Goodbye Germany

The authors contend that Germany's economic stability is tied to the Euro and that current rescue measures are insufficient. They propose a two-step approach: immediate ECB intervention and bank supervision, followed by the creation of a democratic financial, economic, and social union featuring common fiscal policies, Eurobonds, and a democratically legitimized EU Commission.

• A collapse of the Euro would cause an immediate economic decline of over 10% for Germany and cost the country a billion Euros immediately, with further incalculable losses over subsequent decades.
• The authors argue that a common currency is unsustainable without a common fiscal and economic policy, and that repeated bail-outs or Euro exits will ultimately cost taxpayers more than addressing the root causes of the crisis.
• To stabilize the Euro, the authors propose immediate ECB action to address the interest rate crisis and the establishment of strict bank supervision, alongside the long-term creation of a democratic financial-economic and social union.
• Proposed structural reforms for the EU include the introduction of Eurobonds, tax harmonisation, the closing of tax havens, a European property tax to repay national debt, and an EU budget significantly larger than the current 1% of gross domestic product.
• The authors advocate for increased democratic legitimacy in the EU, suggesting that the EU Commission President be appointed via European parliamentary elections and that the European Parliament act as an equal co-legislator in economic, monetary, and fiscal policy.

APA

Albrecht, F. B. J. P. (2012). Goodbye Germany. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/goodbye-germany/

Chicago

Albrecht, Franziska Brantner, Jan Philipp. Goodbye Germany. Green European Journal, 2012. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/goodbye-germany/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Albrecht |first1=Franziska Brantner, Jan Philipp |title=Goodbye Germany |publisher=Green European Journal |date=13 July 2012 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/goodbye-germany/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{albrecht2012goodbye, author = {Albrecht, Franziska Brantner, Jan Philipp}, title = {{Goodbye Germany}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/goodbye-germany/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }