General government debt in Germany as defined by the Maastricht Treaty increased by €71 billion in 2022 to €2.57 trillion. Debt rose at a slower rate than in previous years, with lower needs from the coronavirus pandemic as it came to an end being counteracted by new burdens arising from the energy crisis. Central government debt grew by €97 billion, but state government debt fell markedly. The debt ratio, meaning the ratio of debt to nominal gross domestic product, fell by 2.9 percentage points to 66.4%.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel called for a further increase in euro area interest rates, saying, “if we are to tame this stubborn inflation, we will have to be even more stubborn”. Our fight against inflation isn’t over yet, he noted, while stressing that interest rates are approaching restrictive territory. 

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank and the Banque de France have opened the BIS Innovation Hub Eurosystem Centre next week in Frankfurt am Main and Paris. The ceremony was streamed live on Tuesday, 28 March 2023. Speakers included Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS; Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB; François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Banque de France; and Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank. 

The Bundesbank expects economic output in Germany to decline again in the first quarter of 2023. Although output in industry and construction expanded significantly again in January, exports of goods recovered only partially in price-adjusted terms. In addition, consumer-related sectors continue to suffer from the persistently high level of inflation. Core inflation once again matched the all-time high of December 2022. Despite the current weak economy, the outlook for the labour market remains positive.