Germany: CDU Votes to Raise Tax Threshold, End Phone Sick Notes
Is Germany's crisis due to insufficient work output or failed energy and regulatory policies?
Above: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Stuttgart, Germany, on Feb. 21. Image credit: Kay Nietfeld/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Germany's economic stagnation stems from insufficient work output. Record employment hasn't translated to productivity because part-time work has exploded while full-time positions lag behind pre-pandemic levels, while millions skive off work through digital sick notes. Germany must be honest with itself: if the country wants to prosperous again, it must put in the hard yards.
Government-critical narrative
Rising sick leave is a reflection of a nation struggling with a post-COVID health crisis, while blaming workers for wanting work-life balance treats the public as slaves to the state. This framing ignores real culprits destroying German competitiveness: the self-destruction of the country's nuclear energy programs and businesses drowning in regulations.
