Merkel holds anti-crisis summit
BERLIN – GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel, under fire over her reaction to the financial crisis, called together business leaders, ministers and experts on Sunday to discuss ways of escaping the international recession.
‘No concrete measure was decided,’ Economy Minister Michael Glos said after the six-hour meeting finished.
The goal of the meeting had been to reflect on possible measures, he added, with the government aiming to decide on specific actions by the end of January.
Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said everything would be done to avoid job losses.
The time had come for ‘us to take joint responsibility, as the government cannot handle the economic situation alone’, Ms Merkel told a press conference before the meeting.
Ms Merkel has made defending German jobs a top priority but increasing numbers have been lost in Europe’s biggest economy in recent weeks.
The criticism of the government has particularly hurt as Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) prepare for a legislative election in 2009. The CDU is in a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).
German economic experts and officials have said her 31 billion euro (40 billion dollar) economic stimulus is not enough.
Other European Union members have also pressured for Merkel to spend more.
Quoting government sources, the weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported the government is preparing a second 30-billion-euro economic plan that will include investment and fiscal incentives.
The package is not expected to be announced until the end of January, giving Merkel time to prepare an anti-crisis strategy within the government, the weekly said.
Ms Merkel is to meet state and local government leaders this week.
Der Spiegel magazine said in its latest edition that the government now expects the economy to shrink by two per cent in 2009. The official government forecast is for a fall of up to one per cent. — AFP
Source
read more related posts:
- UPDATE:Germany’s Merkel:Succeeded In Rescuing Banks In Crisis
- BERLIN (Dow Jones)–German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday efforts to rescue the banking sector, hit hard by the financial crisis, have worked out. “We fundamentally succeeded in rescuing banks,” Merkel said at a conference organized by the Initiative New Social Market Economy, or INSM. However, she added that there still needs to be a “timely sensible” [...]...
- Chinese premier discusses financial crisis with World Bank president
- ·Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with World Bank President Robert Zoellick in Beijing Tuesday. ·Wen said China will focus on expanding domestic demand to stimulate economic growth. ·Zoellick said the World Bank will continue to play a role in helping China overcome difficulties. BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Tuesday in response to [...]...
- SNAPSHOT – Financial Crisis – 1330 GMT
- - New U.S. housing starts unexpectedly rebounded in February, surging 22.2 percent, according to data that provided a rare dose of good news for the recession-hit economy. - Germany’s economy offered unexpected signs of optimism. A monthly poll by the ZEW economic institute in Europe’s biggest economy showed analyst and investor sentiment rising to -3.5 in [...]...
- FEATURE-Broadway finds show fundraising tougher amid crisis
- By Michelle Nichols NEW YORK, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Broadway producers are finding it tough to attract investors for new productions as the global financial crisis begins to take a toll on the Great White Way. And sluggish tickets sales have caused the closure of shows, adding to the sense of gloom on Broadway. While several shows traditionally [...]...
- Corporate spies clean up – The financial crisis means boom times for spooks-for-hire
- The financial crisis means boom times for spooks-for-hire. By Barney Gimbel, writer Last Updated: December 8, 2008: 11:16 AM ET NEW YORK (Fortune) — If James Bond’s “License to Kill” gets revoked, he’d have no problem finding work as a corporate spy. To the short list of sectors that stand to gain from the financial crisis, add corporate [...]...
- New Book – The Finance Crisis and Rescue: What Went Wrong? Why? What Lessons Can Be Learned?
- TORONTO, Nov 25, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — A timely new book examining this year’s financial crisis is the second title to be published by Rotman/UTP Publishing, an Imprint of University of Toronto Press in partnership with the Rotman School of Management. The Finance Crisis and Rescue: What Went Wrong? Why? What Lessons Can Be [...]...
- Do You Need Money to Tide Over a Crisis?
- Money crisis is the most difficult situation for a person when it comes to meet unexpected expenses and you require instant cash. To overcome such financial crisis, it is always a wise decision to opt for a payday loan. Payday loans are the best sought option as these loans are made available to the people [...]...
- Leaked Document Shows Fed Preparing For Next Mortgage Crisis
- The rising defaults on commercial loans could lead to another banking crisis, although the Fed doesn’t seem to be ready to admit the problem. The significant risk is held by financial companies with large commercial loan portfolios and insufficient reserves. In the following post, Glenn Hall from The Street writes that the Fed should be [...]...