German economy "downright robust" debt crisis

German economy is "downright robust" despite a bleak wider economic environment due to the ongoing eurozone debt crisis, German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said in an interview published Tuesday. "Our economy is downright robust, even if the environment, both at an international and a European level, has become more difficult," Roesler told the daily Handelsblatt. His comments were echoed by Wolfgang Franz, chairman of the government's council of economic advisers. In a separate interview, Franz said Germany would not slide into a recession next year. "I don't fear a recession, certainly not one as deep as in 2009 when gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by around 5.0 percent," Franz told the Handelsblatt. With officials claiming that German economy is still in good shape, German stocks advanced for a third day as the DAX Index climbed 0.4 percent to 5,902.96 on Tuesday morning in Frankfurt.