Highly anticipated to pull Germany out of the stagnation it has been mired in for over two years, the future Christian Democratic (CDU) chancellor, Friedrich Merz, surprised observers by proposing two figures from the private sector to embody the "economic shift" promised during his campaign. Katherina Reiche, 51, and Karsten Wildberger, 55, are leaving their positions as top corporate executives to join the government. The former will head a streamlined Ministry of Economy, while the latter will lead a newly created Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization.

The announcement of these two figures is a political coup for Merz, who has been at odds with some of his supporters since he agreed, with his coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), to a historic €1 trillion debt plan to fund infrastructure renovation and bolster defense. Major industrial federations, who had recently been critical of this plan because it would allegedly increase debt and strengthen the state's role, are now praising the newcomers and their private sector expertise. "Katherina Reiche is a fortunate acquisition," responded Veronika Grimm, a renowned liberal economist and member of the German Council of Economic Experts.

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