BERLIN, Nov. 20 -- German coalition talks collapse has caused widespread unease among Germany's European partners and domestic industry representatives.
Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Ziljstra expressed his concern by describing the development as "bad news for Europe."
"Germany is very influential in the EU, but without a government it lacks a mandate and will struggle to adopt clear positions," said Ziljstra.
The Dutch politicians voiced against re-elections instead suggested a renewed talks among German parties after a cooling-off period.
Czech Europe Minister Ales Chmelar reacted by saying that Prague hoped "Germany would have a strong government sooner or later."
Germany is widely seen as a stabilizing factor in the European Union (EU), which plays a crucial role in ensuring the bloc's political and economic success.
The euro fell sharply against the dollar on Monday morning but later regained some of its ground.
"The collapse of the coalition talks in Germany on Sunday night brought back the topic of political uncertainty to financial markets," Tilmann Galler, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, told the newspaper "Financial Times".
German business representatives largely reacted with dismay to the FDP's exit from talks.
"What a mess," said Holger Bingmann, president of the German Federation of Wholesale and Foreign Trade (BGA), on Monday.
According to Bingmann, there seemed to be an increasing unwillingness among political parties to assume governing responsibility which was "damage to democracy."
He recommended the parties to reconsider their stances during a 14-day breathing period following this "low point."
In a similar vein, Peter Wollseifer, president of German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) complained that it was a "fatal" signal to Germany's economy and society that the negotiating parties had proven unable to reach sustainable compromises.
Eric Schweitzer, president of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), lamented that an important opportunity had been wasted to overcome ideological divisions in favor of pragmatic solutions. As a consequence, there was now a risk that important reforms would be postponed.
"German firms have to prepare themselves for what might become a long phase of insecurity," Schweitzer warned.
Nevertheless, several leading German economists voiced optimism that the country's economic momentum would be maintained after eight consecutive years of growth.
"The resulting economic damage is likely to be limited in light of strong fundamentals," Holger Sandte, Chief Economist at Nordea Bank, told press.
While Joerg Kraemer, Chief Economist at Commerzbank, described the uncertainty caused by the failure of talks as "poison for the economy." But he's still confident that high productivity and loose monetary policy will at least temporarily sustain the current boom.
Clemens Fuest, president of the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic research, voiced the view that a possible minority government might be a good political option moving forward in an environment of heightened uncertainty.
By contrast, Marcel Fratzscher, president of the Berlin-based German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), was unwilling to write off a "Jamaica" coalition entirely yet.
The CDU, CSU, FDP and Green parties "must give (negotiations) another go, because they know that none of them will benefit from re-elections," Fratzscher was quoted saying.
高中英语词汇:80后“A到Z”生存法则
初中英语 词缀记忆法
2009中考英语词汇表 系列I
09年英语短语集中联想记忆110条
“爱”成中学生作文出现频率最高词汇
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解3一冠词
词汇笔记 五种词汇的学习方法 超强
张惠妹《排山倒海》英文版
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:blind
初中英语常用词组复习1
2009中考英语词汇表 系列YXZ
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:deal
英乐时空Here I Am
中考英语词汇--“美味水果”大聚会
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:cost
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解4一数词
常用英语词语辨析105组(2)
2009中考英语词汇表 系列S
2010年中考英语词汇熟词新义:start
中考英语词汇“for短语”全攻略
十个窍门积累英语词汇
2009中考英语词汇表 系列UV
2009中考英语词汇表 系列T
2009中考英语词汇表 系列PQ
2009中考英语词汇表 系列W
2009中考英语词汇表 系列R
常用英语词语辨析105组(4)
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解1一冠词
常用英语词语辨析105组(3)
初中英语短语汇总 A- Y
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |