Tanja Gönner, the Managing Director of BDI, has called on Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the government to enact swift economic policy reforms. Speaking to the news magazine Politico, Gönner stated that “clear reforms from the government must arrive by the summer”. At minimum, the government should present “a comprehensive package”. Gönner stressed that the state needs to deliver now, adding that “then we entrepreneurs are certainly also ready to contribute our part”. She also expressed doubts regarding the implementation of key announcements, remarking about the vice-chancellor that she currently does not feel he remembers having said that the state cannot regulate everything and that significant reforms are indeed necessary.
Gönner criticized the current economic policy direction, noting, “We don’t have an income problem, but an expenditure problem”. Instead of further state spending, she argued that “everything that creates growth needs to be promoted”. Furthermore, she criticized planned premium models that disadvantage businesses, calling the situation one of “speaking language and astonishment”. This is because many companies are under pressure; for many, it is a matter of survival, according to Gönner.
