Workers at Philipp Holzmann have agreed to concessions to help the company get back to work.

BBC: EU to examine Holzmann rescue

D-marks to bail out a debt-ridden construction company, Philipp Holzmann, which had been sliding to bankruptcy, appalled the more radical reformers.

ECONOMIST: Are Germany and its leader bouncing back?

There are, however, some notorious counter-examples, such as France's 35-hour week or the German government's decision to bail out Philipp Holzmann, a construction firm.

ECONOMIST: Wo ist Goldilocks?

European competition commissioner Mario Monti has called on Germany to hold off its rescue plan for construction company Philipp Holzmann until it gets European Union approval.

BBC: EU to examine Holzmann rescue

Two days before the budget package passed, he had launched a last-minute personal bid to save Philipp Holzmann, a private German construction company, from bankruptcy and the loss of some 60, 000 jobs.

ECONOMIST: Rebirth of a salesman