is germany a war profiteer. german gun maker on trial for alleged illegal exports used to kill thousands of people in mexico's drug war. the western sanctions on russia buy back we talked to the german economy minister about the consequences it's. bad and many a revival from europe's poor to the poster boy for growth. and let's do business six former employees of german guns make a heckler and koch have gone on trial there facing charges of illegally exporting weapons to mexico prosecutors accuse the company of supplying rifles used in abuses like the suspected massacre of forty three mexican students they say it's shipments breached germany's weapons control by ending up in a specially violent storm states if found guilty the defendants could get jail terms of up to five years. should a country that started to boat was exporting weapons guns tanks and ammunition made

in germany a popular making of the world's fourth biggest exporter german firms sold forty percent of their weapons to you and nato countries sixty percent went to other countries around the world every german arts sport needs a government license to leverage the nation's outside the e.u. and nato come under particular scrutiny to ensure they comply with the following criteria they have to meet human rights standards they also have to or ensure they are not in jane during regional political stability and they shouldn't clash with germany's in the e.u. political interests but who and he is so the principles if the court rules the company didn't it could face a fine a reporter going to kettle's went to the town where the firm is based. a major center of the german weapons industry. those who want to understand germany's weapons capital need to go to church says you know what if that's why it was here

that weapons manufacturing began an open door about two hundred years ago in an august indian monastery actually in this church where we're standing in the so who . is married to god in the highest heaven. on earth and goodwill to men it's grotesque that when these this message of peace weapons were produced beautifully when which millions of people were killed three of your information. only opinion makes him an outsider and opened off there are three weapons manufacturers in this mall town in southern germany and clued in on cause. many of the roughly fifteen thousand residents are directly or indirectly involved in the arms industry. because you don't really think about it they have to be produced somewhere and now they're here and even a member of the company has to make something one make sugar others make candy make

weapons without weapons what should they make maybe make chocolate or something now . they. learn cost doesn't make it someone else will then somebody else will produce weapons and they're not just making weapons for the military but also for the police and we need them to its people. guns have been manufactured and opened off for two hundred years the first rifle factory opened in eight hundred twelve the local weapons museum shows the development from the early days to modern military weapons by headline co as the myth or so this g thirty six assault rifle takes center stage it's been the standard weapon of germany's armed forces since about two thousand since one thousand nine hundred seventy it's actually true that the standard infantry arms have come from off to this day except for a very very short break first with the imperial army then for the army of their life during the weimar republic for the belmont of the nazi era and then for

today's bundeswehr. work for hector on call in his youth today he's involved in activism against weapons exports from his hometown. everyone knows that every fifteen minutes every fourteen minutes to be precise someone is shot dead with a weapon made by heck not because it matters to some people this is the he. had and call not just a company like every other even if as seen from old and off that's easy to forget. the west sanctions on russia a biting back german wholesaler metro has posted a quarterly loss of fifteen million euros it's a steep drop since the same quarter last year when metric posted a forty billion euro profit russia as one of the group's most important markets a growing economic uncertainty has led to a fall in consumer spending metro plans to change its pricing policy to reignite

business there. yet unlike sanctions of russia are a topic our moscow bureau chief drug storage spoke about in an exclusive interview with german economy minister paid to us by. i mean the minister spoke this morning with german business representatives because you. have made it difficult for them to generate the revenues we thought would otherwise been possible and that's i think. you've got to watch after german industry wants the sanctions removed at least partially so can you make that happen. do you suppose. it was important to me to speak to german business representatives there are many companies here mid-sized firms but also very big ones their presence here they create jobs and make money it's important to me to be able to protect these companies from the negative effects of the american sanctions. gauging into the problems of discussion by first with the american government to see whether

deadlines can be extended in certain cases and exceptions made possible but we're also speaking with the russian government because we want to make certain that russian countermeasures want to exacerbate the situation for german companies. so you say you want to strengthen cooperation with german business. what do you mean by that my. minister as economy minister i feel responsible for ensuring that german business is broad can be successful and that's a benefit for german jobs too and that depends on opening up new possibilities in terms of cooperation with mid-sized companies which there are far fewer in russia than in germany. and that we progress in terms of dual training of environmental cooperation in the energy sector and with model projects. there's a lot there that isn't affected by sanctions and we should use these opportunities . the sanctions were imposed for political reasons ministers from either side

aren't the ones deciding whether they should continue those decisions are made in brussels and washington. in washing but we can achieve much below that level and we have determined that today we have agreed that strategic working groups from the economy ministry and russian partners are going to meet in june. and we're going to try to push such projects forward on all levels. reduced bureaucracy and that german companies can trust in the rule of law are also part of those efforts. that's something i also discussed with my russian partners i believe that international exchange and free trade are in the interest of all concerned and i'm doing all that i can for that with regard to russia. the german economy minister there peter i buy a new show a slowdown in the euro zone don't blame it on romania it used to be the man of

europe now the nation's notching up growth figures otherwise reserved for china or india may romanians who fled poverty to other european countries are returning to a burgeoning economy and how they recognize what they left behind. common is surprised at just how much our homeland has changed in recent years after three years in switzerland the i.t. specialist returned to romania and now she raves about the seismic shift that swept the country are so much more engaged and aware of what's going on around them and they are so very committed to making a change make a difference coming back with their experiences and trying to shape the society with their friends and people around them. and works for deutsche bank the company has established its global i.t. center in romania's capital bucharest and boasts almost one thousand employees with

one international company after another setting up offices in the country and seven percent economic growth europe's poor house looks more like an engine room the european head of an israeli investment company proudly shows off his shopping center to more are under construction. spend money more than others. or german people for instance it's in the mentality. the government is fuelling this shopping fever they reduce the v.a. t. and sharply raise the minimum wage this has raised questions as to whether the boom is sustainable. says no peace just opened his second cafe and as well as benefiting from the boom he's becoming increasingly worried that remaining is accumulating a mountain of debt. their misfortune is where. they were never i don't think in in time invested in their people in their systems in their computers in their strategy

so like i said you have this streak of supercomputer the hunger for noise beat in coffee shops in technology and what have you and on the other hand you have the public sector which is a stock in time. but the economy is flourishing here despite the woes with the administration and of course many romanians hope that the change for the better to . finally we all know the way we work well beyond how we live a changing at lightning speed as commerce and industry changes as well so keep up with the trends and join us all may. use new business magazine delves into everything from innovation to the shadowy sign of digitalization. don't miss the first show on everything you know ration busses motivation coming up later tonight at ten thirty german time catch up

anytime on our website dot com slash business. scene tonight i spoke business with the.

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tell my mother to not go today nothing would change you know the banks. and so was the language of the bank running. for speaking the truth global news that matters g.w. made for mines. luth. move. move. hi and welcome to a special on german director all but rank up you might not know is they but i bet you seen some of his movies he's one of the most success.