redsoxfan791 said
If Germany left the EU, the European economy would collapse.
Germany has no reason voluntarily to leave the Euro (i.e. the common currency of 17 European states) or the European Union (i.e. the economic and political confederation of 27 states).
Admittedly, it has had to provide much of the funding for the bail-outs of the the smaller European states, as a result of the financial crisis. On the other hand, Germany has benefited economically from membership of the Euro. Without monetary union, the deutsche mark would now be a safe haven in a fragmented European financial system and would have soared against most of the continent's other currencies in a flight to quality. At a stroke, German exports would have become 10, 20 or 30 per cent more expensive in the country's most important foreign markets such as France, the Netherlands and Italy, leading to revenue losses and job cuts on a far bigger scale than Germany has suffered in the past two years because of the financial crisis.
In addition, the current weakness of the euro against the dollar is helping Germany more than its fellow euro-zone members because of the strength of its export sector, which accounts for 45 per cent of domestic GDP, a far higher share than its European partners. German firms are happily churning out factory equipment, vehicles and chemical products that are on average 20 per cent cheaper in dollar terms than they were before the debt crisis hit.
Do not weep for the Germans. They are doing very nicely thank you.