Germany's finance ministry said today that German economic growth had slowed since the middle of 2000 although some key sectors of the economy remained robust.
"The pace of expansion in the German economy has noticeably slowed since the middle of last year under the influence of the global economic slowdown," the ministry said in its April monthly report.
The ministry said the industrial and export sectors remained particularly robust. However, the improvement in the jobs market seen last year has not continued, it said.
The ministry said earlier it was likely to adjust its 2001 forecast tomorrow from its original estimate for growth at around 2.75 per cent.