Sebastian Schäffer on Germany’s political centre: Europe needs a convincing story about the future

In an interview with Q News’ In Focus, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer discussed the changing German political landscape, the electoral success of parties at the political fringes and the challenges facing Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Germany’s traditional parties. 

Schäffer argued that dissatisfaction with established parties is being driven not only by economic and social concerns, but also by a growing uncertainty about the future. In this environment, parties such as the AfD have been successful in presenting simple answers and tapping into fears about economic decline, migration and security. 

At the same time, he stressed that defending the status quo is not enough. Germany and Europe need to address structural challenges while communicating more convincingly what European integration has achieved and what a prosperous European future could look like. 

The discussion also addressed Germany’s economic transformation, competition from China, the future of the automotive industry and the political debate surrounding the so called firewall against the AfD. Schäffer argued that democratic parties cannot rely on excluding the AfD from government alone. They need to offer credible policies and a convincing political alternative rather than adopting the rhetoric of their competitors. 

For Schäffer, the broader challenge is therefore not only to defend Europe’s achievements, but to turn them into a convincing story about the future: one that gives people confidence in what Europe can still become instead of leaving the political imagination to those promising a return to an imagined past.

Watch the full interview on Q News: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okoYKKN8oiw