Skip to main content
Part of complete coverage on

Appel: Europe can't prepare for a euro collapse

From Richard Quest, CNN
February 2, 2012 -- Updated 1815 GMT (0215 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The Deutsche Post DHL CEO says Europe can't really prepare for the collapse of the euro
  • But Frank Appel believes a fracture of the eurozone is unlikely
  • Appel says he's cautious about over-planning for scenarios such as a Greek default

(CNN) -- The boss of logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL says Europe "cannot really prepare" for the ultimate failure of its debt crisis plans: A collapse of the common currency.

Frank Appel, speaking to CNN as crucial negotiations between Greece and its creditors drag on, believes a fracture of the eurozone is unlikely.

But -- after almost two years of tapping the bloc's piggy bank and implementing harsh austerity measures across the region -- unpredictability reigns. "You have to think how you can prepare a company for the uncertain," he says.

Appel says he is cautious about over-planning for scenarios such as a Greek default. "If you think your Excel spread-sheet will tell you what will happen in the future, it will only distract you from what is really important -- to be ready to take action," he says.

"We know certain things only if they happen and then you need the right mindsets to change your behavior, to be flexible," he adds. "That has something to do with your readiness to learn and correct mistakes."

Appel runs one of the world's biggest employers, with Deutsche Post DHL now operating in 220 countries and with 470,000 staff. Despite the uncertainty Appel, one of the region's most respected CEOs, believes Europe's future remains bright.

He points to high education levels, stable democracies and innovative thinking, adding: "We don't have to be shy and think others are smarter or better than we are. We have all the power we need to grow our region as well, as long as we accept that there might be some hardship at the beginning."

And the good news for the logistics industry, Appel notes, is that "even if the euro would not be around, just for the sake of argument, somebody still has to deliver letters, somebody has to deliver parcels and somebody has to deliver or transport containers around the world."

CNN's Emily Smith contributed to this story.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
May 14, 2013 -- Updated 1326 GMT (2126 HKT)
The flags of the countries which make up the European Union, outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
The "rich man's club" of Europe faces economic decay as it struggles to absorb Europe's "poor people", according to economic experts on the troubled region.
May 7, 2013 -- Updated 1532 GMT (2332 HKT)
Unemployment at a 16-year high and the lowest approval rating for a president in modern French history; this is the wreckage from Francois Hollande's first year in office.
May 2, 2013 -- Updated 1044 GMT (1844 HKT)
As European financial markets close for the spring celebration of May Day, protesters across Europe and beyond have taken to the streets to demonstrate.
April 26, 2013 -- Updated 1210 GMT (2010 HKT)
As Croatia prepares to enter the 27-nation European Union, the country's Prime Minister says Italy must return to being the "powerhouse of Europe."
April 25, 2013 -- Updated 1656 GMT (0056 HKT)
Spain's unemployment rate rose to a record high of 27.2% in the first quarter of 2013, the Spanish National Institute of Statistics said Thursday.
April 12, 2013 -- Updated 1246 GMT (2046 HKT)
Turkey is a "source of inspiration" to show how Islam and democracy can go hand-in-hand, the country's deputy prime minister has told CNN.
March 28, 2013 -- Updated 1439 GMT (2239 HKT)
Cypriots are discussing the long-term effects of their 10 billion euro bailout. How come the Irish and the Spanish didn't lose their savings? Why us?
March 25, 2013 -- Updated 1355 GMT (2155 HKT)
The financial uncertainty in Cyprus is generating images of long lines at ATM machines and anti-European Union protests.
March 22, 2013 -- Updated 1130 GMT (1930 HKT)
Opinion: We must be careful to avoid panic and reckless measures that would exacerbate the crisis.
March 25, 2013 -- Updated 1815 GMT (0215 HKT)
Cyprus will "step up efforts in areas of fiscal consolidation." Where have we heard that before? Oh yes. Greece.
March 25, 2013 -- Updated 1813 GMT (0213 HKT)
Lapland summit
Finland's political leaders held an informal summit in Saariselka, Lapland. Quest: This was an opportunity to see leaders "at their most honest."
March 27, 2013 -- Updated 1418 GMT (2218 HKT)
Cyprus has become the latest eurozone nation to apply for a bailout amid a financial crisis linked to debt defaults in Greece.
March 27, 2013 -- Updated 1449 GMT (2249 HKT)
BRICS leaders meet in South Africa to make deal on development bank. But instead of BRICS, today everyone is talking about the "CIVETS."
March 23, 2013 -- Updated 0139 GMT (0939 HKT)
The Cyprus debt crisis is being felt by the banks but also by the people who work at them. Nick Paton Walsh reports.
March 22, 2013 -- Updated 0010 GMT (0810 HKT)
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports on a Russian hotel maid caught up in Cyprus' financial crisis.
March 18, 2013 -- Updated 1608 GMT (0008 HKT)
Never underestimate the capacity of the Eurozone to shoot itself in both feet, says CNN's Richard Quest.
March 12, 2013 -- Updated 1100 GMT (1900 HKT)
Thousands of Greeks are unable to obtain life-saving drugs as pharmaceutical firms say they are limiting supplies to Greece over unpaid debts.
February 21, 2013 -- Updated 1603 GMT (0003 HKT)
Spain has seen hundreds of protests since the "Indignados" movement erupted in 2011, marches and sit-ins are now common sights in the capital.
ADVERTISEMENT