Unpacking the German election: MCC Brussels Podcast Live

  • 18:30 - 20:00
  • Tuesday 25 February 2025
  • Renaissance Brussels Hotel, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Brussels

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Join us for a LIVE edition of the MCC Brussels Podcast as we unpack the result of one of the most crucial elections in Germany’s recent history.

This month’s German election has become one of the most heated and consequential in living memory. A widespread sense of doom about Germany’s prospects – captured by economic crisis, terrorism, and worries about the rise of the far-right – has driven fierce tempers and frank debates about the direction of the country.

Undoubtedly, migration has become one of the defining issues of the election, with both sides offering starkly different solutions. A revived CDU under Merz argues for tougher borders to protect German sovereignty while the incumbent Scholz stresses European unity in the face of rising right-wing populism. Merz’s rightward course on migration has also threatened to bring down the “firewall” against the AfD, with a recent parliamentary drama seeing Merz’s party pass a resolution with AfD support. In response, parties to his left, supported also by Angela Merkel, have attempted to turn the election into a confidence vote about the anti-AfD cordon sanitaire. Will Merz’s tough stance on migration resonate, or is there more life in the “firewall” yet? Can the AfD be squeezed out of German politics indefinitely?

But the economy lies at the heart of this election too. Germany has suffered hard as a result of rising energy prices and the ill-fated decision to abandon nuclear power. One after another, major manufacturers, indeed whole industries, have lined up to announce job losses or offshoring in response to the worsening economic conditions. Businesses are calling for decisive action on energy prices, taxes, and Germany’s growing mountain of red tape, and ordinary citizens are beset by bumper heating bills and the demands of environmental regulations. Does anyone have an answer to Germany’s economic woes?

Germany has also become embroiled in the transatlantic culture war, with Elon Musk throwing his weight behind the AfD, just at the moment that Europe faces a major battle with Trump-led America over trade, tariffs and free speech. European leaders seek a decisive response to Trump, but the current interregnum in German politics has left Europe’s most important economy unable to play a leading role. Will the election change this?

Join MCC Brussels for a special LIVE recording of the MCC Brussels Podcast. Our podcast guests will dive into the outcome of the election and ask what this means for Germany, and Europe. After the initial podcast filming, the event will include Q&A with the audience.

Host: Jacob Reynolds
Guests:

  • Sabine Beppler Spahl, director, FrieblickInstitut, Berlin
  • More TBC

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