Germany edition

Economy

The following articles have been tagged with "Economy":

Rösler wants dual citizenship for IT talent

Science & Technology: 22 May 13
German Economy Minister Philipp Rösler appealed to top US university students this week to consider Germany as the place to start their IT careers and called for tech entrepreneurs to be offered dual citizenship. READ »

Germany grapples with nuclear energy phaseout

Science & Technology: 20 May 13
Germany's energy transition project - in which nuclear power will be phased out and replaced with energy from renewable sources - is facing the challenges of cheap coal, unresolved energy storage and an out-of-date electricity grid. READ »

Economists warn against German euro exit

Business & Money: 18 May 13
While a third of Germans would rather pay with the old Deutsche mark than the euro, economists warn that a German exit from the currency union would result in a disaster. READ »

Germany cool to France's EU economy plan

Business & Money: 17 May 13
Germany said Friday that French President Francois Hollande's proposal for a eurozone economic government was "interesting" but reacted coolly to his call for strengthened European budgetary powers. READ »

Anaemic economy feels winter chill

Business & Money: 15 May 13
The German economy, Europe's biggest, clocked up anaemic growth at the start of 2013 as the freezing winter weather put the brakes on activity, official data showed on Wednesday. READ »

Germans cling to Europe as others sour on EU

National: 14 May 13
A wide-ranging new opinion poll by a respected US research centre has found that Germany is the only country where a majority still believe in transferring more power to the European Union to tackle the euro crisis. READ »

German giants dazzle Dax

Business & Money: 10 May 13
In the midst of the eurozone's worst-ever economic crisis, Germany's stock index scaled three successive record highs this week. Business daily Handelsblatt examined some of the top companies driving the impressive figures. READ »

Indonesia gets 'secret go-ahead' for tank deal

National: 8 May 13
The German government has given the go-ahead for the sale of 164 tanks to Indonesia. Some fear the controversial deal will mean vehicles used in domestic conflict with ethnic minority groups, it emerged late on Tuesday. READ »

France tells Germany: we need growth too

Business & Money: 7 May 13
As Germany and France clash over how to move Europe's economy forward, the French finance minister told Germany's counterpart, Wolfgang Schäuble, that committing to fiscal discipline must not stall growth. READ »

Free Democrats prepare to reveal election plan

National: 4 May 13
Germany's junior government party is holding key talks this weekend, with the aim of boosting its image in the lead-up to elections in September. Hot button issues like the minimum wage and tackling tax evasion are high on the agenda. READ »

Franco-German friendship cools further

Politics: 1 May 13
A year after Francois Hollande's election, the French president finds himself trapped in Europe between a powerful but unpopular German Chancellor Angela Merkel and his own weakness at home. READ »

'Insane' euro departure 'would cost 200,000 jobs'

Business & Money: 30 Apr 13
Ditching the euro would cost Germany at least 200,000 jobs and half a percentage point in growth, according to a new study which concluded that Europe's biggest economy benefited from being within the eurozone. READ »

Wanted: 1,000 German tax collectors

Business & Money: 29 Apr 13
Of all things the German government could be short of, tax collectors is not the one most people would expect - yet it is struggling to fill 1,000 specialist jobs after a system overhaul left it responsible for gathering car tax. READ »

EU jobs chief: wages should rise in Germany

Business & Money: 29 Apr 13
German wages should rise to increase domestic demand and stop the export-heavy, low-wage economy drifting away from its partners in the eurozone, the European Commissioner for Employment said. READ »

Merkel rejects European bank deposit guarantee

Business & Money: 25 Apr 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that her government backs a proposed European banking union but rejects for now a plan for common deposit guarantees. READ »

Germany 'optimistic' on growth despite crisis

Business & Money: 25 Apr 13
The German government insisted Thursday that Europe's biggest economy could "look to the future with optimism", despite recent disappointing economic data and falling confidence. READ »

Fading confidence fuels ECB rate cut talk

Business & Money: 24 Apr 13
German business confidence took a tumble this month, according to data Wednesday, putting speculation of a possible interest rate cut by the European Central Bank back on the table, analysts said. READ »

Merkel: Germany doesn't want to dominate Europe

Politics: 22 Apr 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday rejected the idea that her country was seeking "hegemony" in the European Union, but insisted members needed to cede some national sovereignty for the greater good. READ »

Bundesbank: German wage hike will hurt euro

Business & Money: 22 Apr 13
A wide-scale rise in wages in Germany would not benefit other eurozone members, but would actually harm the single currency area as a whole, Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann said Monday. READ »

