“Mutti” is the German word for mother and it is the way most Germans refer to their current Chancellor Angela Merkel. On Sunday 22 September German citizens were asked to cast their vote. As most analysts predicted Angela Merkel won a simple majority of the votes entitling her to engage in discussions so as to form a new government. Most probably she will once again attempt to get the centre left on board and continue to head a coalition government for a third term. Many are of the opinion that the presence of the social democrats on a fresh coalition government will be tantamount to balancing out the notion of austerity with growth measures.

Undoubtedly, Angela Merkel should be given credit for managing such an achievement. She has catapulted herself from being the pastor’s daughter in East Germany to become the Chancellor of a reunified nation and onto the European Union’s most influential leader. Indeed, in contrast to her EU counterparts she is top of the league in terms of the longest surviving premier. Whilst managing to maintain popularity at home she has not been so popular, though, amongst citizens of the debt-laden EU countries such as Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain. Notwithstanding this she has painstakingly demonstrated toughness and rigidity to such countries which had to adhere to strict austerity measures. Germany alongside France has every interest to keep the EURO afloat. Germany has managed to put pressure and get the debt stricken countries within the EUROZONE to abide by the desired austerity measures if the EU’s largest economy is to further approve bail-outs to them.

Speaking of the EU’s largest economy recent economic data has definitely helped Angela Merkel win this election. Germany can boast of a slim 0.2%  budget surplus (something Malta is aiming for and, hopefully, the present Labour Government will strive to achieve in the current legislature), moderate growth and an unemployment rate standing at 6.8%, very close to the lowest rate ever achieved by Germany in the last twenty years.

Austerity measures are indeed her on-going chant to the weaker EU countries, ‘solidarity makes sense if we all work to become better, fitter,’ she told her CDU supporters gathered in Recklinghausen, a city in Germany’s Industrial Ruhr district on 22 September.  She strongly believes that this is the way forward. So much so that it induced her to utter the following words at the same activity ‘Otherwise we’ll become weaker together’. Such waffle sounds a bit similar to ‘United we stand, divided we fall’. Both underline the essence of demonstrating solidarity as a Union.

So from where has Angela Merkel managed to become so tough yet demonstrating the love of a mummy who would do anything to ensure her children do not lack anything? Possibly, her childhood upbringing in the East can be attributable to this. It is easily visible from where she has mastered the impulses of being cautionary and as well as being able to conceal. Just like an experienced chauffeur such reflexes have been instrumental in helping her drive up to the top job taking all necessary manoeuvres as she travelled along the journey. Moreover, they have been instrumental in creating a yoke in her character that keeps her fighting to stay there. Indeed, like the recently deceased Margaret Thatcher she can be referred to as the Iron Lady of the EU.

Acknowledging that Angela Merkel is loved at home and not abroad her critics have come to nickname her ‘Merkiavelli’ or even ‘the Black Widow’. Why? Because like a snake she creeps up unnoticed before conveying a deadly bite. Here again, this reminds me of the saying that as a parent ‘you have to be cruel to be nice’ sometimes.

In January 2011, as the eurozone crisis began to unfold, Angela Merkel paid a short visit to our beloved country. During that visit she did speak about EU bailouts and emphasised that they are not simply a matter of writing out a cheque but they are also ‘an expression of solidarity with clear conditions’ so as to ensure financial stability. A working example in economics of what being cruel to be kind entails.

So where does all this leave Malta as we continue our journey as full members of the EU? Malta is indebted to Germany for the on-going investment initiatives by German industrialists, investments which have generated new job opportunities for Maltese youth over the past forty years. In previous Labour administrations, the famous Brandstatter GMBH, better known as Playmobil opened shop here, a business entity which currently boasts of a headcount of roughly 800 people as well Dold (Malta). Under the previous Nationalist administration, Lufthansa Technik launched its Malta base giving rise to new employment opportunities in the civil aviation industry. Also, within the financial services industry BMW group relocated its treasury management function into Malta. 

It is of utmost importance that we continue to forge links with Germany and try to attract new foreign direct investment (FDI) from there. Whilst marketing further our nation as a robust financial centre we must also aim to attract new productive facilities which can provide jobs for Maltese youth which do not necessitate a high level of education. However, we must also pursue the avenue of attracting research and development initiatives into Malta, possibly also into our sister island Gozo.

As our under graduate students pursue further their education both locally and abroad we must ensure that there are adequate and well remunerated employment opportunities for them once they return. As the world continues to get even more globalised, our only chance of economic prosperity is to better our act in attracting new FDIs to Malta.

Throughout her political campaign, Angela Merkel, has emphasised all along that Germany can only be better off by being ‘erfogreich zusammen’ which means ‘successful together’. As a decent mother loves her siblings so should any political leader be towards his co-nationals. Indeed, together we can be successful even here in Malta. So as a prospective MEP may I say ‘Schönen dank mutti’ for being the right mother the EU needed in recent times.

Dr Ivan Grixti is a Labour Party European Parliament election candidate