FRANKFURT (AFX) - Finance minister Hans Eichel said there is no doubt the German economy is slowing down, but reiterated his growth forecast for Germany in 2001. "No one is denying that we're seeing a slowdown," Eichel told the lower house of the German parliament. "But economic activity is still strong and robust and at an extraordinarily high level." Eichel reiterated the government's forecast that the German economy would grow by 2.7-2.8 pct this year, even if the latest data suggests growth will come out at the lower end of the range. "But there is no reason to be overly pessimistic," he said.