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"What's important to me are the manifold opinions and perspectives I am getting from this high-caliber team", says Sigmar Gabriel. Party affiliation plays no role. Much rather, the chairman of the SPD considers it essential to discuss current economic topics and thus get inspirations for the economic orientation of his politics.

"It's an honor for me to explain to Mr. Gabriel my view of developments in economic policy", says Gerd Kerkhoff. "In my opinion, this dialog is important – even if the opinions are not always congruent, of course."

Kerkhoff is not a member of any political party. "I have always been interested in politics; it provides the framework for our economic activities", says Kerkhoff. The entrepreneur is disappointed about the current debate around the Federal government's economy drive. "The discussion takes place on two levels only: Where can support measures by the state be reduced and how can more revenue be obtained", says Kerkhoff. "The question of how I can reduce costs in purchasing goods and services is not asked in public." Yet, according to information by the Federal Ministry of the Economy, the Federal Government annually spends approx. € 360 billion for public procurement. Kerkhoff: "In the industrial sectors, we are able to reduce procurement costs by 10 percent on average – with an unchanged quality of purchased goods and services. Assuming that this is also possible for the federal budget – the new debt taken up in the year 2009 in the amount of € 79.4 billion could have been cut nearly in half."

The constitutive session of the consulting circle around Sigmar Gabriel took place in Düsseldorf in the month of May. The circle is organized by Heino Wiese, former member of the Bundestag.

Media contact

Christian Pfeiffer
Head of Corporate Communications

Tel.: +49 (0)211 / 62 180 61- 0
c.pfeiffer(at)kerkhoff-consulting.com