Latest Press Releases

On July 19, 1999, the Minister of Finance of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg Gerhard Stratthaus made an inaugural visit to the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. After an interactive dialogue with the ZEW Board of Directors, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Franz and Ernst-O. Schulze, the Minister obtained an overview of the key activities of the individual research departments. He was particularly interested in the Research Department "Corporate Taxation and Public Finance". Stratthaus wished ZEW the best success for the tasks that lie ahead since, according to him, the political sector hugely depended on scientific advice.

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At today's meeting in Würzburg, the German Council of Science and Humanities recommended the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) to be included on the "Blue List". On this occasion, ZEW President Dr. Wolfgang Franz gave the following statement at a press conference in Mannheim:

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The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim was given high accreditation in the current publication of the German Science Council’s assessment report. ZEW was praised for having turned into a centre of excellence for empirical and policy-oriented economic research in Germany since its foundation in 1990. According to the report, ZEW is a competent discussion and cooperation partner for universities and non-university research institutions, as well as a highly-sought provider of economic policy advice due to its research profile and so far successful work. The German Science Council therefore recommends ZEW to be included on the Blue List. The Mannheim-based economic research institute thus officially belongs to a special list of research institutes in Germany which are funded jointly by the Federal Government and the Länder as a result of their supraregional importance and in the interest of national science policy. The issued recommendation by the German Science Council is a precondition for ZEW to be included on the Blue List and forms the basis for the decision of the Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (BLK) on the future joint funding of ZEW by the Federal Government and the Länder.

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In the course of the latest Supervisory Board meeting of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, the Chairman Prof. Dr. Manfred Timmermann (Deutsche Bank AG) welcomed Wolfgang Fröhlich as a new member. Fröhlich, currently head of section at the Ministry of State Baden-Wuerttemberg, was appointed as successor to head of section Dr. Helmut Birn, who had been member of the ZEW Supervisory Board since November 1996.

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Within the context of the first Economic Forum of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Franz welcomed some 200 participants. "The purpose of this ZEW event, which will take place annually from now on, is to offer a forum of discussion on current economic policy issues", emphasised the president of ZEW. "Economic prospects and policy in Europe" were a major topic discussed at the first ever ZEW Economic Forum, which started off with two insightful and informative presentations on two key aspects of European economic policy by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Otmar Issing, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), and Karel Van Miert, EU Commissioner for Competition.

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On June 11, 1999, the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim will host a one-day economic forum on the topic "Economic Prospects and Policy in Europe".

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The upswing in the business-related services sector, which had been on-going since mid-1996, has become weaker in the first quarter of 1999. The end of 1998 had already prefigured an economic slowdown. In the first quarter the seasonally adjusted, quarterly turnover growth is 0.9 per cent and thus falls below last years’ as well as the previous quarter’s growth rate: in the first quarter of 1998 the growth rate reached 1.2 per cent, while in the previous quarter it was 1.3 per cent.

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More than 60 per cent of new high-tech start-ups in Germany and Great Britain are active in the international arena already in their initial years of business. This is the result of a survey including 600 German and British new high-tech start-ups conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. German executives stated in the survey that encounters at fairs, references or contacts established via industrial customers are the main stepping stones for the start-ups to be introduced to the international market.

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In the course of the Supervisory Board meeting of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Dr. Jürgen Strube, Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board at BASF AG, was elected new Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

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For the second time in a row the economic situation has failed to improve for business-related service providers. Already since the third quarter of 1998, the business situation has remained at stalemate in the consecutive quarters. On the basis of a seasonally adjusted comparison with the previous quarter, the revenues as well as the turnover have once again remained virtually unchanged in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the first time since the third quarter of 1996 this survey has shown a decline.

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