In a joint interview published by the Süddeutsche Zeitung of Germany and El Mundo of Spain, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel and Banco de España Governor José Luis Escrivá dis-cussed the impact of current US policy on the global economy, ECB Governing Council deci-sions and Germany’s role in the EU. “The new German government has to contribute actively to the further development of the EU and Europe. And I agree with José Luis Escrivá that Germany has to play its part in leading the EU,” Nagel said.

Chemnitz is the European Capital of Culture 2025. To mark the occasion, the Regional Office in Saxony and Thuringia is organising a range of events at the Bundesbank’s Chemnitz branch. In addition to a coin exhibition and an art exhibition, there will be a panel discussion with Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkard Balz. 

“This is one of the most important Spring Meetings,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said at a press breakfast with Germany’s acting Federal Finance Minister Jörg Kukies on the occasion of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. “We know what we’ve got, and what we’ve had, with the IMF and the World Bank. Multilateralism is a core element of the global economic order.”

“Economic output in Germany is likely to have increased slightly in the first quarter of 2025, but could suffer a setback in the second quarter,” the Bundesbank writes in its latest Monthly Report. Construction and industrial output, for instance, were up recently. Retail sales also continued to grow in January and February. However, according to the Bundesbank’s economists, the outlook for the second quarter is gloomy, not least given the US administration’s tariff policy.