Economics
Merkel’s Crisis Stimulus Is Already Seeping Into German Economy
- Government’s deft footwork on loans wins plaudits by business
- Germany has years of experience with stopgap programs
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In late March, Arnold Mergell delivered an urgent message to Germany’s political elite. Standing in front of a row of blue metal barrels, he complained that the funds needed by small and mid-sized companies like his to survive the coronavirus crisis weren’t getting through fast enough.
“The bazooka’s been loaded, but the trigger is stuck,” said Mergell, who runs chemicals company Hobum Oleochemicals GmbH in Hamburg, with 52 employees.