Business expert Veronika Grimm has issued a warning regarding the potentially serious consequences of the debate surrounding the expropriation of large real estate corporations. Speaking to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” as a member of the Economic Expert Council, she stated that if “expropriation fantasies” gain traction, businesses, entrepreneurs, and highly skilled professionals will inevitably move their activities abroad.
Grimm emphasized the relevance of past political histories, noting that the experiences of socialism should not have completely faded away, particularly in Berlin. This comment comes as the Left Party (Linke) has made the seizure of real estate corporations a condition for taking part in government following the election for the House of Representatives on September 20th.
While polls suggest the Left Party may be able to become a major force, Grimm firmly believes that demands for expropriation are detached from reality. She criticized the underlying logic, explaining that this approach is based on the narrative that society still contains people with excessive wealth, and that seizing this wealth will solve all related problems. For Grimm, this idea is merely an “illusion” and, moreover, fundamentally incompatible with a liberal-democratic constitutional order.
