OUR Germany is no longer an engine of growth, it is not in the best shape, other countries are coping better with the current crisis, said Finance Minister Christian Lindner and stressed that his country is in dire need of political action to improve its position, indirectly referring to tax incentives.

“The government must do its part to improve the competitiveness of industry and small and medium-sized enterprises,” said Mr. Lindner from Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund meeting. Even referring to the IMF’s forecast of 1.5 percent growth in Germany, the finance minister called “good reason” to call for a reform program. After all, he noted, Germany is particularly affected by demographic change, and energy prices have been much higher than in other countries for many years. He stressed that the government is now working on promoting renewable energy sources and creating “fiscal dams”, mainly against inflation, which hampers development. He announced specific announcements on 31 October.

Regarding Ukraine, Christian Lindner reaffirmed Berlin’s intention to continue support, but made it clear that rebuilding the country would require joint efforts by the IMF, the US and others, “this cannot be achieved by the EU.”

^{Source: APE-MEB}