Latest Press Releases

On 1 March 2020, the new Skilled Workers’ Immigration Act will enter into force in Germany. This new legislation aims to facilitate migration for university graduates and vocationally trained individuals coming from non-EU countries. With this measure, the federal government hopes to reduce the skills shortage. Dr. Katrin Sommerfeld, head of the Junior Research Group “Integration of Migrants and Attitudes Towards the Welfare State (IMES)” at ZEW Mannheim, comments on this matter:

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Britain’s imminent withdrawal from the EU will mark a historic date for Europe. On this date, a Brexit transition period kicks in, which will last until the end of the year, allowing the UK and the rest of the EU to negotiate their future relations. President of ZEW Mannheim, Professor Achim Wambach, comments on this matter.

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The debate about the speed limit on German motorways has so far been guided mainly by emotional rather than objective arguments. What is missing is a careful examination of the causal effects of a speed limit. The German automobile association ADAC has now also spoken out in favour of determining the effects of a speed limit on the basis of reliable research results. Professor Martin Kesternich, deputy head of the Research Department “Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management” at ZEW Mannheim, explains what an optimal study could look like using a randomised field experiment to identify the causal effects of a speed limit on road safety.

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The federal government aims to develop a data strategy to significantly increase the availability and use of data in Germany. To this end, the government presented the key points of a data strategy in November 2019. With a view to today’s first hearing on the data strategy at the Federal Chancellery, Professor Irene Bertschek, head of the Research Department “Digital Economy” at ZEW Mannheim and one of the experts invited to the hearing, comments on this matter.

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The five-year term of office of the new European Commission begins on 1 December 2019 under Ursula von der Leyen. Professor Friedrich Heinemann, head of the ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”, comments on this matter.

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Following the German Bundestag’s adoption at the beginning of November of the bill on tax incentives for research and development (R&D) proposed by the federal government, the Bundesrat now also approved the new Research Allowance Act. The law will come into effect on 1 January 2020. Dr. Georg Licht, head of the ZEW Research Department “Economics of Innovation and Industrial Dynamics”, comments on this matter.

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Today the German Bundestag concludes its general debate on the national budget for the coming year. Professor Friedrich Heinemann, head of the Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance” at ZEW Mannheim, comments on this matter.

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The Federal Statistical Office has released its initial calculation for growth in German gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter. Compared to the previous quarter, price-adjusted GDP in Germany has grown by 0.1 per cent. The risk of recession has thus been averted for the time being. After GDP had dropped by 0.1 per cent in the previous quarter, a continuation of the negative growth rate in the third quarter would have fit the technical definition of recession. Professor Friedrich Heinemann, head of the Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance” at ZEW Mannheim, comments on the Federal Statistical Office’s calculation.

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In an official letter to the United Nations, the US government has rescinded its part in the Paris climate agreement. Professor Martin Kesternich, deputy head of the ZEW Research Department “Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management” at ZEW Mannheim and professor of economics with a special focus on environmental and resource economics at the University of Kassel, comments on this matter.

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The German Federal Ministry of Finance’s Working Party on Tax Revenue Estimates has published its forecasts for federal, state and municipal tax revenues in Germany. Despite the economic slowdown, the working party expects tax revenues to continue to rise significantly in the coming years, from 796.4 billion euros in 2019 to 935 billion euros in 2024. Professor Friedrich Heinemann, head of the Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance” at ZEW Mannheim, comments on this matter.

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