the Federal President of the Federal foreign office awarded the previous ECB head, Mario Draghi, the Federal cross of merit. To find injustice, the representatives of the FDP and CDU.

is it a Must? Steinmeier gives to Mario Draghi, the Federal cross of merit photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

BERLIN dpa/afp | Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier has given the former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, the Federal cross of merit. Draghi kept "in turbulent times, the Euro and the European Union," said Steinmeier on Friday in a ceremony at the Schloss Bellevue in Berlin.

The award Draghi pushed because of its controversial Low - and zero-interest rate policy to criticism. The Deputy Chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Michael Theurer, spoke on Friday of a "Black Friday" for the German savers. Draghi didn't deserve the award. "Through his nearly zero-interest rate policy of the German small investors and pensioners have lost their assets in the billions."

Steinmeier went on to speak about the allegations. Of course, criticism of an independent Central Bank and the people was possible. "But in a factual debate with respect and decency."

Left group Vice-Fabio De Masi, said that the criticism of the ceremony was a liar"". The minus interest and concern for many people their pension went "on the account of the Federal government", which covered Europe with "reduction packages" and the population got pushed into the private pension.

The Grand cross of the order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the second highest award in the country. Also, the previous ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet and Wim Duisenberg had been honoured. The Italian economists, Draghi has held since November 2011 until the end of October last year, the top post at the ECB. His successor at the head of the ECB had started at the beginning of November 2019, the Frenchwoman Christine Lagarde.