Bernd Schattner, October 9, 2024, Mittelstand

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/190, p. 24713. 

Many thanks. Frau President. Ladies and gentlemen. 

For thirty years, I myself was a businessman before I came here to the Bundestag three years ago. And I ever again realize: The German economy is meanwhile at the abyss. And what does this Ampel government do? With open eyes, it lets our country slide into ruin. While the German industry bleeds to death, the Mittelstand fights for survival and the citizens ask themselves how they shall pay for their electrical and heating costs, this government lives in its ideological bubble. Wishful thinking instead of economic policy, that is your sorry balance after three years of Ampel. 

Let’s begin with the energy policy. Germany has the highest electricity prices in all Europe. 

            Reinhard Houben (FDP): Not right! Wrong!

On the average, according to Destatis, private households pay 41 cents per kilowatt-hour, while in France it is just 25 cents. The reason: Your headlong energy transition. 

            Reinhard Houben (FDP): That is still wrong! 

            Lukas Köhler (FDP): Nonsense!       

All of you, from the SPD to the CDU/CSU over there, have taken care that the nuclear power plants in Germany be disconnected, without providing a secure and affordable alternative. Instead, you stuck billions into the construction of renewable energies without regard to the consequences. The result: Energy-intensive business fled to foreign countries. The BASF, for example, once one of our leading businesses here in Germany, shifts a large part of its production to China and the U.S.A.. That means loss of work in Germany by the hundreds of thousands. 

And who bears this burden? The German citizens and the Mittelstand. Since January 2023, the energy costs for many businesses have risen around 80 percent – 80 percent! How shall small firms, manufacturing undertakings and family businesses support that? You speak of a climate-neutral transformation, yet this transformation for many firms simply means ruin. 

The Mittelstand, the backbone of our economy, is completely ignored by you. The numbers speak a clear language: Over 70,000 businesses in the year 2023 have announced insolvency. That is already 17 percent more than in the previous year. Especially affected are small- and mid-sized businesses which for years suffer under rising energy prices, high duties and your bureaucracy entirely distant from reality. Instead of acting here, you ignore this development, and further intensify the situation by means of senseless prescriptions like the supply chain law or the planned CO₂ pricing. 

And now let us speak of your catastrophic debts policy; the new budget needs to come, ja, at some time or other. In the year 2023, we reached a new record: The state indebtedness lies at 2.48 trillion euros. In the next year alone, you plan new debts to the sum of 45 billion euros. These debts will burden our children and grandchildren for decades. Yet instead of finally beginning a change of course, you continue as before and drive the country further into financial ruin. 

The reality which you do not want to see: The German economy finds itself officially in recession. In the year 2023, the gross domestic product shrank around 0.3 percent. For 2024, the Federal government itself now reckons with a further recession of 0.2 percent. And the OECD expects for 2025 a minimal growth of just 0.4 percent – far under the European average. 

Our neighbor countries grow while Germany stagnates or shrinks. You could not entice even Intel to Germany with 10 billion euros more. 

The tax and duties burden in Germany is crushing. Germany has the world’s highest tax quota. 42 percent of income on the average goes to the state. And in regards business, it does not appear better: With an effective tax burden of 29.8 percent, Germany is far above the EU average of 21.7 percent. Countries like Ireland or Estonia pull away economically because they have more favorable business taxes and fewer bureaucratic hurdles. And what do you do? Instead of sinking the tax burden, you introduce still more prescriptions which stifle business. The bureaucracy costs in Germany for the German economy amount each year to around 55 billion euros. 

And now comes the height of absurdity: Your so-called migration policy. While you expend ever more money for uncontrolled immigration, ever less remains left over for the German pensioners, families and employees. In the year 2023, you have levied 36 billions euros alone for the social duties in the migration context. At the same time, German pensioners need to gather deposit bottles so as to make ends meet. That is a bare-faced insult. That is a betrayal of one’s own people. 

My conclusion: Germany needs no utopian transformation which leads to economic catastrophe. We need an authentic economic transition. An end to the ruinous energy transition. An end to the crushing tax and duties burden. And an end to the ideological patronizing of citizens and business. An end to the Ampel economic experiment. Dear colleagues of the FDP, if you want to do something good for the economy: Put an end to the Ampel! What Germany now needs is a policy oriented to reality, a policy for our citizens, for our business and for our future. 

