By Christian Kraemer
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Germany's is not
growing as strongly economically as its partners, Finance
Minister Christian Lindner said on Wednesday, in response to the
publication of International Monetary Fund forecasts that he
described as cautious.
The IMF said it expects German gross domestic product to
shrink by 0.1% in 2023, entering a recession. The fund forecast
0.8% growth for the euro area.
"Our partners, our friends, our competitors are developing
more dynamically than Germany in some cases," Lindner said,
adding that he considers the IMF's view to be "very cautious."
The finance minister said Berlin will present its updated
forecasts in a few weeks, which will be more in line with the
forecasts of German economic institutes published last week.
For 2023, the institutes expect the German economy to grow
0.3%, skirting a recession.
"This recession warning from the IMF is a reason for us to
examine what we can do to strengthen our own economic and
competitive position," Lindner said.
(Reporting by Christian Kraemer, Writing by Maria Martinez,
Editing by Rachel More and John Stonestreet$)
