Germany's Merkel calls for ethics in business

"Dear industry representatives: Take care that our community's rules of play are adhered to at the highest level," Merkel said at an event attended by heads of industry groups. "Pay strict attention to that."

"Every irresponsible colleague in your circles endangers the basis of our liberal society," Merkel said.

A series of recent, unrelated, scandals has cast a shadow over corporate Germany's image.

A former manager at conglomerate Siemens AG is on trial in the first court proceedings related to a corruption and bribery scandal that emerged in 2006. Siemens has acknowledged dubious payments in the scandal totaling up to 1.3 billion euros ($2 billion).

Earlier this year, Klaus Zumwinkel resigned as chief executive of Deutsche Post AG after becoming the highest-profile target in a wide-ranging investigation into alleged tax evasion by hundreds of Germans.

Last month, German prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations that Deutsche Telekom AG monitored managers' call records to track possible leaks of information to media.

Merkel made her comments in a speech marking 60 years of post-World War II Germany's "social market economy," which combines a free-market approach with a cushion of welfare benefits and a commitment to giving worker representatives a say in the running of companies.

Merkel said that the German approach "is always an alliance of the strong with the weaker."