With Germany in the throes of economic stagnation and political infighting, the only thing that could lift Europe’s largest economy out of the doldrums, it seems, is success in football at its home tournament.
German national football coaches, known as Bundestrainer, usually have a difficult job. The country is said to have “83 million Bundestrainer” – i.e. all of its population – so the coach has to justify decisions against a country full of people who think they know better.
For Julian Nagelsmann, the current Bundestrainer, however, the task will be particularly challenging.
With the European Football Championship hosted by Germany starting today, it seems like the country’s whole sentiment hinges on how far he can lead the national team.
And the mood is pretty bad.
Germany likes to see itself as an economic powerhouse – or even Exportweltmeister (the world’s export champion) – but it has been cursed with economic stagnation ever since Russia’s attack on Ukraine forced it to decouple from Russian gas supply.
The coalition government is unpopular, as it spent the last two and a half years infighting and, as many see it, restricting people’s freedom in what Green Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck called a “test” for how far the population is willing to go in tackling climate change.
Fears dominate the public discourse.
A representative survey of voters in the European election saw concerns over declining living standards (50% of respondents) not even making the top spot, remaining behind fears of too much immigration (53%), too much change (56%), restrictions on freedom of speech (58%), too much influence from Islam (61%), climate change (66%), and crime (74%).
Against this background, Germany likes to remember one of its brightest collective successes of recent times – the Sommermärchen (summer fairy tale) of 2006.
The one month of the Football World Cup of 2006, hosted by Germany, is retroactively seen as a carefree time. It was, so the folk tale goes, a time when Germany could show a friendly face to the world and celebrate a peaceful form of patriotism.
2006 saw Germans putting up little flags on their Volkswagens and BMWs, which might be the most German thing ever (though you were at risk of losing them if you raced at 200 km/h over the Autobahn).
And even if Germany did not win that championship (it was Italy), third place and the title of Torschützenkönig (most goals in the tournament) for striker Miroslav Klose were close enough.
As the Euro kicks off in Munich today, many hope for a replay – of that spirit and success.
“I believe this European Championship can be a real, not just a summer fairytale, but perhaps a sign of peace,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said in a recent documentary.
“We should celebrate life, celebrate sport and make it clear that unity is more important, even if you’re rooting for different teams,” she said.
Conservative opposition CDU/CSU even proposed a motion to the Bundestag calling for “full support for a new summer fairy tale,” which was, however, rejected by the majority.
Unfortunately, national mood cannot be regulated by parliament.
CDU politician Jens Spahn this week even helped kill the mood by complaining that the “public viewing” area set up around the Brandenburg Gate would cause cars to get stuck in traffic.
“It annoys people. And it doesn’t improve the mood at a time when everyone is already on edge anyway,” Spahn said.
And Munich-based ifo institute dampened expectations for the economic impact, usually based on higher spending and the overall feel-good factor during the championship.
In 2006, around the World Cup, the sentiment in the German economy had “barely improved”, and “we suspect something similar now for the European Championship,” the Institute’s Klaus Wohlrabe said.
And, as the final nail in the coffin, broadcaster ARD found in a survey that racism is far more widespread in the country than expected, with 21% of Germans saying they would “prefer to see more players with white skin playing in the German national team”.
Clearly, even a successful football match will not solve the country’s problems. And improving the country’s sentiment shouldn’t be Nagelsmann’s task—that should be up to Habeck, Baerbock, Spahn, and the likes.
The three-party government must ask itself whether it can still address the country’s problems or whether it should call for new elections.
And the conservative opposition should present itself as a constructive alternative instead of fuelling prejudices against foreigners like party leader Friedrich Merz did in the past.
But we can put all that briefly aside now. Let’s hope for a good tournament.
The Roundup
G7 leaders discussed on Friday how to protect their domestic industries from Chinese overcapacity without causing a trade war with Beijing and keep in check China’s alleged support for Russia’s military expansion.
Officials from the 27 national governments decided in Brussels this morning that the contested Nature Restoration Law would be discussed by ministers at Monday’s (17 June) Environmental Council – but not voted upon.
EU leaders meeting in late June will stress the need for a competitive Europe and highlight how the green transition and a genuine energy union can support that aim, according to a draft document seen by Euractiv.
After intense negotiations, France’s leftist “Front populaire” alliance unveiled its program on Friday, three weeks ahead of the early parliamentary elections on 30 June and 7 July.
Provisional tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EV) announced by the European Commission on Wednesday are too low to protect Europe’s automobile industry from Beijing’s state-subsidised car exports, a former top US trade official told Euractiv.
Revision of EU spending priorities, including regional development and agricultural support, should be prioritised over discussions on a new programme of joint EU borrowing, said Ole Funke, coordinator for EU fiscal policy at the German Chancellery.
For more policy news, check out this week’s Tech Brief, Economy Brief, and the Agrifood Brief.
Look out for…
- G7 summit in Italy on Thursday-Saturday.
- Ukraine Peace Conference in Switzerland, Saturday-Sunday.
- Environment Council on Monday.
- Informal EU summit on Monday.
Views are the author’s
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]