Germany to use G7 presidency to focus on economic recovery, climate

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Germany takes over the G7 presidency for 2022. In a new year’s message, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who replaces Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the role, said Germany must help “drive the global economic recovery.”

Christian Lindner, Germany’s finance minister, looks forward to a year where Germany will take over the G7 presidency

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in a tweet from his ministry on Saturday that Germany will use its presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) to assist with the global economic recovery and strengthen climate protection initiatives.

Quoting Lindner, the German Finance Ministry tweeted: “Germany has taken over the G7 presidency for 2022 — the G7 countries stand for freedom, democracy and progress.”

“With this in mind, we must overcome the pandemic and drive the global economic recovery,” Lindner added.

Who is Christian Lindner?
Lindner recently replaced Chancellor Olaf Scholz atop Germany’s Finance Ministry .

He is party leader of the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), a junior partner in the so-called “traffic light” coalition named for the party colors of the Greens, FDP and Social Democrats (SDP) of Chancellor Scholz.

Of the three parties in the ruling coalition, Lindner’s FDP is the most fiscally prudent.

As finance minister, Lindner hopes to prioritize digitization and climate neutrality not just in Germany but within the G7 when he meets with other finance ministers and central bank governors. (Reuters, DW)