According to preliminary calculations by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), price-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 was 0.3% lower than a year earlier. The calendar-adjusted decline in economic output was 0.1%. According to Destatis, high prices at all stages of the economy dampened economic activity. This was joined by unfavourable financing conditions due to rising interest rates and lower demand from Germany and abroad. 

The finance ministers and central bank governors of the seven leading western industrial countries (G7) met in Stresa, Italy, to exchange views on current issues. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel and Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner held a joint press conference at which the main focus was on the development of the global economy and trade, but other topics on the agenda were current affairs and interest rate developments.

This year’s Spring Conference held by the Bundesbank’s Research Centre focused on “Structural changes and the implications for inflation”. A large number of researchers from central banks, universities and other institutions based in Germany and abroad met in Eltville to discuss this topic. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel spoke in a video message. 

How did the ECB Governing Council arrive at its new monetary policy operational framework for the Eurosystem? What principles will be followed when implementing monetary policy in the future? Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel addressed these questions at the 55th Konstanz Seminar on monetary theory and monetary policy.