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Articles by Lidia Conde

About the Author

Lidia Conde
She studied journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Since 1991, Lidia lives and works in Germany as a correspondent for several Spanish newspapers, in which she has covered the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification. Seeking an answer to how Europe could become competitive and fair, too.
Veronik Grimm

European economy, European politics, Interviews 28th January 2023

Veronika Grimm: “the high costs of fossil energies represent a stimulus to accelerate the transformation towards renewable energies”

Lidia Conde (Francfort) | Veronika Grimm (Rendsburg, Germany, 1971) sits on the German Federal Government’s Advisory Council of Economists, which analyses the country’s economic development on the basis of scientific criteria and publishes a report every autumn in which it expresses its analyses and forecasts. Following its opinion, the government in turn responds to the council’s recommendations. Now, Grimm predicts that the economy of the continent’s leading power will shrink…

fratzscher 1

Interviews 16th June 2022

“The Rise In Inflation Is Largely Due To Speculation. The ECB Will Not Be Able To Stop It By Raising Rates”

Lidia Conde (Francfort) | explains Marcel Fratzscher, president of the DIW (Berlin Institute for Economic Research) who headed the ECB’s International Economic Policy Analysis Department in 2008-2013. In an interview to be published in this month’s issue of Consejeros magazine, Fratzscher explains that “The ECB is habdicapped because it cannot tacle the problem by raising rates, neither this year nor the next”, which is why “I am not in favour…

Dullien

Interviews 15th February 2022

“Politics Would Have To Intervene Whenever The Market Transfers Wealth Creation Out Of Europe In A Disproportionate Way”

Lidia Conde | Sebastian Dullien is Director of the IMK Düsseldorf. Q: Germans have spent 200 billion euros less since the beginning of the epidemic. Will all this money flow into consumption? A: Not all of it, but a considerable part will be spent. Studies conducted by our institute show that Germans are not only planning to buy new consumer durables such as cars, furniture or houses, but also to…

Herman Simon

Interviews 14th October 2021

“I Hope That The New German Government’s Climate Change Plan Is Realistic”

Lidia Conde (Francfort) | Herman Simon, founder of Simon-Kucher & Partners, is best known for his 30 books, translated into 26 languages. His works on pricing and price management have become classics in the academic world. According to Manager Magazin, he is the world’s foremost pricing expert. Q: There will probably be a red-green cabinet supported by the Liberals. What do you expect from the new government “in the Chinese…

Christoph M. Schmidt

Interviews 19th April 2021

“The Rapid Recuperation In World Trade Has Already Enabled Industry to Almost Completely Recover”

Lidia Conde (Francfort) | Christoph Schmidt, chairman of the Franco-German economic think tank for the past year – when he stepped down as chairman of the council of wise men advising the Berlin government – makes no secret of his concerns: “Both the European Green Deal and the Next Generation EU nourish the hope that Europe will emerge stronger from this crisis in the end. But between the EU’s ambitious plans and the final success, the final results, there is a long way to go. And on that road, member states will have to undertake the structural reforms that will increase their long-term growth potential and show their readiness to return to compliance with the stability and growth pact, with the debt rules”.

Germany

European economy 23rd March 2021

The Illusion Of Wealth In Germany: Rich Country, Poor Country

Lidia Conde | The Germans are champions at saving money. In 2020, 330 billion euros. But 41% of citizens have less than 10,000 euros of wealth. Per household, the median wealth amounted (median) to 119,100 euros in Spain, 132,200 in Italy, 117,900 in France and 71,100 in Germany. In the eurozone, 99,400. These are ECB data.

Merkel Laschet

European politics 19th January 2021

Angela Merkel, A Chancellor Difficult To Replace

Lidia Conde | Over the weekend in Germany, the CDU elected Angela Merkel’s replacement as head of the party. They bet on continuity with the election of the moderate Armin Laschet. For the first time in Germany’s history, the person who occupies the chancellor’s office is leaving voluntarily. And she does so with the respect and recognition of her opponents and successors, both in the CDU and in the government.

Mark Hallberg

Interviews 2nd December 2020

“There Will Be A ‘Biden Spring’, With A Vaccine And A Recovery, But The Economic Boom Will Take Longer”

Lidia Conde | According to the US political scientist Mark Hallberg, “in bilateral relations (US/EU) there will be no automatic return to Obama’s policy. In trade relations I do not expect a new version of the trade treaty, nor a further version of the TTIP. But the tone will be better… I hope, for example, that Biden and Macron will get along. They have a similar world view.” Hallberg is currently Dean and Professor of Public Management and Political Economy at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

germany prusian flag

European politics 28th September 2020

Populism In Germany Is Becoming Increasingly Unpopular

Lidia Conde (Frankfurt) | Are there many? Or just a few? One in five Germans believes in populist arguments or has ideas which go against the system or the elite or pluralism. Two years ago, it was one in three. According to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, populism is less and less popular. However, watching thousands of people demonstrating against the anti-pandemic restrictions in a country which is a model in containing the pandemic, one wonders if Germany has not gone completely mad.

EU Germany together

European politics 13th July 2020

A More European Germany Than Ever Presiding Over Europe

Lidia Conde (Frankfurt) | Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union Council from July. The other member states’ expectations are high. All the dimensions of the health, social and economic impact of the coronavirus are still unknown. But we know that the consequences could be immense. All together to relaunch Europe” is the German Presidency’s motto and one which is not just words. Germany and its Chancellor Angela Merkel are committed to it.