德國經濟現況與展望

Germany has been the main driving force behind Europe’s recent economic recovery. This article analyses Germany’s current economic situation, the relationship between its economic and social problems, along with the EU’s economic development. The data also provides forecasts for Germany’s mid- and long-term development trends.
The steady recovery of the German economy has been largely dependent on the expansion of external demand. A serious unemployment problem, shrinking social security protection, and the government’s difficulty in adopting fiscally expansive policies have caused a long-term challenge to Germany’s domestic demand. In addition, the country’s eastern region (the former East Germany) has exerted a dragging effect on Germany’s overall economic development. Therefore, the German government has been pursuing multi-faceted reform of the social security system, the labor market, business taxation, and so forth.
In the short to medium term, the introduction of the euro has not had much invigorating effect on the economies and labor markets of the euro zone and Germany. Only through a systemic reform of establishing a sound social and economic system will Germany be able to safeguard the stable long-term development of its economy.