The Local Germany

Bundesbank tough, public soft on Greece

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 11:41:29 +0100

Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann said on Friday that he is opposed to giving Greece further financial help because he believes the new government has frittered away too much trust, but a new poll showed that support for a "Grexit" had shrunk below 50 percent.

Berlin floats deal on Greek reparation claims

Fri, 20 Mar 2015 09:05:19 +0100

The Minister for European Affairs said Thursday Berlin may increase its contribution to a German-Greek fund, potentially paving the way for a compromise to Athens demanding World War II reparations.

Germany expands EU small business scheme

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:08:00 +0200

Germany plans to expand a credit scheme for small and medium enterprises from crisis-hit Spain to also cover Portugal and Italy, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble was quoted as saying Sunday.

'The yes is as weak as the but'

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:34:00 +0200

While the world drew a breath after the German Constitutional Court okayed the European Stability Mechanism on Wednesday, The Local's media roundup shows the German press questioning if the judgement solved anything.

Germany: no more chances for Greece

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:23:00 +0200

Economy Minister Philipp Rösler said he was disappointed with the efforts of debt-wracked Greece to implement reforms, while a senior conservative said Germany would block further aid if the country did not fall in line.

Craft guild: euro rescue cost must have a limit

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:00:00 +0200

Germany’s craft guild has called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to step back from recent pledges to save the euro at any cost, while most Germans think the worst of the euro crisis is yet to come.

Support for euro fades as Greek doubts grow

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:34:00 +0200

Just over half of Germans think their country would be better off without the euro, a poll suggested on Sunday, as the economy minister reiterated doubts over whether Greece can stay in the single currency.

Merkel: Europe needs changes to work well

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:10:00 +0200

As the German MPs broke their summer holiday on Thursday to vote on waving through a massive financial package for Spanish banks Chancellor Angela Merkel said changes were needed to make the “European project” work.

Constitutional Court mulls euro bailout fund

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:56:00 +0200

Germany’s Constitutional Court began considering the permanent euro bailout fund on Tuesday - while politicians have been so openly pushing for a positive verdict, the justice minister told them to stop.

Merck to Portugal: pay bills or lose investment

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:43:00 +0200

German pharma giant Merck is threatening to withdraw millions of euros of investment from Portugal – because the state-run hospitals are on average more than 500 days behind in paying their bills.

Merkel: No eurobonds 'as long as I live'

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:08:00 +0200

Chancellor Angela Merkel swore there would be no eurobonds for, “as long as I live” ahead of what has been described as a last-gasp EU summit to save the currency on Thursday.

Greeks rail against 'crude' German editorial

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:02:00 +0200

Greek parties reacted with outrage on Friday after the German edition of the Financial Times made a front-page call on Greeks to vote for the New Democracy conservatives in the upcoming election.

Merkel: limits to German economic strength

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:17:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the eurozone crisis would dominate next week's G20 summit but warned world leaders that her powers to act were limited.

Merkel and Cameron - fiscal pact not enough

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:40:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on Thursday that the EU's fiscal pact was not enough in itself to resolve the crippling eurozone debt crisis.

Bundesbank tells France: 'hands off!'

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:18:00 +0200

Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann warned French president-elect Francois Hollande on Saturday against tampering with the European Central Bank or the EU fiscal pact.

Opposition: 'EU should ratify pact on same day'

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:26:00 +0200

Germany's two main opposition parties called on Wednesday for the EU's fiscal pact to be ratified on the same day in Berlin, Paris and Rome, seeking to send a strong signal of unity against the crisis.

'Greece out of euro' calls multiply in Germany

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:45:00 +0200

German politicians have called for Greece to leave the eurozone and return to the Drachma, as the country fails to form a government following Sunday’s election in which mainstream parties were punished for EU austerity measures.

Merkel: eurozone needs growth as well as cuts

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:55:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated on Wednesday that the eurozone needed economic growth as well as deficit-cutting measures. Germany continued to register slight growth, while the UK slipped into recession.

German economy retains confidence in crisis

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:39:00 +0200

Business confidence in Germany beat expectations to rise again in April, underlining the resilience of Europe's biggest economy to the long-running debt crisis, data showed on Friday.

Merkel: We need a strong Britain in EU

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:32:00 +0200

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be "catastrophic" to allow Greece to leave the eurozone because of its debt problems, and underlined the need for Britain within the European Union.