Habeck: The world won't wait for Europe to stabilize

DW (English)

How does Germany have to respond to Donald Trump's second presidency? Robert Habeck, German vice chancellor and chancellor candidate for the Greens in the upcoming German election, speaks to DW's Michaela Küfner.

Transcript

00:00Minister Habeck, while you were on stage, President Donald Trump assumed office once

00:04again in the United States.

00:06How distracted is Germany at this moment of drastic upheaval?

00:12It is.

00:13Despite all the annoyance of the last coalition we are leaving behind, it is extremely inconvenient

00:18that Germany is so preoccupied with itself.

00:22With an election campaign and no budget, we also see instability in France.

00:27Austria has no government with maybe worse things to come.

00:31The Belgians have problems and the Dutch are fighting among themselves.

00:37This is not a good time for Europe to be preoccupied with itself.

00:41Because Trump won't wait, he'll just push forward.

00:43The Chinese won't wait, the world won't wait for us.

00:46So we need to find a way to quickly end this troubled phase and represent Europe as strong

00:50and united.

00:52Germany is sliding ever deeper into recession.

00:55You say Germany needs growth to stabilize this society, yet people fear tariffs from

01:00the US.

01:01How much do you need Donald Trump to be able to produce growth here?

01:07Donald Trump and his protectionist policies could once again delay or hamper Germany's

01:11economic recovery.

01:13We are an export nation.

01:14We have slightly more than 80 million citizens and we are the third largest economy in the

01:19world.

01:20How do we manage that?

01:21We sell our goods all over the world.

01:23So to believe that the concept of German products for Germans with German money, as the AFD

01:28likes to tell us, is just complete nonsense.

01:30Now we see that the world is increasingly withdrawing into its separate spheres of influence.

01:35China is entering the market very aggressively and no longer buys everything we produce.

01:40And the USA is starting to protect its domestic market.

01:44This is a very big challenge for Germany.

01:46We must and can respond to this by negotiating new trade agreements, for example with Mercosur

01:51countries.

01:52At the same time, Europe must make it clear to the Americans that a tariff dispute, a

01:57tariff war even, would harm all of us.

02:01That is the lesson Donald Trump is teaching us.

02:04Europe must stand united.

02:06And Germany must play its part in that.

02:09Well, the question is how you're going to do that.

02:15You yourself warn that one should stop pandering to the likes of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

02:19How do you intend to create the stability and the growth while preventing an economic

02:23clash?

02:27Europe is prepared.

02:28If the Americans impose tariffs, which I hope they won't, Europe would be able to take countermeasures

02:34that would affect the American economy, including in the consumer sector.

02:38But that is the wrong way.

02:39Nobody wants tariffs.

02:41I am just saying that Europe must prepare for an arm-wrestle with the Americans in the

02:45hope that we can avoid it.

02:47Above all, Europe must do its own homework.

02:50And Germany too, as part of Europe.

02:55We have to invest more into our own country.

02:58For decades we have opted for run-down infrastructure, lack of innovative strength.

03:03That is why we have to significantly improve tax incentives, research budgets and create

03:09a more competitive environment for growth, so the economy can grow, but also so that

03:16we produce the technologies of the future here in Europe.

03:20We should be thinking along the lines.

03:22The next Google has to come from Europe.

03:25Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor and candidate for Chancellor of the Green Party, thank you

03:29very much.

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