German strength shows Europe's economic split

Philip Whyte of the CER worries that weakness elsewhere in the bloc's northern core, which in addition to Germany and France includes the Netherlands, Austria and Finland, could prolong the region's malaise. The latter three economies each contracted in the third quarter. "What we have is an extraordinarily weak periphery and a core that is not as strong as many people believe," Mr Whyte said. "Germany is not providing a huge impetus to the eurozone because it is still reliant on external demand for its growth," he said.