Lufthansa passengers offered rail vouchers

National: 21 Apr 13
Deutsche Bahn has said it will co-operate with Lufthansa to ferry passengers affected by Monday's strike. The rail company said passengers whose flights had been cancelled would be able to exchange their tickets for rail vouchers. READ »

Merkel quashes revolt over female exec quota

Politics: 18 Apr 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition defeated an election-year opposition bid on Thursday to set a quota for female board members in a vote that exposed a party rift and forced her to give ground. READ »

Germany approves Cyprus bailout package

Politics: 18 Apr 13
The German parliament approved an international bailout package for stricken eurozone member Cyprus by a large majority on Thursday. READ »

Think tanks scale back growth forecast

Business & Money: 18 Apr 13
Germany's leading economic think tanks on Thursday pared back their growth forecast for Europe's top economy this year, but said growth would pick up again in 2014. READ »

Euro debt crisis 'could last a decade'

Business & Money: 18 Apr 13
The European debt crisis could take a decade to overcome, according to Bundesbank president and ECB council member Jens Weidmann, who added that the ECB could cut interest rates if new information warranted such a move. READ »

Investor confidence falls

Business & Money: 16 Apr 13
The recovery prospects for the German economy, Europe's biggest, took a knock Tuesday when data showed that investor sentiment fell more than expected this month. READ »

Anti-euro party polls at three percent

Politics: 16 Apr 13
A new anti-euro party in Germany scored three percent in a poll on Tuesday, a marginal result but an election-year wild card as Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition rules with a narrow lead. READ »

Germany 'not strong enough' for stimulus

Politics: 16 Apr 13
Germany does not have the economic strength to launch another stimulus package now without running the risk of losing market confidence, Chancellor Angela Merkel said late Monday. READ »

Merkel rival Steinbrück rallies SPD: 'So to battle!'

Politics: 15 Apr 13
Germany's main opposition candidate for dethroning Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Sunday to push his campaign harder amid lowly poll forecasts. READ »

Merkel rival tries to kick-start campaign

National: 14 Apr 13
Burdened by dismal poll ratings and a gaffe-prone candidate, Germany's centre-left Social Democrats will try to re-energise their campaign against popular Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday. READ »

Germany rejects footing bigger Cyprus bailout

Business & Money: 12 Apr 13
Germany on Friday said the amount of a eurozone bailout for Cyprus would not rise, after the debt-laden island state's president said he would appeal for extra assistance. READ »

Merkel aims to bolster Indian economic ties

Politics: 11 Apr 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a joint cabinet session Thursday as the European export power and the Asian giant seek to boost economic ties. READ »

US urges Germany to spur growth

Business & Money: 9 Apr 13
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew urged countries with the "capacity" to help spur global growth, after talks with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble in Berlin on Tuesday. READ »

Merkel tells Putin: Give NGOs a chance

Politics: 8 Apr 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to "give a chance" to non-governmental organizations which she described as a "motor of innovation". READ »

Stronger factory orders offer 'rays of sunshine'

Business & Money: 5 Apr 13
German factory orders jumped in February, driven by buoyant domestic and export demand, suggesting that rising confidence in Europe's biggest economy may finally be reaching the real economy, analysts said on Friday. READ »

Merkel still number one in voters' hearts

Politics: 5 Apr 13
Chancellor Angela Merkel remains Germany's most popular politician as the country prepares for September elections, a poll for public television station ARD said on Thursday. READ »

Germany recognizes skills of 30,000 foreigners

Business & Money: 3 Apr 13
Over 30,000 foreigners in Germany have applied for their professional qualifications to be recognized by government since the law changed a year ago to alleviate a dearth of skilled workers in Europe's largest economy. READ »

Cost of living increases by just 1.4 percent

Business & Money: 2 Apr 13
Inflation in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, slowed to its lowest level in more than two years in March, official data showed on Tuesday. READ »

Are Germans poor in European terms?

National: 29 Mar 13
A long-awaited study by Germany’s Bundesbank has sparked a debate about the relative wealth of Germans and their European counterparts. READ »

Euro crisis sparks anti-German sentiments

Analysis & Opinion: 26 Mar 13
Germany imposed its will at the Cyprus rescue talks but at a potentially heavy cost to its image in Europe, where angry protesters in debt-mired states make Nazi slurs and blame Berlin for merciless austerity measures. READ »

German 'wise men' slash growth forecast

Business & Money: 26 Mar 13
An influential panel of top economic advisors to the German government this week downgraded its 2013 growth forecast for the country, saying Europe's top economy would only expand 0.3 percent. READ »