Many thanks. 

 

[trans: tem]

Bernd Schattner, January 18, 2024, Farmers’ Protests

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/147, pp. 18622-18623. 

Many thanks. Frau President. Ladies and gentlemen. 

Since 18 December 2023, tens of thousands in Germany again go into the streets for their right to a self-determined future. 

            Karl Bär (Greens): Against the AfD!

Ever fewer people want to allow their lives to be dictated by a removed, left-green political elite. The people have recognized that this Ampel does not represent their interests, but pursues one-sided ideological goals without regard to this country and its citizens. 

If the income figures from 2021-22 are superficially looked at, which have been identified in the 2023 agriculture report, one could gain the impression that for the farmers it doesn’t go so bad. After all, an income increase of 50 percent in the conventional area was again attained; in the eco area, still more four percent was earned. Yet who now says: “These figures show that it goes well for the German agriculture”, completely fails to recognize the seriousness of the situation. These profits only still occur because the farmers meanwhile no longer carry out urgently necessary investments. No one still invests in a stable or tractor when he does not know whether this investment is accounted long-term. Many farmers today do not know whether tomorrow their stable construction fulfills the animal welfare prerequisites. Thus ever more agricultural entrepreneurs consider giving up. 

So it sounds harsh: Regrettably, many farmers have decided for surrender. After all, since the year 2020, 7,800 agricultural operations have closed for ever; that is five and a half operations per day, a tendency strongly rising. The present figures also show this. Thus meanwhile the profits of the high-earning operations in the 2023-24 year have again in part broken down by 53 percent. 

And what does our Agriculture Minister do? 

            Stephan Brandner (AfD): Where is he, actually? He’s gone already! He’s                                afraid of you!

He demands that our farmers make their contribution to the savings measures. – Ja gut, substantive themes apparently do not interest him. – It is inexplicable that the farmers in times of higher fuel prices should also accept the most massive tax increases for farm diesel. At the same time, our neighbors from Belgium and Luxemburg, without any taxation on farm diesel, drive with their tows. After the elimination of the reimbursement, beside the Dutch, the German farmers drive with Europe’s most expensive diesel. 

At this point, a look at the CDU is worthwhile. For a good year, they have rejected an AfD motion which has the goal of doubling the refund. 

            Stephan Brandner (AfD): The CDU rejects all that is good! 

            Johannes Steiniger (CDU/CSU): You want to abolish all subventions!

Interesting before all is the reason why the motion was rejected. It is said in the conclusion that the CDU rejects the motion since it regards diesel as an environmentally harmful material. Now at once, the great change: The CDU commits itself to the maintenance of the diesel refund. 

Alfred Stegemann (CDU/CSU):  The AfD wants to abolish all subventions!

That shows the hypocrisy of this party in the face of the farmers and the working population; since, for all that, it is the Union which introduced the idling of acreage and has pushed forward the bureaucratization of agriculture. To now portray themselves as saviors of agriculture is to the highest degree untrustworthy. 

Ladies and gentlemen, now to the enemies of the Mittelstand and the working class. The Ampel government plans to introduce the farmer soli, and would thereby burden the German consumer with an additional 3.6 billion euros per year – an absolutely scandalous plan which hits those who are least able. Meat and milk will thereby become still more expensive. The money will trickle into the trade, and never arrive at the producer. 

Herr Özdemir, with this measure you make the country’s Tafeln [food banks] into the new supermarkets, because no one can longer afford the meals. The cheap imports from the Mercosur states and eastern Europe will further weaken the domestic farmers. The Ampel government again demonstrates that it wants to ruin its own people. 

We therefore demand: No alibi motions, but authentic solutions for our farmers’ problems. The farmers want to live by the work of their hands, without continual patronization by the Politik, especially by the Greens. Germany has the best soils, the cleverest heads – with exception of the government – 

            Lisa Badum (Greens): Unfortunately not in the AfD!

and the best technique to manage agriculture. Yet sadly we have a government which does not know how to value these resources. 

I would like to close with a new farmer’s rule: Who knows nothing and can do nothing, he then joins the Greens. 

Many thanks. 

 

[trans: tem]

 

 

 

 

Bernd Schattner, July 7, 2022, Ahrtal Flood

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll, 20/47, pp. 4875-4876. 

