Pioneering spirit lost

Germany: From powerhouse to old man

Run-down: car industry, infrastructure, high-tech. The former economic giant has run out of steam.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe)

The tottering economic giant has lost its legendary pioneering spirit. The problem: the German disease - resting on its laurels - is also infecting Austria.

One piece of bad news follows another: The economic giant Germany is running out of steam! The economic data is bad, old failures have serious consequences, new mistakes are bad. The backlog of reforms is pressing. Chancellor Olaf Scholz may be calling for a national effort with slogans such as "Wumms" and "Doppel-Wumms", but the old dynamism that made Germany famous has been lost.