In April 2022, Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €7.4 billion, down €11.3 billion on the previous month’s level. This was chiefly due to a decrease in the goods account surplus, but was also attributable to a somewhat lower surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income.

Following an agreement reached between the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Bundesbank, the German Banking Industry Committee and the National Bank of Ukraine, refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine can exchange hryvnia banknotes into euro in Germany from 24 May 2022. 

Der EZB-Rat ist bereit, alle seine Instrumente anzupassen und dabei erforderlichenfalls flexibel zu sein, um sicherzustellen, dass sich die Inflation mittelfristig bei seinem Zielwert von 2 % stabilisiert.

Im Mai zog die Inflation erneut kräftig an, was vor allem auf – auch wegen der Auswirkungen des Krieges – stark steigende Energie- und Nahrungsmittelpreise zurückzuführen ist. Der Inflationsdruck hat jedoch an Breite und Intensität gewonnen, was sich in erheblichen Preissteigerungen bei zahlreichen Waren und Dienstleistungen zeigt. Fachleute des Eurosystems haben ihre Basisprojektionen zur Inflationsentwicklung deutlich nach oben korrigiert.

The German economy recovered slightly in the first quarter of 2022. However, the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine have been weighing considerably on the economy since the start of the conflict, according to the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. Supply bottlenecks in industry and construction intensified again, for example, while high energy prices dampened output and reduced household purchasing power. At most, the Bundesbank expects economic output to grow slightly this spring.