By Andrea Thomas, BridgeNews
Berlin--Jan. 15--The economic situation in Germany and Europe is "extremely favorable," said Gerhard Schroeder, Germany's chancellor Monday at a press conference here. Schroeder added that excluding effects arising from high oil prices, Germany's gross domestic product would have reached 3.3% in 2000 compared with the reported 3.1% rise on the year.
* * * "The economic situation in Germany and Europe is extremely favorable, in the last 10 years it has scarcely been more favorable than now," Schroeder said.
Excluding the "exorbitant increase in oil prices," Germany's GDP would have seen 3.3% growth in 2000, according to the German Statistics Office, Schroeder said.
"I believe this is a situation, which could and should make one feel very positive," Schroeder told journalists following a meeting of the Social Democratic Party committee.
He added that the positive economic development goes hand in hand with a "clear reduction of unemployment." The situation in the labor market could be characterized as a "extremely positive development," he said.
Addressing the current mad cow discussions in Germany and the change of the German government towards an agricultural policy giving consumer protection more weight, Schroeder noted it would be a mistake to play consumer interest off against farmer interest.