Former head of the Wirtschaftsweisen research institute, Lars Feld, publicly backs Ulrike Malmendier, who is set to resign from the Expert Council on the overall economic development amid resistance from the CDU. Feld told the “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday edition) that Malmendier is “an excellent scientist” and does not belong to any political camp. “If her departure is purely politically motivated, that would be wrong” he added.
He rejects the CDU argument that Malmendier is not sufficiently aligned with market‑order policy. “The Expert Council is not meant to be especially order‑policy, Keynesian or monetarist” Feld said. Despite this, he believes the resignation is driven not only by politics but also by the council’s structural shortcomings.
“According to my information, the decision is motivated by the council’s deficits in macroeconomics and international economic relations” Feld explained. “Apparently there is a desire to change that”. He said that Malmendier is the first person who could potentially usher in such change. Feld himself had left the council in 2021, reportedly at the behest of the SPD.