Merkel 'very pleased' with Cyprus bailout deal

National: 25 Mar 13
The bailout deal sealed early on Monday between eurozone nations and Cyprus was fair and should restore shaken faith in the debt-laden country and stabilise its economy, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said. READ »

Corporate Germany lacks foreign execs for success

Business & Money: 25 Mar 13
As Europe continues to grapple with economic crisis, German companies are looking elsewhere for business. But from Daimler to Siemens, many large firms have found they need more foreign managers to thrive in multicultural world. READ »

German business confidence sours

Business & Money: 22 Mar 13
German business confidence fell for the first time in five months in March, data showed Friday, as disappointing economic data, political gridlock in Italy and the Cyprus crisis dampened the business climate in Europe's top economy. READ »

Deutsche Bahn profits up as traffic surges

Business & Money: 21 Mar 13
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said Thursday that profits rose sharply last year as passenger numbers hit record levels amid soaring petrol prices. READ »

Germany to take in 5,000 more Syrian refugees

Politics: 21 Mar 13
Germany said Wesnesday evening it was prepared to take in another 5,000 Syrian refugees in the coming months in response to deteriorating conditions in the war-ravaged country. READ »

Merkel blamed for Cyprus bailout 'disaster'

Politics: 20 Mar 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said the eurozone had a "duty" to work with Cyprus to resolve the island's banking crisis, as the German opposition blamed her for the "disastrous" rejection of the EU's bailout package. READ »

Investor sentiment hits three-year high

Business & Money: 19 Mar 13
Investor sentiment in Germany inched higher in March to the highest level for more than three years, with analysts convinced that the outlook for Europe's top economy remains bright, a new survey found on Tuesday. READ »

Germany and France talk growth, avoid Cyprus

Politics: 19 Mar 13
The leaders of Germany, France and the European Commission late on Monday vowed to do more to bolster competitiveness in the eurozone, but avoided the crunch topic of the fresh crisis in Cyprus. READ »

Industry experts excited for export boost

Business & Money: 18 Mar 13
German industry experts said on Monday they were expecting record exports in 2013, as demand for the country's products grows and the world economy begins to strengthen. READ »

'Not being German was a big plus in my case'

Lifestyle: 18 Mar 13
In the latest instalment of My German Career, The Local spoke with Portuguese games tester Rui Firmino about how he ended up playing with computers in Frankfurt. READ »

Anti-euro party enters German election race

National: 17 Mar 13
With only six months to go until German elections, a new anti-euro party is hoping to tap into growing euroscepticism in Europe's top economy and may take votes away from Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ »

'Ireland must recover so people come home'

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Mar 13
As Germany goes a touch Irish ahead of St Patrick's Day this weekend, The Local speaks with Dan Mulhall, the Emerald Isle's ambassador to Berlin. READ »

Social Democrats fail to increase appeal

National: 15 Mar 13
Just days after Germany's main opposition party unveiled its manifesto for September's general election, its popularity slumped to its lowest ebb since June 2011, a poll showed on Thursday. READ »

Germany looks back at a decade of reform

Politics: 14 Mar 13
Germany on Thursday looked back a decade, when the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder launched his "Agenda 2010," a batch of unpopular labour and welfare reforms widely credited with getting Europe's largest economy back on track. READ »

Germany agrees to 'historic' balanced budget

Politics: 13 Mar 13
The German government on Wednesday approved a draft budget for 2014 with the lowest deficit in 40 years, hailed by the economy minister as a "historic" step in the battle against debt. READ »

Bundesbank profits stall as eurozone risks grow

Business & Money: 12 Mar 13
The Bundesbank said on Tuesday that its net profit for last year rose only slightly from a year earlier, owing to a steep increase in risk provisions. READ »

SPD aims to topple Merkel with social justice

Politics: 12 Mar 13
The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have launched their manifesto to unseat Chancellor Angela Merkel in September's election, promising greater social justice with a higher top rate of tax and a minimum wage. READ »

German trade increases more than expected

Business & Money: 11 Mar 13
Germany's trading activity got off to a strong start this year with exports and imports rising in January, official data showed on Monday. READ »

Merkel's partner picks leader for crucial fight

Politics: 11 Mar 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partners on Sunday chose a former economy minister as their candidate in national elections in September, as the party battles for its political survival. READ »

Most German women still feel disadvantaged

National: 8 Mar 13
As the world celebrated International Women's Day on Friday, a new poll found that four out of five German women don't feel that gender equality has been achieved in the country. READ »

Cabinet backs 'white-washed' poverty report

Business & Money: 7 Mar 13
A long-delayed report on poverty in Germany has finally been rubberstamped by the government – without the parts that stated that wealth is distributed very unequally. READ »

