Liam Halligan

Germany’s ailing economy can’t afford a no-deal Brexit

Berlin is on the brink – and a fresh eurozone crisis is looming

issue 12 October 2019

The UK was the ‘sick man’ when we ‘joined Europe’ in 1973. Now, with Britain on the cusp of leaving, the European Union’s largest economy is decidedly out of sorts. After failing to recover over the summer, Germany is now almost certainly in recession. The state of the fourth biggest economy on earth always matters — but with Germany dragging down the broader eurozone, its declining health could decisively impact Brexit negotiations too.

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