While Germany saw marginal growth in Q209 the infrastructure sector still faces difficulties in 2009. Although government stimulus has had positive effects in other areas, the total value for construction contracts in 2009 is projected to be down to US$118bn. This represents year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of -1.46%. The construction industry remained more or less static in terms of percentage of total GDP at 3.95%. A number of major projects have been announced in Germany particularly around energy security and transport.

The most ambitious of these is a large-scale solar plant planned by a consortium of German companies. Titled the Desertec project, it will eventually transport electricity from North Africa to power German homes. The Nord Stream pipeline connecting Germany with Russian gas fields also moved a step closer thanks to environmental approval from Finnish authorities. Germany has increased its lead in BMI’s business environment ratings with an overall score of 78.3 out of 100. The country received its highest scores for country structure and country risk thanks to its excellent regulatory environment.

Infrastructure stimulus programs also helped to drive growth in the construction industry over the short term. In terms of BMI’s Project Finance Ratings, Germany also received a strong score, ranking alongside the UK and France as the leading nations for infrastructure project risks. Germany scored 68.4 out of 100 overall. Despite media reports to the contrary, the German government has stated that its second economic stimulus program is on schedule. Figures suggest that Germany may now be recovering from what is the worst recession since World War II. Early economic indicators show that the EUR85bn allocated thus far has had an impact, and that the German economy returned to marginal GDP growth of 0.3% in Q209.