FOCUS 5
FOCUS 5 – Economics
Germany’s role in the EU is very important. Germany is the heart of the EU, known for its loyalty to other nations, its stable economy, and its ability to negotiate. —Melanie Germany is one of the most important members of the EU due to both a thriving economy and a high quality of life for its residents. Driven by its highly skilled labor force, Germany has been Europe’s strongest economy for years.
Germany is one of the biggest economic players in the EU. This gives the country a lot of power, but also a lot of responsibility. One of the advantages of the EU is that people within the borders can work wherever they want to. I believe that to be a good thing because it leads to professionals exchanging ideas and points of view. In the end, knowledge that is produced through the exchange between nations, professionals and workers from different countries and walks of life is more valuable, more diverse, and more adaptable. —Annika
—Veronika Germany is the economic powerhouse of the EU. If the German economy slows down, the European economy will slow down. Germany is every Europeans country’s biggest trading partner. —Lenz
Being rich means that our neighbors have higher expectations. Germany has had a long and stable time with Angela Merkel, and now we should think of how to cooperate more with France without offending the other countries, and being aware that China will develop rapidly, and not relax too much on our achievements.
The key lesson of the 20th century is that the EU is the greatest thing Europeans have ever invented. After centuries of killing each other, we have stopped doing so. That in itself is remarkable, although we tend to forget about that fact most of the time. Germany will only continue to strive if we remember that our country does well when the EU does well. We may sometimes consider ourselves the biggest player in the club, but it is in our own self-interest to always keep in mind that we will only succeed if we continue to work with our neighbors within the EU, not outside of it.
—Annemarie
—Torben
GERMANY IN FOCUS
A Transatlantic Outreach Program Instructional text for secondary educators
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