BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday he wants to join employers and labor unions in a “concerted action” to find ways of cushioning the effects of rising prices while preventing a spiral of inflation in Europe's biggest economy. Germany, like other countries in Europe and beyond, already has seen inflation accelerate sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed up fuel and food prices. An official estimate this week showed the country's annual inflation rate jumping to 7.9% in May, the highest rate since the winter of 1973-1974.