Former Family Minister Franziska Giffey has criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arguing that the government lacks genuine pride and confidence in Germany. The present-day Berlin economic senator told the newspaper “Stern” that she detects neither pride nor conviction regarding the country from Merz. She stated, “If the person leading the way doesn’t say it, no one else will.”
Giffey contends that the current reform debate, led by Merz and the federal government, lacks a positive vision for Germany. “A government’s job is not to be gloomy,” she remarked. She points out that Germany remains a world leader in areas such as startups, medicine, culture, and quality of life. Instead of the constant narrative of struggle, Giffey insists that “serious confidence” is needed.
She criticizes the government for avoiding a crucial question: while reforms are repeatedly cited as necessary to maintain the living standard, the idea of using Germany to become a growth engine in Europe remains unaddressed. Although this is a major goal, Giffey suggests that no one wants to hear “a sad story.” Since citizens are already experiencing difficulties firsthand, she argues that the Chancellor does not need to explain them, noting that such an approach is counterproductive.
Giffey, who once conceived the “Good Daycare Act” during her time as Family Minister, proposes a positive slogan for the planned reform package: “The Germany Forwards Program.” She quickly clarified that this is not equivalent to “Germany first,” but rather emphasizes talking about Germany’s strengths. “We are all part of Team Germany. We all want to move our country forward,” she affirmed.
She warned that a negative attitude from the government would guarantee failure. To illustrate her point, she used a sports analogy: “Imagine if Julian Nagelsmann were to stand up and declare: ‘We have huge problems in defense, weaknesses in the goal, and not enough top players for the World Cup title.’ The national team wouldn’t even need to go to the World Cup.”
