"Nothing is working properly in Germany, it seems"

WELT "Nothing is working properly in Germany, it seems" 12 hours • 3 minutes reading time The traffic light coalition is history. The "Wall Street Journal" sees the German government as a victim of climate policy and warns of deindustrialization. The "NZZ am Sonntag" mocks the possible problems in organizing new elections. A traffic light shines red in front of the dome of the Reichstag building The US newspaper "Wall Street Journal" sees the burden of making the German economy climate-neutral as an important factor behind the breakdown of the traffic light coalition. A similar climate policy is also causing unrest in other governments in the West: "Germany is in the process of deindustrializing as manufacturers can no longer cope with skyrocketing energy prices. A recent announcement by Volkswagen to (...) cut jobs and (...) close factories is the latest downsizing measure at a key German company. Industrial production has fallen by about ten percent since its last peak in February 2023 and is almost 20 percent below its 2017 peak. (...) Hovering over all of this is Donald Trump. His re-election means that the US could abandon its environmental regulations and possibly expand fracking to reduce domestic energy costs to the benefit of American manufacturers. A Europe compromised by the goal of climate neutrality will not be able to compete globally, especially if Trump follows through on his threats of tariffs. Germany will be the latest European country where voters will have to grapple with this new climate policy reality. It will not be the last." Britons predict period of instability The British newspaper "The Guardian" comments on the breakdown of the traffic light coalition with the words: "Germany will now have to go through a period of instability under a weak minority government - similar to France after Emmanuel Macron's miscalculations in the summer. This is far from ideal at a time when Donald Trump is planning to reshape Western policy on Ukraine and bully the European Union on trade issues. At a crucial moment, the legendary Franco-German 'engine' of European integration and unity is sputtering and wheezing." The consequences of the war against Ukraine, China's rise as a threatening competitor and the prospect of a more protectionist USA pose an "existential threat" to the "crisis-ridden German economy". The "Neue Zürcher Zeitung am Sonntag" comments on the Federal Election Commissioner's warning of a new election in January: "The German Federal Election Commissioner is certain to be ridiculed. Organising an early election of the Bundestag within 60 days - the deadline set by the Basic Law - entails 'incalculable risks at all levels', warned Ruth Brand. It is the formula that applies to everyone who uses the services of German authorities or Deutsche Bahn. Nothing is working properly in the large neighboring country, it seems.” It goes on to say: “The election director’s concern may be justified in one respect: the election must go smoothly in order not to undermine the citizens’ trust in democracy. Germany should manage the rest: buying paper for ballot papers, printing them, sending them out, training election workers. If push comes to shove, work even has to be done in the evenings. And on Sundays. Germany has to get through that.” Swedes see similarity to tragedy The Swedish daily newspaper “Göteborgs-Posten” says of the collapse of the traffic light coalition against the background of the rise of the AfD and BSW: “The Germans are exactly where Sweden was ten years ago: In various ways, attempts are being made to pretend that the protest parties do not exist. The result is that the established parties are forced to govern together in unholy alliances, thereby further undermining their own trust – while the populists are only gaining strength. The whole thing resembles a classical tragedy in which the hero involuntarily brings about his own downfall."