EEG surcharge* next year is not a solution for this year.

Green Finance Minister Friedrich Merz warns against pressure on the ECB

Baden-Württemberg's Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz warns Friedrich Merz against pressure on the European Central Bank.

"Friedrich Merz should know that the ECB - for good reason - acts independently," said the Green politician of the

.

He is quite aware "that the ECB is also concerned with medium-term price developments".

"But we shouldn't pretend that the central bank can do anything about rising energy prices in the short term."

From his point of view, politics is now in demand, "for example by relieving smaller incomes".

Habeck isn't unaffected by the rising energy prices in Germany either: He's thinking aloud about stricter rules.