Economist consultations sought by Klingbeil
Berlin—Economist Jens Südekum, a vocal critic of Germany's strict debt brake, has been appointed as the personal advisor to Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. Klingbeil's ministry announced the decision on Friday, with Südekum set to focus on overall economic development.
Previously, Klingbeil's predecessor, Christian Lindner, had taken on economist Lars Feld as an advisor. While Feld advocates for a limited role for the government, Südekum is an advocate for active state industrial policy and reform of the debt brake. In 2021, the former was instrumental in negotiating the creation of a debt-financed special fund of 500 billion euros for infrastructure and climate protection.
Südekum, dubbed as one of the architects behind the fund, is known for his expertise and practical approach to politics. As he commented on his appointment, he expressed gratitude for having contributed to the constitutional amendments that significantly expanded policy options. He clarified that, while serving in an advisory role, he will operate on a voluntary and independent basis, not as an employee of the Ministry.
The economist's academic background includes research collaborations with the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and studies on various economic topics, such as income tax exemptions and subsidies to higher education[2][3]. He was also involved in discussions on innovative economic concepts, like "Bidenomics"[1]. However, his specific contributions to infrastructure and climate protection policies remain to be elaborated on.
In his role as the personal advisor to Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Jens Südekum will focus on applying his expertise in finance and business to the development of infrastructure and climate protection policies. In contrast to his predecessor's advisor, Lars Feld, who advocates for a minimal government role, Südekum is an advocate for active state industrial policy and reform of the debt brake.
