A German Green party leader, Franziska Brantner, has called for a programme to attract US researchers and entrepreneurs to Germany and the European Union in the event of a change in government in the US.
Brantner, the Green party’s chair for economic policy, told the Bayern Media Group that many researchers and entrepreneurs struggle with US President Trump and that Germany and the EU should offer a more attractive alternative. She stated, “We should offer them the opportunity to work in Germany, in Europe, where a health minister does not claim that measles can be fought with liver oil alone. We Europeans have the chance to be the world’s innovative and cultural magnet.”
Brantner emphasized the importance of making room for innovation and improving the conditions for businesses to thrive. She also stressed the need for a European approach to defence, rather than simply purchasing US-made systems. “I hope we do not only buy American ‘off the shelf’ even if we do not have an alternative in some areas” she said. “We must think of defence in a European way, procure more quickly, invest in new technologies together and create new European consortia, just as Airbus once showed.