Green politician switches to think tank: “We want to develop a new economic model”

taz: Mr. Kindler, have you already entered the Bundestag's lobby register?

Sven-Christian Kindler: I just finished that. The law also provides for this for think tanks that hold discussions with decision-makers. I think this is important for transparency reasons.

Kindler: No, the Zoe Institute is not a lobby organization, but rather conducts evidence-based economic research and consciously shares the results widely, including with politicians. It's about developing and discussing new ideas, not about asserting your own interests.

41, sat for the Greens in the Bundestag from 2009 to 2025 and was most recently budget spokesman for his parliamentary group. The Hanoverian did not run again for the last federal election. He is now moving to the think tank Zoe Institute for Sustainable Economies, which is based in Cologne and has branches in Brussels and Berlin. According to its self-description, it researches economic models that “enable all people to live a good life within the ecological limits of our planet”. Most recently, for example, the institute supported the EU Commission in developing its first strategy on intergenerational equity. In addition to the EU, there are various private foundations as important donors and clients.

Kindler: The institute has already done a lot of work in Brussels on what a sustainable European economy could look like. Now we want to develop a new economic model for Germany. Our economy is in crisis because of the China shock, US policies and the climate crisis. We have just experienced a brutal hot summer with many deaths, but also with massive economic consequences. At the same time, we are in the middle of the transition to climate neutrality and this must be actively shaped. As a member of parliament, it was my idea during the negotiations a year and a half ago to write climate neutrality into the Basic Law by 2045 when introducing the special fund. Now I want to work on getting things done.

taz: A big project. How should it work?

Kindler: Firstly, we want to concentrate our work on financial and industrial policy in the next few years. The infrastructure and climate neutrality special fund currently ends in 2036, i.e. in the peak phase of transformation. Long-term public financing is also needed, including by changing the debt rules for future investments.

Kindler: Secondly, the transformation must be a social process that does not increase inequality, but rather reduces it. Where we lose old industries, for example because the supplier industry for combustion engines disappears, people need other attractive, good jobs. So it's about a strategic industrial policy with targeted settlements. This also includes corporate subsidies that are much more closely linked to social and ecological goals than today. And we want to develop a model for the industry: Which industries in Germany are sustainable and compatible with climate neutrality and how can we now raise and expand these industries?

taz: The AfD is currently stronger than ever before. Isn't it an illusory goal to accelerate transformation?

Kindler: People also vote for right-wing extremist parties because of economic insecurity. International research shows clearly: When people undergoing structural change in the regions receive support and prospects for the future, this stabilizes democracy. If managed correctly, the energy transition will create many good jobs and income for lively cities and communities.