The president of the Federation of German Industry (BDI) said in an interview published today that it will be a struggle for Germany to reach the government's forecast of two percent growth this year.
"We can reach two per cent only with effort," Mr Michael Rogowski told the Berliner Zeitungdaily.
"The fall in orders, which was already setting in the end of last year, will stop, as will the negative mood in the market."
He said whether or not Germany is hit with recession depends on what happens in the United States.
"I have hope that there will not be a recession," he said.
"If I were a crisis guru, I would say that America has lived through ten years of expansion, now a slowdown comes, so inevitably it will also impact Germany."