Just days before the German federal election, the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association – VSM took part in an initiative of the corporate network “Diversity is the Future”, clearly positioning itself against populism.
“At a press event in Berlin, the impact of populist parties on businesses, Germany as an economic hub, and global competitiveness was discussed, along with the presentation of a new study by the German Economic Institute (IW). On this occasion, Reinhard Lüken, Managing Director of the VSM, took a stand against the policies of the right-wing party AfD.
VSM on AfD policy: “Our country needs the exact opposite!”
“Leaving the EU, sealing the borders, returning to the Deutschmark, ending the energy transition, tearing down wind turbines, going back to coal power, abandoning Ukraine—and thus Europe’s security—while reactivating Nord Stream to make ourselves dependent on an imperialist Russia: prosperity and security in our country need the exact opposite!” Lüken listed.
“The AfD is simply backward-looking and offers pseudo-solutions. Many people struggle with socio-political changes and long for the old days. But the AfD’s proposals do not work in the real world. Denying human-caused climate change does not change physics. New nuclear power plants are not economically viable. Buying gas from Russia does not make Putin any less dangerous—on the contrary. A European single market of ‘fatherlands,’ where every nation follows a ‘me first’ policy, cannot function.”
Lüken warned that all “nostalgists” dreaming of an isolated Germany would lead the nation “into the abyss” in terms of security, labor markets, trade, and climate policy.
Business leaders warn against AfD participation in government
Other business representatives echoed these concerns. Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, warned of a decline in prosperity and criticized the party’s hostility to innovation. “Those who deny climate change and fail to see the future as an opportunity are sealing Germany’s long-term economic decline.”
Christian Kullmann, CEO of Evonik, addressed the uncertainty many people feel about their economic future. This, he said, translates into a longing for a “simple answer” that provides illusory security. The solution, he argued, must instead be education and economic growth.
Ingrid Rieken, Chief Human Resources Officer at MAN Energy Solutions, called democracy and diversity “key location factors,” stating that right-wing extremism, on the other hand, was harmful and “not compatible with our economy.”
Fabian Zacharias, a member of the management board at the communications association Bitkom, criticized the AfD’s policies as being “diametrically opposed” to Germany’s goals and core values. “We need to strengthen the competitiveness of the German economy, enhance our digital sovereignty, and at the same time improve digital participation for all people in Germany,” he said.
