The International Monetary Fund (IMF) believes that Germany's growth momentum remains solid. In particular, robust domestic demand and increasing employment make Germany an "engine of growth in the euro area", IMF experts explain.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann believes that the increasingly robust economic recovery in the euro area is creating scope to move away from an ultra-loose monetary policy stance. It is not a question of slamming on the brakes, but of easing off the accelerator a little, he said in a speech delivered in Vienna.

The Bundesbank celebrated its 60th anniversary by hosting an open day in Frankfurt am Main on 1 and 2 July. Around 28,000 visitors eager to gather their own impressions of the Bundesbank flocked to the bank’s Central Office and its Regional Office in Hesse to experience a rich variety of informative and entertaining attractions.

Speaking at an event to mark the Bundesbank's 60th anniversary, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann underscored the institution's importance for the stability culture in Germany and Europe. "Over the last 60 years, the Bundesbank has not been afraid to ruffle a few feathers if it sees stability risks," he said in Stuttgart. That had not damaged its reputation among the general public.

The Bundesbank's president Jens Weidmann has warned that, with increasing demands being made of central banks, the boundary between monetary and fiscal policy risks becoming blurred. Monetary policymakers must make clear that they are guided solely by monetary policy considerations, he said in an interview with German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

The Bundesbank regards the current design and implementation of the European fiscal rules as problematic. The rules and their implementation are now almost impossible to follow and their binding force is being eroded, it says in the current Monthly Report. The Bundesbank recommends making the rules simpler again and that the exceptions and discretionary leeway be reduced.

The Bank for International Settlements believes that the current economic upswing offers an opportunity to strengthen economic resilience. According to its latest Annual Report, this is the key to reaping the benefits of globalisation.

The Bundesbank has held a colloquium in memory of its former President Hans Tietmeyer. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann paid tribute to Mr Tietmeyer, calling him "the president who ensured that European monetary union was designed with the Bundesbank's tradition of stability in mind".

To mark its 60th anniversary, the Bundesbank held a high-level symposium in Frankfurt am Main on the future of central banking. During the course of the event, participants highlighted the benefits and constraints associated with non-standard monetary policy measures, the economic consequences of interaction between central banks and governments and the impact of new financial technologies.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann sees the development of local bond markets in African countries as an important step in improving the financing conditions for investment. "Domestic debt markets are the primary way to raise private funds for investment," explained Mr Weidmann at a G20 conference in Berlin.