The FDP politician does not expect a recession in Germany.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Washington Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is dissatisfied with the IMF’s economic forecast for Germany. “The International Monetary Fund is very pessimistic,” said the FDP chairman on Wednesday in Washington on the fringes of the IMF conference. The financial organization expects Germany’s economic output to shrink this year.
According to Lindner, the IMF is very cautious. This does not correspond to the forecasts of the federal government, which is more optimistic. Lindner indicated that the next time the traffic light coalition updates its economic forecasts, it is likely to become even more confident.
The new forecast may be closer to the latest estimates from the leading economic research institutes.
Due to falling energy prices, they no longer expect a recession in Germany. According to their estimates, gross domestic product will grow by 0.3 percent this year.
Lindner said Germany must use the IMF’s recession warning to examine for itself what has been neglected for too long. “Germany is not developing as well as others.” It can no longer just be about the distribution of funds. Rather more must be invested and renewed through structural reforms.
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