Comments by Germany's economy minister, Peter Altmaier, via Bild
- We are in a phase of economic weakness but not in a recession
- We can avoid a recession if we take the right measures
Though it still isn't enough to convince lawmakers to spend and shift their stance on the budget pledge. The problems faced by Germany are not entirely domestic but when the market is paying you to borrow/spend and you say no... That's madness.
If negative rates can't get Germany to spend, then nothing will.