Shortly before minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) is set to present the 2026 annual economic report, the Greens deliver a sharp critique of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government’s economic policy. “Until now the CDU‑led coalition has focused on insulting workers and handing out electoral freebies rather than addressing the real problems that businesses and their employees face” said Sandra Detzer, the Greens’ economic spokesperson, to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Wednesday edition).
Reiche is expected to unveil the report on Wednesday in Berlin. It will be her first time doing so; last year the task fell to her predecessor, Robert Habeck, who could only report a mini‑growth of 0.3 percent.
According to the Greens, the situation has not improved significantly since then. “There’s no sign of an economic turnaround; the modest growth is due to special effects” Detzer said. She added that the German economy remains “in a perfect storm” and that existing measures have evaporated without impact. “So far, the government is only engaging in a bitter debate about the state analysis and the right solutions” she criticised. “This is a recipe for Germany’s future competitiveness”.