Germany’s finance minister-in-waiting said on Tuesday that “Germany must aspire to become as ambitious as Greece’s domestic policy.” Christian Lindner, head of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), which will share power in Europe’s biggest economy with the Social Democrats and Greens, said he would watch inflation closely and that the Covid-19 crisis had triggered one-off effects.
“The future federal government will stick to the (path) of the last few years and will therefore stand for stability,” he told a news conference after signing the coalition deal.
He said the central bank must be able to respond to monetary developments and that the eurozone should stick to its commitment to stability, together with efforts on growth and investment.
“The future German government will contribute to the discussion about a review of the fiscal rules with this in mind,” said Lindner, who takes on his post later this week.
Many in the FDP had opposed bailouts to Greece during the eurozone crisis but Lindner praised efforts made by Athens to turn things around.
“In the last few years, [the Greek government] has succeeded in putting the Greek economy on a new course for success with very impressive reform measures,” said Lindner. [Reuters]
