German press: Prices rise – Germans save money

The increase in prices and calls to the government to stop the sanctions in Russia, but also Thessaloniki as a culinary paradise in the press.

Inflation and the course of the German economy are among the main issues that concern the press even today. “The sharp rise in prices is causing Germans to switch to cheaper products,” she writes Handelsblatt – a shift that, as the financial newspaper points out, particularly affects suppliers of organic and branded foods.

“Consumers continue to buy sustainably, but they are turning to cheaper products. This is strengthening the discounter chains. At the same time, organic retailers and producers of branded products are fighting for their survival in the market (…) The contrast is stark with 2020 record year, as organic food sales overall had skyrocketed.” Of course, as the newspaper comments, then consumers could not travel, restaurants were closed and consequently the food budget was correspondingly high.

Energy and the East Germans

Publication on Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he refers to the letters that East German craftsmen have been sending to the federal government for several weeks. The authors of the letters, according to the newspaper, focus on “their fear of the collapse of the country, the request to stop all sanctions against Russia and the preservation of all reliable and affordable energy sources.”

The columnist comments that these letters highlight the “alarming erosion” of trust in the government: “Increasingly, the impression is created that this governing coalition, for mainly ideological reasons, is destroying much of what was painstakingly built during the previous decades. And the criticism is directed mainly against energy prices. This is an issue that already played an important role in the run-up to the elections in East Germany (…) There, the already existing experience of the political transition is key to understanding the situation: many East Germans remember still all too well the hardships, deprivations and upheavals that German Reunification brought with it. And especially the artisans, many of whom have small businesses, are proud of what they have achieved despite adverse conditions. But they all also say: “No we want to experience something like this again””.

A German Member of Parliament for Greece and Greek-German relations

THE Berliner Kurier refers to Christian Democrat MP from Berlin Christian Goeni, who on Wednesday was awarded the European People’s Party’s European Medal in the European Parliament. According to the publication on the newspaper’s website, Goini has been dealing with Greek-German relations for decades and wants to build bridges between the two countries, leaving aside stereotypes against Greece.

In addition, he points out that the MP would like the cooperation to be greater – he believes that “Germany and Berlin have left many possibilities for closer cooperation in the drawer, while instead they spoke highly of the country’s debt crisis”. However, he himself, in the Berliner Kurier article, points out that he wants these stereotypes to disappear with his action and suggests to readers to visit Northern Greece and Thessaloniki in particular: “Not only because Thessaloniki is a culinary paradise, but because communication is easy “English is usually enough, however many (including local residents) of older age also speak German, as they have lived and worked in Germany””.

Chrysa Vakhcevanou

SOURCE: Deutsche Welle