Kretschmer: Dramatic economic situation

The Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer (CDU), sees a lack of awareness of the economic situation in Germany. "I am very, very sure that many parts of federal politics have not understood how dramatic the economic situation is in many areas," he said after the Minister Presidents' Conference in Mainz. "This country needs economic dynamism." Germany must ensure that energy costs are not expensive and lobby the European Union for deregulation, he said. Electricity prices must come down and CO2 pricing must be reduced to a reasonable level.

"We see the big issues of climate protection and digitalization and artificial intelligence, but we always need to reconnect with reality, with the population, with those who are the economic players," said Kretschmer.

Kretschmer considers it a matter of course that contracts for strengthening defence capabilities are distributed fairly. 500 billion euros is a huge figure that Germany intends to invest in the coming years. German jobs and German innovations must be promoted - "everywhere in the country, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia". This is a clear message that the Federal Ministry of Defense will hopefully hear.