Economist Ulrike Malmendier faces a potential removal from the Advisory Council, colloquially known as the Wirtschaftsweise. Her term on the council expires on February 28, and the federal government could decide to extend it for several more years.
According to a Handelsblatt report that draws on sources inside the administration, there is growing resistance within the government to this extension. The CDU side appears to have voiced reservations about prolonging Malmendier’s mandate, and talks are still ongoing. The finance ministry has left an inquiry unanswered for the time being.
Malmendier joined the Advisory Council in 2022. She specializes in capital markets and behavioral economics and is a researcher at the University of Berkeley in the United States.