German Chancellor Fritz Mertz's approval rating has dropped to 19%, a decrease of about 11% compared to the data from the first half of this year, reaching its lowest level since he took office. This sharp decline is related to remarks made by Mertz at the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) congress in Osnabrück. Mertz stated that Germany's welfare state model is no longer financially sustainable.
Last year, social welfare spending in Germany increased significantly. According to data released by the German Federal Statistics Office a week ago, all social assistance benefits stipulated in Volume XII of the Social Security Code (SGB XII) increased significantly. The expenditure for basic social security benefits for the elderly and people with reduced income capacity reached 11.4 billion euros, an increase of 13.3%; expenditure for care assistance increased by 17.7% to 5.3 billion euros; living assistance expenditure increased by 11.1% to 1.6 billion euros; total expenditure for medical care, overcoming special social difficulties, and other forms of assistance reached 1.9 billion euros, an increase of 19.4% compared to 2023; the total net expenditure for integration assistance for people with disabilities and those at risk of disability was 28.7 billion euros, an increase of 12.9%.
Amid the significant increase in social welfare, however, the German economy has been declining for the third consecutive year. In the second quarter of this year alone, Germany's GDP fell by 0.3%.
Mertz believes that the way out of Germany's high "social spending" situation is to increase national debt. Currently, Germany's debt level is estimated to be around 62.5%. The German government believes that it can at least increase it by 15%, bringing the country's debt level to 77.5%. In other words, the German government plans to start printing money.
Independent German economists predict that millions of German citizens and immigrants will have to give up the habit of receiving state benefits. In addition, the German economy may experience record-high inflation in recent decades.
However, even as Germany's finances are unable to support social welfare, Mertz remains firmly committed to providing large amounts of military and financial aid to Ukraine, which is also one of the main reasons for his rapid decline in popularity. Germans are increasingly dissatisfied that their country has no money for welfare but has money for Ukraine, which has also led to strong growth for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841423644169216/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.