Investments: KfW boss: AfD successes raise questions about location stability

Berlin. The development bank KfW sees a high level of international interest in investing in Germany - but also a sensitivity to further political stability.

“Democracy is a tough location factor,” said CEO Stefan Wintels of the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Bangkok. “Investors are closely monitoring whether basic democratic values, the rule of law and open markets remain reliably protected in Germany.”

What the location needs least is isolation, polarization and blockade. Wintels commented on the question of whether the AfD's strengthening in the recent state elections was an issue for investors. In Saxony-Anhalt, the party classified as right-wing extremist by the local Office for the Protection of the Constitution won the election, and it also became the strongest force in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Overall, despite all the challenges, Germany remains the “first address in Europe,” said the KfW boss after discussions with representatives of international investors in Bangkok. “Capital is there, as is the willingness to invest.”