Arnon Grunberg

War

Vaccines

On Germany – an interview by Frank Hornig with the head of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, in Der Spiegel:

‘Conte: In late February, Germany announced 100 billion euros for rearmament. It would have been better if we had immediately expanded our common European defense. That would have improved security for all of us and saved a lot of money. It would also have been cheaper for Berlin. We are now experiencing the same thing with energy policy.
DER SPIEGEL: What do you mean? Conte: Germany is making 200 billion euros available to its companies and citizens to protect them against high natural gas prices. They can afford it, but it marks a further departure from the idea of European solidarity. And it doesn’t solve our common problem, because our economies are closely intertwined. Germany will not be able to grow if its closest EU partners aren’t growing.’

(…)

‘DER SPIEGEL: What is your explanation for the policies Berlin is pursuing? Conte: It is contrary to the spirit of Europe when everyone only pays attention to themselves. Just imagine that we had done the same during the pandemic and engaged in a bidding war against each other for vaccines. We can’t allow one country to save itself while another cannot because it can’t bid enough for vaccines.
DER SPIEGEL: What happens next? Conte: Are we going to shut down Italian factories when gas grows scarce? What would German car companies do then? At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw what happened: When we had to suspend production during the first lockdown, factories in Germany quickly came to a standstill. Unfortunately, Europe hasn’t learned from the experience of the pandemic.
DER SPIEGEL: How much leeway will Georgia Meloni have once she becomes Italy’s next prime minister? Conte: She will immediately find herself confronted with extreme difficulties. We should have implemented measures against the looming spiral of inflation back in March, in addition to fighting higher energy prices. Unfortunately, there was too little courage, vision and business sense at the national and European level. There is one thing I learned during the coronavirus crisis: If you delay decisions, you will have to invest more later – for worse results.’

Read the interview here.

The new scapegoat, Germany, but maybe also more than that.
Solidarity within the EU has always been problematic, at least not self-evident. But lately, Germany, the motor of the EU, appears to be perceived as part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

I do believe that Scholz could have maneuvered more wisely, inside and outside Germany. And yes, Merkel made quite a few mistakes herself in her first years as chancellor.
I’m not a big fan of Conte but he is right, isolationism is more than ever pure fiction, the strangest kind of nostalgia. Sovereignty has become conditional sovereignty, very conditional.

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