German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said Wednesday he was encouraged by current assessments of the coronavirus impact on the industrial output but warned they could change
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said Wednesday he was encouraged by current assessments of the coronavirus impact on the industrial output but warned they could change.
The Joint Economic Forecast by five German research institutes has predicted a 4.2 percent drop in the national industrial production in 2020. It is expected to climb 5.8 percent in 2021.
"The figures of economic research institutes show us clearly that the measures we took to shield the economy from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic are beginning to work. They predict only a moderate rise in the jobless rate," Altmaier told reporters.
He stressed that the figures were dynamic and depended on how well German partners in Europe and beyond were faring.
The German economy is in recession, but the recent decrease in the number of new infections are the first successful results of the lockdown, Altmaier said. State governors will decide after Easter whether restrictions on economic and public life could be eased.