CeBIT tech fair targets Asia and social media

Science & Technology: 4 Mar 13
The world's biggest high-tech fair, the CeBIT in Hannover, kicks off on Tuesday, pinning its hopes on growing tech regions Asia and Africa and the hot topic of social media to beat competition from other high-profile fairs. READ »

Germany calls on Italy's 'sense of responsibility'

Politics: 3 Mar 13
Germany's leaders said over the weekend they were confident that Italian politicians would act responsibly and continue structural reforms following an inconclusive election last week. READ »

German joblessness falls to five-month low

Business & Money: 28 Feb 13
The German labour market is continuing to defy the eurozone debt crisis, with the jobless total falling to its lowest level in five months in February, official data showed on Thursday. READ »

Germany groans at Italian 'anti-Merkel' vote

Politics: 28 Feb 13
Germany has failed to mask its unease over Italy's anti-austerity protest vote that has led to political deadlock, with calls for Italians to stay reform-focused and derisory digs in the media. READ »

Italy's president snubs Steinbrück over 'clowns'

Politics: 27 Feb 13
The Social Democrat who is challenging Chancellor Angela Merkel in this year's election has been snubbed by Italian president who has cancelled a planned meeting after he called two of the candidates in Italian elections "clowns." READ »

New rules 'open door' to skilled foreigners

Business & Money: 27 Feb 13
Workers from outside the EU with vocational skills which are in short supply in Germany are to be fast-tracked through the immigration system, according to new rules approved by the cabinet on Wednesday. READ »

Ministers reach cautious fracking agreement

Business & Money: 26 Feb 13
The German government will give the go-ahead to the use of the controversial oil and gas recovery technique fracking in Germany, but under certain conditions, ministers said on Tuesday. READ »

Gauck seeks to quell Europe's German fears

Politics: 22 Feb 13
Germany is not seeking to impose its will on the rest of the European Union, President Joachim Gauck said on Friday, also urging Britain to stay inside the Europe it helped "save" after World War II. READ »

Business confidence hits 10-month high

Business & Money: 22 Feb 13
German business confidence rose to the highest level for 10 months in February, data showed on Friday, amid growing optimism that Europe's top economy has put the worst of the eurozone debt crisis behind it. READ »

Saudi Arabia tops German arms trade list

Business & Money: 22 Feb 13
German weapons exports to Persian Gulf states more than doubled between 2011 and 2012, with Saudi Arabia by far the biggest buyer, according to information published in Friday's Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. READ »

Merkel urges European Parliament to ok budget

Politics: 21 Feb 13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the European Parliament Thursday to give its green light to a hard-fought seven-year EU budget, amid concerns the reduced pot does too little to boost jobs and growth. READ »

Neo-Nazis blamed for stunting east Germany

Society: 21 Feb 13
Eastern Germany will never attract enough investment to start growing again if it fails to root out its neo-Nazi problem, a leading management consultant said this week. READ »

Investor sentiment rises to three-year high

Business & Money: 19 Feb 13
Investor sentiment in Germany has risen to levels last seen before the start of the three-year-old debt crisis, adding to signs that Europe's top economy is over the worst, a poll found on Tuesday. READ »

Germany returns to growth in 2013

Business & Money: 18 Feb 13
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, will avoid the recession that has engulfed many of its partners in the region and return to growth in the first quarter of 2013, the national Bundesbank said on Monday. READ »

Two German firms in top ten of 'design thieves'

National: 16 Feb 13
Two German firms have been included in an international top ten of companies whose own-brand products are obvious copies of other designs. READ »

German economy set for rebound after contraction

Business & Money: 14 Feb 13
The German economy, Europe's biggest, shrank in the last quarter of 2012, as the eurozone crisis hit exports, data showed on Thursday, but analysts said activity would bounce back quickly. READ »

Prospects for German economy brightening

Business & Money: 11 Feb 13
Germany's economy, the biggest in Europe, should see brighter days ahead after tumbling in the fourth quarter of last year, the Economy Ministry said on Monday in its regular monthly report. READ »

German voters 'won't accept' Asian politician

Politics: 9 Feb 13
Comments by an FDP politician suggesting his party's dismal approval ratings may be linked to party leader Phillip Rösler's ethnic Vietnamese background have kick started yet another debate about underlying racism in German society. READ »

All eyes on election date set for September

Politics: 9 Feb 13
Federal elections in Germany, Europe's top economy and political powerhouse, will be held on September 22nd, the country's president said on Friday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel bidding for a third term. READ »

French more honest taxpayers than Germans

National: 8 Feb 13
French workers are more honest taxpayers than their German counterparts, according to a new study. READ »

