The sun sets behind the lignite-fired power plant of Boxberg on August 18, 2023 in Neuliebel, Germany. Florian Gaertner | Photothek | Getty ImagesGermany needs to implement structural changes if it wants to prevent a political shift to the right, Commerzbank CEO Manfred Knof told CNBC at the Handelsblatt Banking Summit 2023. Knof also said Germany's small-to-medium-sized companies, known as the Mittelstand, were reluctant to invest in their own country because of the structural issues in Europe's largest economy. "We need more activities and ... [a] better framework for the German SMEs to invest in this country," he added. "A lot of family-owned companies ... have very operational plans to relocate," Russwurm said, adding that the current business conditions in Germany had created a "cocktail" of obstacles for companies.

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Persons: Florian Gaertner, Manfred Knof, Knof, Siegfried Russwurm, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Russwurm Organizations: Photothek, Getty, CNBC, Handelsblatt, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Germany, German Industry Federation Locations: Boxberg, Neuliebel, Germany, Bavaria, Europe's