| Berlin is back.
Meet a new capital of Europe. For almost half a century the centre of Berlin lay in ruins, a gloomy emblem of the division between east and west. The very symbol of the city, the noble Brandenburg Gate, stood solitary in no man’s land. Today the gate has been restored to its former glory, and traces of the city’s division are barely perceptible. In 1999, Berlin became the seat of the reunified German government – and the capital of Europe’s largest economy. Just five years later, the expansion of the European Union in 2004 placed Berlin at the geographical and political heart of the newly unified continent. Nations, global institutions, and the big hitters of the world economy have all established a presence here. Today no business seeking to play a role in Europe can afford to overlook Berlin. Berlin: Spearheading Europe’s growth to the east. With the accession of central and eastern European nations to the EU, the economic and political development of the continent has taken a major step forward. With 450 million consumers, and the high growth rates of new member states, Europe offers extraordinary opportunities to businesses from all over the world. Berlin is the doorway to the markets of eastern Europe. More than anywhere else in Germany, Berlin is a cosmopolitan city – many eastern Europeans reside and do business in the capital alongside people of every nationality. Many Germans living in Berlin also have close contact with neighbouring countries to the east. For 40 years, Berlin was simultaneously the capital of a communist state and an outpost of the capitalist west. Today this unique heritage has made the city an invaluable gateway between east and west. No other city gives business the same access to the people and markets of the new Europe. Berlin lies at the political and geographical centre of the new Europe, exactly half-way between Madrid and Moscow. The new central railway station lies on the intersection between the Stockholm-Vienna and Paris-Warsaw lines. |
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