Monica Schnitzer, the economic advisor to the government who welcomed high fuel prices to “educate” the Germans (see briefing April 4), has backed Merz’s proposal to cut pensions. “Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement can be interpreted as an indication of the growing pressure for reform in the pension system,” Schnitzer told the Rheinische Post. “Overall, private pension planning must be given significantly greater priority in the future to effectively supplement the statutory pension.” Private pension planning must be strengthened.
Schnitzer, whose name fits into Charlie Chaplin’s parody of Hitler in The Great Dictator, is head of the so-called “Five Wisemen,” whose recommendations are usually implemented by the government. She motivated her call with the typically malthusian argument that due to Germany’s demography, there will not be enough labor to sustain the pay-as-you-go system.
Germany: Chief Government Advisor Welcomes High Fuel Prices
Earlier this month, she advised the government to let fuel prices go up, to “educate” the German population to change their habits.
Asked by a moderator in the ZDF popular morning polit-magazine (from min. 34) whether the government should put a cap on fuel prices, Schnitzer answered that such a cap not only would not make sense, but “people need to think about where it’s really important to drive, where they can do without it, where they can carpool, and where they might try taking public transportation. That’s the kind of response we need.” When moderator Hayali asks whether a driving ban is necessary, Schnitzer answered cynically:
If the price is high, “people will adapt on their own. Those who urgently need to drive and can afford it will perhaps continue to drive as much as before. Maybe they’ll voluntarily slow down a bit because they realize they’ll save a little gas, and those who can avoid driving now and simply do without will drive less… We simply saw in 2022, when we offered a fuel discount before, that people didn’t adjust enough, and we need this signal now.”