Frau President. Ladies and gentlemen.

It is now almost a year that 133 people died in the flood catastrophe in July 2021 in Rheinland-Pfalz. Hundreds were injured, thousands lost goods and property, many until today are traumatized by the experience.

For us of the AfD, two things were clear from the beginning. We must do everything at the parliamentary level to make clear the proximate circumstances of this catastrophe. And we will commit ourselves with full power so that the required assistance reaches those affected.  

A year after the heavy rains, we know from numerous statements of witnesses and experts that many deaths would have been able to be prevented if the responsible officials had fulfilled their duties. Instead, all representatives of the State government went to sleep while the people in Ahrtal drowned. Following the flood night, the Minister-president as well as the responsible minister acted as if they had known nothing. Unabashed, they spread the legend of the unforeseeability of the catastrophe. Their sole concern was the image of the mother of the country and her government. While fortunately the absent without leave Minister Spiegel, responsible for the flood warnings, is history, Interior Minister Lewentz, responsible for catastrophe prevention, until today continues in office. He still spreads his legend of “local responsibility” for the deadly warning failures on the Ahr.

Ladies and gentlemen, after the first catastrophe now follows the second. After more than a year, the payment of the support assistance drags on. Up to now, less than 1 percent of the means has been paid out. The government’s reason: Who receives which means must be quite precisely tested. Right honorable representatives of this government, this solicitude which you display here and which, in the truest sense of the word, leaves one’s own people standing in the rain, this solicitude I would have desired preferably in another place. Here may be named only the fraud in the billions by means of Corona tests for citizens which did not occur.

There is no lack of money for the reconstruction. Alone for Rheinland-Pfalz, an assistance fund in the sum of 18 billion euros was made available – predominantly from the Bund. Yet this money reaches the affected people not at all. Thus by the end of May, merely 136.4 million euros from the reconstruction assistance was paid out to private households for damages to furnishings and buildings. Even the hitherto transferred means to affected businesses can only be designated as marginal in relation to the resulting total damages. According to a report of the Interior Committee of the Rheinland-Pfalz Landtag of June 7, it was all of 31.3 million euros. That is a sum likewise less than 1 percent of the available money.

Yet also for employees at the end of the month a wicked awakening threatens. The hard case rule for part-time employment money needs to be unconditionally prolonged, since otherwise numerous people will slide into unemployment. The reason for this primarily is that the local operations are still not rebuilt.

Even in regards the public infrastructure, it appears no better: A 4 billion euro need was ascertained for the localities. Up to June 2, just 150.8 million was paid out. If this continues at this tempo, the complete reconstruction of the infrastructure will last a projected 25 years, and thereby be only slightly longer than the building of the BER airport.

Esteemed colleagues, allow me to come to the end of my speech, and here before all thank the numerous volunteer helpers and farmers on the scene. Without their indispensable intervention after the flood, the residents would have essentially stood longer in the mud. Especially the farmers with their heavy excavation equipment were in the first days and weeks the heroes of the region. Many thanks for this help.

That there were not many more victims is thanks to the brave effort of the firemen who, especially on the upper Ahr, saved the lives of countless people. Exemplary is the rescue achievement of the 26 year old fireman [Wehrleiter] in the town named Schuld in which, despite devastating material destruction, not a single resident lost his life. In conclusion, not to remain unmentioned is the 19 year old female fireman who lost her life in her commitment to saving people.

Many thanks.

 

[trans: tem]

Bernd Schattner, November 5, 2021, Agricultural Tax Breaks

AfD Kompakt, November 5, 2021.

The farmers already for 30 years have been very heavily financially burdened by low proceeds for grain and meat. The rising costs for fertilizer and fuel are an additional important cost factor in each yearly balance of the operations. So as to approximately compensate for this financial prejudice, tax breaks [Steurvergünstigungen] for farm diesel and the exemption of farm machinery from the Kfz [motor vehicle] tax are needed and need urgently continue to be maintained. An abolition of these measures would further accelerate the structural transformation and displace foodstuffs production to foreign countries.

On that account, the AfD Bundestag delegation expresses itself as strictly opposed to the demands of the Federal Environmental Office and stands as before at the side of German agriculture.

[trans: tem]