Ulrike Malmendier’s tenure as an economic adviser will likely not be extended. According to the “Handelsblatt” (Tuesday edition) citing its own sources, both the CDU‑led Ministry of Economics and the Chancellery have vetoed a renewal of the economist’s mandate in the Advisory Council on Economic Policy. Because the CDU holds the proposal right for the position, Malmendier’s term in the council will end at the end of February.
The SPD‑led Ministry of Finance calls the decision a mistake. It praised Malmendier as an excellent international economist with an outstanding reputation. SPD coalition leader Armand Zorn also accused the CDU of “artificially politicising” the Advisory Council. The reservations from the Economics Ministry and the Chancellery stem from the view that Malmendier is not considered “ordnungspolitisch” enough. Within the CDU it is criticised that four of the five council members have, in recent years, moved away from the traditional, strictly order‑political line of the body, Malmendier included.
The CDU appears to favour Austrian trade economist Gabriel Felbermayr as her successor, though doubts remain whether he would accept the role. Other potential candidates mentioned are economist Nicola Fuchs‑Schündeln, who has been asked several times but has so far shied away from the prominent platform, and now has become more visible since taking over the leadership of the Berlin Centre for Social Research (WZB) in 2024. A further candidate is Silke Übelmesser, known as an advocate of an order‑political approach.
