2. hbpa-Roundtable on 21 April 2009 at Café Einstein, Berlin MitteErhard versus Keynes -Where is the German Economic Policy floating to?Panel Discussion with Otto Bernhardt, MP (CDU), und Dr. Gerhard Schick, MP (B90/Greens) |
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The second hbpa-Roundtable, which took place on 21 April in the famous Café Einstein in Berlin-Mitte, focused on the economic policy-making in Germany in view of the current economic and financial crisis. Otto Bernhardt, MP (CDU) and Dr. Gerhard Schick, MP (B90/Greens), both finance spokesmen of their respective parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, shared their views with an audience of 40 high-ranking representatives of the economy, associations and government departments. Dr. Schick advocated for a “Green New Deal”: The current crisis should be regarded as a chance to invest in more environmentally friendly technologies, thus invigorating the economy. In the long run, according to Schick, this would be the only way to secure a sustainable economic growth while preserving the environment. Dr. Schick was, however, more pessimistic regarding a possible reduction of the national debt. Eventually, this could only be financed by increasing taxes. |
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The financial expert Otto Bernhardt, on the other hand, harshly criticised that managers in the finance industry still crave for double digit returns: “This mentality has to be eradicated once and for all”. Bernhardt sees light at the end of the tunnel though: “There are more and more positive news from the economy. This, however, is no reason to believe that the crisis is over already”. Nevertheless, Bernhardt encouraged the audience to have an “optimistic yet realistic view”. According to him, Psychology plays an important role in economics and positivity helps companies and entrepreneurs to tackle the crisis succesfully. A fact that couldn't be stressed enough. |
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For further enquiries, please contactDaniela Otto |
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