Volker Wieland: "Double-digit inflation rates cannot be ruled out" (Börsen-Zeitung)

After nine years, Volker Wieland resigned from the German Council of Economic Experts on April 30. In an interview with the Boersen-Zeitung, he takes stock of his work and warns against continued high inflation rates.

Although inflation may slow again next year, it will be higher than in the years before Corona. Many goods are in short supply, he said, and wages are rising. "But if the war intensifies now and there is a gas supply freeze and an energy crisis, double-digit inflation cannot be ruled out."

He appealed for energy supplies to be secured independently of Russian imports. A gas embargo, he said, is one way to hit Russian President Putin's budget hard. "It would not be the end of German industry. But it would probably lead to a severe recession in Germany," Wieland said. An oil embargo, which would be easier to implement, could possibly hurt Russia more than a gas embargo at the moment because there are longer-term contracts for gas and more money to be made in the short term from oil.

Börsen-Zeitung: "Zweistellige Inflationsraten sind nicht auszuschließen" (€)

Börsen-Zeitung: "Wirtschaftsweiser warnt vor zweistelligen Inflationsraten"