The attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market (and the tense political environment in Germany) underscored how central issues of internal security and extremism will be to Germany’s next government.
But other problems also remain vital. How can a government combat illegal immigration while promoting professional immigration? And how can you protect yourself from cyber attacks, defend the rule of law and democracy against internal and external enemies? These are some of the main demanding situations that the next German government will face in 2025, regardless of which party leads the country.
However, according to some members of the Bundestag, all these demanding situations will first have to be put aside in order to deal with the crisis facing the country’s economy. Large German companies like Volkswagen are in dire straits, other people are worried about their jobs and are suffering with emerging costs and rents.
Marco Wanderwitz of the center-right Christian Democratic Party (CDU) was federal commissioner for the eastern states until 2021 and told DW: “The biggest challenge we have in this country right now is that our economy is faltering. It affects the foundations and the future. The great challenge is that we have a loss of confidence in politics among economic leaders.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The government is being blamed for high energy prices, high wage levels, the deterioration of infrastructure, a shortage of skilled workers and too much bureaucracy.
According to Omid Nouripour, former leader of the Greens, this last point is highlighted by the slow pace of digitalization in the country.
“We are facing a double crisis, the economic and the structural,” he told DW. “This can be seen, for example, in government offices, where faxes are still a first-rate means of communication. And this can be seen in the delay in investments in this country. “
These disruptions are exacerbated by external cyberattacks, most of which originate in Russia, against infrastructure such as the country’s power grids. “The most important thing is critical infrastructure,” Nouripour said. “We have too many vulnerabilities in this area. ” “Too many actors are putting pressure on critical infrastructure. ”
That is why strengthening the police and intelligence is a vital task for next year.
To watch this video, please allow JavaScript and upgrade to an internet browser that supports HTML5 videos.
Two other disorders that have long been known as disorders will pose a much greater challenge than they have so far for a long-term government: immigration and the question of how the country deals with the evident rise of populism and far-right extremism. The attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market highlighted this problem.
The number of asylum programs and the estimated number of abnormal migrants have actually decreased in recent years, although the European border protection company Frontex estimates that around 166,000 more people have tried to enter the country illegally. EU the first nine months of 2024.
Germany has reintroduced controls at all its borders, and the conservative CDU, which has a good chance of leading the next government after the February election, has now come out in favor of turning back refugees at the borders.
Many local authorities say they have reached their limit when it comes to receiving and caring for refugees. Stefan Seidler from the Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (SSW), a party representing Germany’s Frisian and Danish minority in the north of the country, says he has seen this first-hand.
“What I can say from my perspective is that the municipalities are currently facing a huge task that they can hardly cope with,” he told DW. “What they need is support from the federal government.”
Wanderwitz, who is not running as a candidate for the Bundestag again, begs to differ. He believes immigration is manageable, though he knows how polarizing the issue is. “The numbers have gone down,” he explained, and he feels the problems have been exaggerated. “I actually only know local politicians who say it’s much less bad than in 2014 or 2015. But despite this, everyone has somehow raised the white flag,” Wanderwitz said.
Nouripour believes that the number of refugees heading to Germany could rise again. “We know that the situation in Ukraine can lead to more refugees, and we can see that this confrontation can be further accentuated in the Middle East,” he warned.
To view this video, please allow JavaScript and upgrade to an internet browser that supports HTML5 video.
Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to win the February elections.
“We are under great pressure lately from the far right,” warned Seidler. He is involved in safeguarding minority rights. “Lately we are seeing the rise of those who think that it is the majority that decides. But as a minority politician, I can only say it obviously and unequivocally: an intelligent democracy also pays attention to its minorities. “
This is part of the reason why Seidler supported a motion tabled in the Bundestag by the opposition CDU/CSU bloc, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens currently forming a minority government and their former coalition partner, the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) to protect the independence of the Federal Constitutional Court against political interference. The reform raises the bar to alter the rules of the court, one thing that could be agreed on by the required two-thirds majority in the German parliament — even at a time of fierce election campaigning.
All political leaders agree that 2025 will be another complicated year, marked by violent conflicts and crises to be resolved.
This article originally written in German.
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.