The adviser to Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), Jens Südekum, expressed regret that Ulrike Malmendier’s mandate as a member of the Economic Advisory Council will not be renewed. “I am very sorry that Ulrike Malmendier is leaving” Südekum told the “Rheinische Post” (Wednesday edition). He recalled the political wrangling and prolonged vacancy in the Council before her appointment in 2022 and called her selection a major coup. “Bringing a top scientist of Malmendier’s calibre into the role added a fresh, academically grounded perspective to the debate. She, for example, drafted the concept for the early‑retirement pension”.
Südekum, a professor of economics at the University of Düsseldorf, warned that having her participation in the advisory council end abruptly sends a poor signal to the scientific community. According to “Handelsblatt”, the Federal Ministry for Economics and the Chancellery are blocking the extension of Malmendier’s term.
