NEW PARADIGM
New Economy Short Cut²: Deep crisis or pity party? – an attempt at a realistic assessment of the German economy as we enter 2026
Germany between doom narratives and reality: what is really behind weak exports, industrial stagnation and quick-fix policy prescriptions? Erik F. Nielsen, Sebastian Dullien and Nicola Brandt discuss.
BY
FORUM NEW ECONOMYPUBLISHED
4. DECEMBER 2025
Hardly a day has passed in the past year without warnings of decline and downward spirals in Germany – and therefore calls to reduce bureaucracy, cap social transfers, slow down pension growth or abolish public holidays. But how are these issues related to weak exports or industrial output? Can the proposed measures help in the face of trade disputes with big players or address the car industry’s challenges?
Danish economist Erik Fossing Nielsen recently countered the pessimism with a much more nuanced analysis. So are Germany’s doom-sayers exaggerating? Where do Germany’s problems really lie and what are the best measures to address them?
We will discuss this in our next New Economy Short Cut². In cooperation with the OECD Berlin Centre:
Deep crisis or pity party? –
an attempt at a realistic assessment of the German economy as we enter 2026
With Erik Fossing Nielsen, Independent Economics,
Sebastian Dullien, IMK Düsseldorf,
and Nicola Brandt, OECD Berlin.
On Friday, 12 December 2025, at 1 p.m. – via Zoom. Register here.