A great power in trouble: What's wrong with Germany? | To The Point

Germany chose to close its nuclear power plants in the middle of Europe's energy crisis. That is stupidity at an insane level.

It's a combination of factors, all of which are going against Germany at the moment: no more cheap Russian gas (self inflicted), closure of nuclear plants (self inflicted), excessively fast move towards renewables (self inflicted), challenges to the automotive industry and the transition to EV (slow response, lack of vision), reliance on mechanical engineering and lack of innovation in digital (cultural and institutional issues), poor demographics, uncontrolled immigration (not in the sense of actual numbers, but in the sense of inability to pick up productive immigrants), excessive regulation and bureaucracy. It's not looking good. The de-industrialization that has plagued the US for the last 40 years but is now over is starting in Germany (and most of Europe).

Some economists have projected that both the U.S. and parts of Europe could slip into a recession for a portion of 2023. A global recession, defined as a contraction in annual global per capita income, is more rare because China and emerging markets often grow faster than more developed economies. Essentially the world economy is considered to be in recession if economic growth falls behind population growth.

Why doesn't anyone talk about the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, this is one of the main reasons, is there a reason why this awful blow to the German economy is being ignored?

In Europe, there's a growing sense of neglect towards the younger generation. They face lower salaries, longer work hours, and increased responsibilities while witnessing a surge in billionaires, particularly in countries like Germany. The housing market adds to their woes, as property prices soar, making it difficult to afford homes, let alone start families. To compensate, cheap labor from abroad is often favored, leading to frustration among the youth, who feel betrayed. People aren't inherently racist, but this frustration arises when governments prioritize external labor over addressing domestic issues. It's high time politicians acknowledge and tackle these pressing concerns rather than resorting to distractions. The younger generation deserves meaningful change.

The German business model is mostly based on manufacturing. In times of high energy costs, supply chain disruption, demand shock and an alarming immigration rate you have the perfect mix for a crisis

I am German living in Italy since 35 years and I come back to visit my country every year. What I noticed since maybe 2010-2013 and especially the past years is a more and more weakening Germany : bad maintaining of infrastructure as streets, 'Autobahn', trains, I noticed a dirtier Germany in public places, I have the impression that the digitalization is behind other countries, even Northern Italy seems to function better. There is this sensation that the country lost connection to the future.... 😢

I automatically translate "A great power in trouble" to "A great puppet in trouble"..

Germany is too ineffective, too controlled by fear, too little prepared to take risks, too bureaucratic, too un-digitalized (years ago, I were in a smaller town in Greenland, where broadband connections were better than in Berlin!), too afraid to invest, too afraid of change, too worn-down in its infrastructure (just look at the bridge over the Nord-Ostsee Kanal), too much living on its past. Just look at Germany still discussing if there should be Covid 19 regulations in place this autumn and winter. We are way past that in Denmark.

I'm an expat, lived on different part of the world in last fifteen years. After five years in Germany I have to say bureaucracy here is killing everything! Every small move takes a decade, how can we move forward like that :(

I'm British and feel privileged to have been able to live in Germany for 7 years and visit for holiday purposes many times since. I am hoping this is just a minor or a temporary blip. The whole of Europe needs Germany to be punching its weight - financially, politically and militarily. When I was doing business in Germany (years ago now) German red tape was horrendous. Please turn this round quickly. Mit Freundlichen Grossen.

Bringing high potentials people in country is easier than keeping them and making a safe atmosphere for them to stay. The problemes I have confronted in Germany since I am here is hearth breaking. I don't know how I endure them. I came here with open eyes, now I regret. I will leave as soon as I graduate. And there are lots of students like me with same thought and experiences.

I have moved to Germany some years ago and i have encountered things that i never thought could in Germany happen. Lost application documents in governmental offices, delays in train transport system, faults in my salary slip balance by company's financial department, no place for my kids in kindergartens , endless waiting lists to find a logo doctor though we pay our taxes and so on....I think Germany pushes to get more and more immigrants but at the moment lack the necessary infrastructure.

You mean it is not blindingly obvious. NO MORE CHEAP RUSSIAN GAS!!!

Having lived and set up a company in Germany, i can say that setting up business there is the biggest regret of my life. I only did it for "ease" of personal tax declaration but never in my wildest dreams did i expect a company to be hit for so much money for making profit. By the time you pay taxes and fees about 35% of profit is taken from you. How or why would any company want that? That is why company's will find it start there and innovate and they are left with the old "trusty" companies

As a resident of Germany for the last 9 years, I bent over laughing when this woman described Germans as ever having a ´´positive excitement´´ 🤣

How about nordstream pipelines? Didn't it affect Germany directly?

NATO mission: keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down

When i came here for my Masters, I thought Germany to be somehow similar to US but boy was I wrong. As an IT student with background in software development with experience, I couldn't land a student job in my own field because of the German language requirement. And it's the same case with so many skilled workers who can't land the job because of not having German language skill.

The thing is that they failed to protect their national interest... America will never go against it national interest and this is what ever country must learn. Take advantage of alliances and always keep a balance with allies to protect national interest. 🎉🎉🎉