Wolfgang Mössinger: Germany is on its way back to health

The ensuing economic difficulties led many to characterise Germany as the "sick man of Europe". Was it worthwhile? The current state of its economy, following the deepest recession in post-war history, gives reason for optimism.

An attitude of cautious risk-taking and an ambition to improve products and services (and not merely profits and bonuses) prevails in most small and medium-sized companies, which has helped Germany to come out of recession stronger and earlier than predicted.

However, success was not achieved without cost. Over the last ten years, the real wages of Germany's workforce have declined. This put Germany in the spotlight: we were accused of causing an imbalance in world trade. The resulting advice was, in a nutshell: "Work less, spend more!" Such policy has failed elsewhere and will not resonate with the Germans, especially when considering challenges such as demographics, dependency on world markets, energy safety and climate change.

The government has proposed wide-ranging reforms, and these challenges force Germans to make provisions for the future, personally and on a national level. Following the record stimulus of €100bn over two years, a ceiling on new debt to bring debt levels down to almost zero by 2016 has been adopted.

Free trade, globalisation and the euro are serving Germany well. Simple political solutions, such as to withdraw into a nationalistic comfort zone, therefore, do not appeal to many Germans. This stability, reinforced by consensus-minded social partners, will enable Germans to honour our international commitments, within the EU and beyond.

• Wolfgang Mssinger is consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany for Scotland and the North of England.