Markets Germany 1/22 - DECARBONIZING DEUTSCHLAND

Cover Markets Germany 1/22 | © GTAI/KammanRossi

Continuity and change might well be opposites, but they’re not mutually exclusive, and functioning economies need both if they’re to stay competitive. That, in a nutshell, is the guiding principle of the new coalition government in Germany that assumed power in December, ending Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure as chancellor.

Germany’s new leader, Olaf Scholz from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), was the country’s finance minister in the previous government and embodies the continuation of the strengths that have enabled Germany to navigate the ups and downs of the coronavirus pandemic fairly well.

But of course not everything is the same. Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU are now in opposition. Replacing them in government are the environmentalist Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP). That’s led to a new government agenda that further emphasizes the “two Ds”: decarbonization and digitalization.

This issue of Markets Germany will focus on the former, but digital transformation will also crop up a lot in the pages to follow. Both of these initiatives require fundamental changes in German society, opening up business opportunities for international companies with innovative solutions, whether they are in hydrogen energy and circular economies or artificial intelligence and e-learning. We hope that the articles in this edition will give you some ideas and impetus bringing your business to the new, post-Angela-Merkel Germany.