One consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is that many restaurants are closed, and city centres are empty. The German government has put in place an extensive safety net for the private sector.  Photo: imago images/photothek/Florian Gaertner

In a video conference on Friday, Angela Merkel discussed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the German economy with representatives of industry associations and trade unions. You can find more about their talks here.

The focus was on the challenges facing branches that have been particularly hard hit, including the retail trade, catering and hospitality, and parts of the manufacturing sector. The video conference was also attended by Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Hubertus Heil, Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Andreas Scheuer and Helge Braun, Head of the Federal Chancellery.

To minimise disruption to European supply chains in particular, the Chancellor advocated common action within Europe. Another matter discussed was what economic-policy measures could support the re-opening of the economy in Germany and in Europe.

The German government has put in place a safety net for the private sector with subsidies, guarantees, tax relief and unlimited liquidity assistance. Find out about the details here.