BOCHUM, Germany (Reuters) – Germany’s fast-sinking Pirates Party struggled to overcome infighting at a congress that ended on Sunday and chart a course for next year’s federal elections that may see it cast into political oblivion as swiftly as it arrived.

Support for the Pirates, who surprisingly won seats in four states over the past year, has shrunk to around a quarter of its peak. Their demise could help the centre left recover enough votes to oust conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel.

BOCHUM, Germany (Reuters) – The leader of Germany’s Pirates, whose shock success in four state elections thrust it onto the political stage, apologized on Saturday for the fierce infighting that has contributed to a plunge in popularity and called for unity.

The Pirates have seen support drop from 13 percent six months ago to under 5 percent now, the threshold needed for it to enter parliament at next year’s federal election.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Philipp Klais, who runs the organ manufacturer in Bonn that his great-grandfather founded in 1882, gets requests every week from foreign officials as far away as Korea to visit his company. This baffles him.

“They want to find the secret to our success,” said Klais, whose organs stand in concert halls and churches from Taiwan to Argentina, as well as in Germany. “But we don’t see any, we just do what we do, and have been doing for the past 130 years.”

BERLIN, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Philipp Klais, who runs the organ
manufacturer in Bonn that his great-grandfather founded in 1882,
gets requests every week from foreign officials as far away as
Korea to visit his company. This baffles him.

“They want to find the secret to our success,” said Klais,
whose organs stand in concert halls and churches from Taiwan to
Argentina, as well as in Germany. “But we don’t see any, we just
do what we do, and have been doing for the past 130 years.”

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Greens on Saturday elected a former environment minister and an east German Lutheran to spearhead their campaign for next year’s federal elections, when they have solid chances of returning to government.

The two campaign leaders reflect the broadening appeal of Germany’s third largest party beyond left-wing eco-warriors to more centrist voters, posing a threat to the two larger parties and especially to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

BERLIN (Reuters) – German exports slid in September at the fastest pace since late last year, hit by declining demand among its crisis-wracked euro zone trading partners.

Imports also fell, adding to evidence that the crisis is inflicting a heavy toll on the currency bloc’s largest economy.

BERLIN (Reuters) – German manufacturing, the locomotive of Europe’s largest economy, is running out of steam three years into the euro zone debt crisis, which has clobbered orders and output.

Data on Wednesday showed output slid by 1.8 percent on the month in September, more than forecast and the sharpest drop since April. A day earlier, data had shown industrial orders fell 3.3 percent month-on-month in September.

BERLIN (Reuters) – German industrial output fell more than forecast in September and the government’s economic advisers said the economy would grow by just 0.8 percent this year and next as Europe’s largest economy gets dragged deeper into the euro zone crisis.

Recent data from Germany, Europe’s growth locomotive and paymaster, has been largely disappointing, with business sentiment worsening, the private sector contracting, joblessness rising and industrial orders falling at their sharpest rate in a year, though consumer morale has held up and exports have leapt.

BERLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Germany must do more to
consolidate its budget given a darkening outlook, the country’s
panel of economic advisers said on Thursday.

The group, traditionally known as the “wise men”, criticised
the social welfare plans Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet
agreed ahead of next year’s federal elections.

BERLIN, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Germany has its sights on a
balanced budget by 2014 but strong recent growth in tax revenues
will tail off from next year, Finance Minister Wolfgang
Schaeuble said on Wednesday.

Germany’s income from tax receipts should be 5.8 billion
euros higher than previously forecast in 2012, the Finance
Ministry said on Wednesday, although it will inch below previous
estimates in three of the following four years.