2025-09-24
8 分钟Germany's Chancellor Warren's businesses face one of their toughest economic tests yet as Berlin tries to push through a new budget.
It's World Business Express from the BBC World Service.
I'm Liana Byrne.
In Italy,
the government wants to freeze the retirement age and a landmark deal to slash the price of a life-saving HIV prevention drug.
Yes, in Germany, many businesses are not happy.
A closely watched survey from the EFO Economic Think Tank shows business sentiment fell in September,
analysts had actually expected a rise.
It ends an eight-month run of optimistic data and adds to fears Europe's biggest economy is stuck in near stagnation until the end of the year.
It's a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz,
who skipped the UN General Assembly in New York, to focus on getting his budget through Parliament.
He's promised urgent action, starting with Germany's industrial backbone.
The automotive industry, the steel industry, the chemical industry,
these must remain key industries for our economy.
And because that's the case, I will be meeting with these industries,
with the steel industry and the automotive industry in the next few days.
But manufacturers like Frank Proré in Berlin say that focus risks leaving other companies behind.
I understand that our government is willing to support those key industries,
but what about other industries?
Always the same key industries and probably the same big players.