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| Ukrainians expressing support for siding with the EU |
Every two weeks, together with Die WELT Group, we
ask 500 German CEOs for their opinion on emerging topics that move the economy and society.
In the retrospect, the year 2014 was
marked by crises and wars in Iraq, Syria,
Libya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Back in
February two-thirds of Germany's
top managers called for financial
support for Kiev, to ensure stability in the country and in Europe. After
the horrible crash of flight MH17,
two-thirds of our managers voted for
tougher sanctions against Russia and already assumed that the conflict will continue.
Most of them were expecting sanctions of one to two
years duration. Sanctions have
already had an adverse effect on the Russian economy - the
ruble crashed to a historic low,
and the Russian
central bank needed to intervene with
over USD 1.5 billion to stop further
deterioration.
Our
Leaders Parliament showed good intuition for trends
and their impact, also on other issues:
Protection of data privacy in Europa - Help is on the way in the digital jungle:
Thus, the overwhelming majority of our members advocated the creation of new European standards for data protection that will make it harder for countries outside the European Union to spy on data streams on the continent. More than 84% believe that more stringent privacy protection is needed in Europe. Online security must not remain a matter of trust. First drafts of a Schengen routing have already been organized by Deutsche Telekom.
Agenda 2025 for Germany:
Growth prospects and optimism seem to be unbroken in Germany. Despite all the crises, for our Leaders Parliament members, Germany's economy had been steadfast. In August 57% were of the opinion that the recovery had already developed enough momentum to cope with minor setbacks. Some critics urged to take advantage of the current favorable situation to lay the foundation for future growth. We have to define goals and measures, back up public finance, modernize tax and welfare systems and expand education and infrastructure. Over 95% of our members felt the same. Bad debts must be reduced and the economy must be positioned for new challenges, such as the Digital Economy. For nearly 50% of respondents, this is a challenge for policymakers, as it was with the agenda of 2010.
Protection of data privacy in Europa - Help is on the way in the digital jungle:
Thus, the overwhelming majority of our members advocated the creation of new European standards for data protection that will make it harder for countries outside the European Union to spy on data streams on the continent. More than 84% believe that more stringent privacy protection is needed in Europe. Online security must not remain a matter of trust. First drafts of a Schengen routing have already been organized by Deutsche Telekom.
Agenda 2025 for Germany:
Growth prospects and optimism seem to be unbroken in Germany. Despite all the crises, for our Leaders Parliament members, Germany's economy had been steadfast. In August 57% were of the opinion that the recovery had already developed enough momentum to cope with minor setbacks. Some critics urged to take advantage of the current favorable situation to lay the foundation for future growth. We have to define goals and measures, back up public finance, modernize tax and welfare systems and expand education and infrastructure. Over 95% of our members felt the same. Bad debts must be reduced and the economy must be positioned for new challenges, such as the Digital Economy. For nearly 50% of respondents, this is a challenge for policymakers, as it was with the agenda of 2010.
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| Celebrations after winning the World Cup in Brazil |
54, 74, 90 ... 2014:
Although the German national football team earned their fourth star in Brazil, our top managers were initially less euphoric at the impact of the FIFA World Cup on the German economy. Nearly two-thirds of our respondents said that the impact of the World Cup is overestimated on consumers and the economy - and they thus showed remarkable sense. A short time later, leading economic research institutes lowered their growth forecast for 2014 significantly. However, Germany took the title as the most popular country in the world and is now, according to a GfK survey, the country with the best image worldwide. This topnotch image is not only based on our political leadership role in Europe or on our strong economy; it is also a result of our athletic, creative and excellent performance in Brazil.
Wishing you a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Although the German national football team earned their fourth star in Brazil, our top managers were initially less euphoric at the impact of the FIFA World Cup on the German economy. Nearly two-thirds of our respondents said that the impact of the World Cup is overestimated on consumers and the economy - and they thus showed remarkable sense. A short time later, leading economic research institutes lowered their growth forecast for 2014 significantly. However, Germany took the title as the most popular country in the world and is now, according to a GfK survey, the country with the best image worldwide. This topnotch image is not only based on our political leadership role in Europe or on our strong economy; it is also a result of our athletic, creative and excellent performance in Brazil.
Wishing you a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Best,
TO
Image credit: wikimedia.org
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