German trade surplus hits five-year high

Business & Money: 8 Feb 13
Germany's trade surplus hit a five-year high in 2012 to reach the second-highest level ever on booming exports, but momentum slowed sharply towards the end of the year, official data showed on Friday. READ »

Bank rules will shield consumers from risk

Business & Money: 6 Feb 13
The German government on Wednesday unveiled tougher new banking rules which it hopes will help prevent financial crises in the future and make banks bear more of the responsibility themselves. READ »

Merkel praises Spanish PM for economic reforms

Politics: 4 Feb 13
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, under fire at home over corruption allegations, won praise Monday from German Chancellor Angela Merkel over his handling of Spain's recession-mired economy. READ »

Job market remains resilient despite crisis

Business & Money: 31 Jan 13
The German labour market remains surprisingly resilient to the eurozone debt crisis, with unemployment in Europe's top economy falling to a four-month low adjusted for seasonal effects, data showed on Thursday. READ »

Germany aims to protect consumer bank deposits

National: 31 Jan 13
Germany aims to introduce legislation on banking separation in order to protect customers' deposits from riskier areas of business, according to a draft law seen by news agency AFP. READ »

Merkel: Egypt must talk with opposition

Politics: 30 Jan 13
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the visiting Egyptian president Wednesday to ensure dialogue remains an option as his country grapples with a political crisis that has sparked deadly unrest. READ »

Consumer confidence edges up slightly

Business & Money: 29 Jan 13
Consumer confidence in Germany has risen for the first time in three months amid burgeoning optimism that Europe's biggest economy has put the worst of the debt crisis behind it, a survey found on Tuesday. READ »

Cyprus: German politics and 'envy' hurt bailout

Business & Money: 28 Jan 13
Cypriot officials are hitting back at Germany with charges that German domestic politics and "envy" over the island's role as a financial hub are damaging efforts to seal an EU bailout before the eurozone nation sinks into bankruptcy. READ »

Bavarian conservatives: Cameron is right on vote

Politics: 28 Jan 13
British Prime Minister David Cameron has received support from Angela Merkel's Bavarian conservative allies, who said his idea of holding a referendum over European Union membership should not be dismissed. READ »

'Brixit' talk sparks Anglo-German tabloid love-in

National: 26 Jan 13
The prospect of a British exit from the European Union appears to have led British tabloid The Sun and its German rival Bild to call a brief truce in their sparring. READ »

MP's 'dirndl' quip sparks sexism debate

Politics: 25 Jan 13
Allegations by a female reporter that a senior German official crudely came on to her in a hotel bar touched off a charged debate Friday about sexism in media and the political class. READ »

Business confidence at seven-month high

Business & Money: 25 Jan 13
Germany, Europe's top economy, appears to have put the worst of the region's debt crisis behind it, data showed Friday, with business confidence rising to its highest level in seven months. READ »

Siemens earnings and orders dip in first quarter

Business & Money: 23 Jan 13
German engineering giant Siemens said on Wednesday that earnings and orders fell in the first quarter, but it was hoping a shake-up of its businesses would nevertheless enable it to meet its full-year targets. READ »

Investor confidence highest in years

Business & Money: 22 Jan 13
Investor sentiment in Germany has soared to the highest levels since the start of the eurozone debt crisis in 2010 as the outlook for Europe's top economy continues to brighten, a survey found on Tuesday. READ »

Franco-German ties feted amid euro crisis

Politics: 22 Jan 13
France and Germany Tuesday marked 50 years since a landmark treaty sealed their post-war reconciliation with a day of pomp, symbolism and celebration while papering over their differences. READ »

Rösler safe after wrong-footing FDP rival

Politics: 21 Jan 13
The Lower Saxony state election on Sunday night was followed by a morning of political poker within Angela Merkel's coalition partner, as FDP leader Philipp Rösler out-manoeuvred his rival, offering to resign in order to keep the top job. READ »

Germany still supports foreign nuclear power

National: 21 Jan 13
Despite the German government's dedication to ridding the country of nuclear power, it will continue to use public money to guarantee the construction of such power stations in other countries, it was reported at the weekend. READ »

SPD/Greens win Lower Saxony by one seat

Politics: 20 Jan 13
Chancellor Angela Merkel will be forced to size up her election year strategy on Monday after a narrow defeat to the centre-left opposition after a cliffhanger result in Lower Saxony's state poll. READ »

ThyssenKrupp halves pay after losses

Business & Money: 18 Jan 13
ThyssenKrupp's supervisory board has agreed to take a 50-percent pay cut in view of the German heavy industry and steel giant's disastrous losses last year, its chief said on Friday. READ »

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