Europe's economy under pressure: ways out of the crisis

Increased pressure to innovate from the USA and the Far East, geopolitical tensions, erratic US customs policy and the risk of growing dependencies on key technologies and resources are putting the European economy under pressure. Persistent economic weakness, in turn, creates a breeding ground for extreme forces and endangers democracy.

But things don't have to come to that in Europe. We can reverse the trend. With a Europe that will be economically and technologically on a par with the best regions in the world by 2040, in which innovative companies will not only be founded in large numbers, but will also grow dynamically and become global market leaders via the capital market. And with a Europe that is a world leader in trustworthy AI, quantum technology and fusion energy, medical technology and green tech.

The data for the first half of 2026 shows how important this internal market and its growth potential are for Germany. While German exports to the USA and China have collapsed, exports to the other EU member states rose sharply - by 7.5 percent compared to the first half of the previous year. But in this country, the great growth potential of the European internal market is often overlooked.