Frankfurt am Main
With German state finances reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, the question of raising funds by selling government assets has become a hot topic ahead of this year’s general election.
Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, floated the idea of “reducing state participation” in businesses in an interview with Die Welt daily this week.
Flogging state assets could be all the more beneficial since their value has “increased considerably in recent years”, Altmaier said.
The money raised could help plug a gaping hole in state finances left by the coronavirus pandemic, which has already cost the government more than a trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) and forced it to lift its cherished “debt brake”.—APP
