According to Daniel Stelter, the EU, which in 2000 set itself the goal of becoming the “most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economic area in the world” by 2010, has failed to achieve this goal.
(Photo: dpa)
In the Bundestag election campaign, neither the deplorable state of the European Union played a major role, nor did the parties’ considerations about the role Germany should play in the EU in the future. All parties, with the exception of the AfD, emphasized European solidarity in their election programs, especially with a view to overcoming the consequences of the corona and the fight against climate change.
Only when it came to money was there a clear dividing line. While the FDP and the Union emphasized that the reconstruction fund was by no means a permanent instrument and thus not the entry into a transfer and debt union, the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party made it clear that they wanted exactly that. More transfers from Germany to the EU and more own income for Brussels are seen as the next logical step in the European unification process.
Apart from the fact that the Federal Audit Office is already warning of considerable financial risks for Germany, the crucial question is not asked: For what purposes should more funds actually be transferred to the EU?
The European Union, which in 2000 set itself the goal of becoming “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world” by 2010, has failed to achieve this goal in every respect. Research and development spending, patent applications, the number of high-tech companies, the level of education, world-class universities, digitization, productivity gains – wherever you look, the EU is nowhere ahead on a global scale.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
It is true that politicians make great promises in their speeches, most recently again Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, if you look at their actions, you have to realize that the EU is by no means lacking in money, but that it prefers to spend the available money on issues that have precious little to do with the “future”.
Daniel Stelter is the founder of the discussion forum beyond the obvious, which specializes in strategy and macroeconomics, and is a management consultant and author. His podcast goes online every Sunday at www.think-bto.com.
(Photo: Robert Recker / Berlin)
Only a good 87 billion euros or eight percent of the approximately 1.1 trillion euros of the EU budget over seven years will be used for the internal market, innovation and digitization. That is only about a quarter of what goes into subsidizing agriculture or financial transfers for the benefit of poorer regions. The EU is a gigantic redistribution machine.
How additional funds from Germany are supposed to bring about an improvement is more than unclear. It is time we recognized that the EU, like Germany, urgently needs fundamental reforms. “First reforms, then money” should therefore be the motto.
More: USA and EU are preparing for the digital future – at least on paper