The finance ministers and central bank governors of the seven leading western industrial countries (G7) met in Stresa, Italy, to exchange views on current issues. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel and Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner held a joint press conference at which the main focus was on the development of the global economy and trade, but other topics on the agenda were current affairs and interest rate developments.

A digital euro will be an immense step forward for our payment system, Joachim Nagel said in an interview with Handelsblatt, Les Échos, Corriere della Sera and El Mundo. "Consumers will have an electronic means of payment that is accepted throughout the euro area, that is very cost-competitive and that places a strong emphasis on privacy."

Economic output in Germany increased again somewhat of late according to the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. Benefiting from favourable weather conditions, construction in particular picked up again recently. “Industrial output and exports [also] performed better than had been expected based on the weak demand,” the economists write. However, private consumption remained sluggish in the first quarter. Consumers were unsettled despite the stable labour market and real income growth. Inflation eased only marginally and stood at 2.7% in the first quarter.

The Bundesbank’s stand at the Europe Festival in Frankfurt am Main attracted a large number of visitors to the Römerhallen. The stand was also where the Bundesbank’s Executive Board, Frankfurt’s Mayor Mike Josef, President of Frankfurt Main Finance Gerhard Wiesheu, as well as City Treasurer Bastian Berghoff and Councillor Eileen O’Sullivan, gathered to make a joint statement for a cosmopolitan Europe and an appeal for citizens to vote in the European elections on 9 June 2024.