The influential German engineering industry lobby group VDMA on Thursday sharply criticized right-wing nationalist politics, the latest major business group to warn that rising support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) poses risks for the economy. “A country as strong in exports as Germany needs open borders, a welcoming culture for foreign skilled workers and a firm anchoring in Europe and the eurozone,” VDMA’s executive committee and executive board said in a statement. “The nationalist ideas of the AfD and other extremist parties, especially with regard to their economic policy, would s…