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☆ Germany’s Leader Walks a Fine Line in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Alexandra Stevenson | Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany tried to strike a delicate balance on a trip to China this week, promoting business ties with his country’s biggest trading partner while criticizing its surge of exports to Europe and its support for Russia. Mr. Scholz met with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Tuesday, the culmination of a three-day visit with a delegation of German officials and business leaders. Throughout his trip, Mr. Scholz promoted the interests of German companies that are finding it increasingly hard to compete in China. And he conveyed growing concern in the European Union that the region’s market is becoming a dumping ground for Chinese goods produced at a loss. It was Mr. Scholz’s first visit to China since his government adopted a strategy last year that defined the Asian power as a “partner, competitor and systemic rival,” calling on Germany to reduce its dependency on Chinese goods.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Germany, Scholz, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Scholz’s Organizations: European Union Locations: China, Europe, Russia, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, European, Germany

☆ Now It’s Germany’s Turn to Frustrate Allies Over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( David E. Sanger | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

First it was France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who angered his NATO allies by suggesting that soon the West could be forced to send troops to Ukraine, portending a direct confrontation with Russian forces that the rest of the alliance has long rejected. Then Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany took his own turn exposing new divisions. Trying to justify why Germany was withholding its most powerful missile, the Taurus, from Ukrainian hands, he hinted that Britain, France and the United States may secretly be helping Ukraine target similar weapons, a step he said Germany simply could not take. While neither Britain or France has commented officially — they almost never discuss how their weapons are deployed — Mr. Scholz was immediately accused by former officials of revealing war secrets. “Scholz’s behavior has showed that as far as the security of Europe goes he is the wrong man in the wrong job at the wrong time,” Ben Wallace, Britain’s former defense minister, told The Evening Standard, a London daily.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, portending, Olaf Scholz, Germany, Scholz, ” Ben Wallace, Tobias Ellwood, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: NATO, Russian, Conservative Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Britain, France, United States, Europe, London, Washington

☆ Farmers’ protests have erupted across Europe. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

This week, the farmers’ protests struck at the heart of the European Union, when they rolled into Brussels on Thursday as leaders held a major summit on Ukraine. The EU has waived quotas and duties on Ukrainian imports in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In Germany, it was really focused on diesel, so starting to tax diesel for tractors. France this week announced a series of measures for farmers in light of the protests. This has already been seen in Germany, when the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) involved itself in the protests and expressed solidarity with the farmers.

Persons: ”, Sebastien Bozon, Kay Nietfeld, Hugo Auge, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Dimitar Dilkoff, Emmanuel Mathé, “, we’re, Anger, Renaud Foucart, Sakis Mitrolidis, Stefano Guidi, Gabriel Attal, Attal, Ursula von Der Leyen, Rob Engelaar Organizations: CNN — Farmers, CNN, European Union, Toulouse, BFMTV, Getty Images Farmers, AP, Farmers, Getty, ” Farmers, EU, Lancaster University, Deal, Green, European Commission, French, Farmer, Citizen Locations: Europe, Paris, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Eastern Europe, EU, Brussels, Ukraine, Zandvliet, Meer, Lyon, Vesoul, AFP, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Spanish, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg, Munich, Eastern, Bulgaria, Yvelines, French, Noisy, Seine et Marne, England, Novara, Belgium, Arendonk, Dutch

Now, many are warning that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is capitalizing on the chaos for its own political gain. Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesA tractor displays a banner with the logo of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that reads: "Germany needs new elections!" “Supporting democratic protests like this against traffic light madness will continue to be a concern of our hearts,” one post reads. The traffic light will soon be standing all alone.”The “traffic light” is a reference to Scholz’s coalition government – an allusion to the colors of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens it is comprised of. Far-right coup fantasiesGerman ministers and a domestic intelligence chief have warned how right-wing extremists could try to exploit the farmers’ protests.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Sean Gallup, Martin, ” Steven, Björn Höcke, Scholz, Johannes Kiess, ” Kiess, Jens Schlueter, Kiess, Robert Habeck, ” “, ” Habeck, Kay Nietfeld, Stephan Kramer, –, ” Kramer, ”, Nadine Schmidt, Claudia Otto, Sophie Tanno Organizations: Germany CNN — Farmers, Farmers, Getty, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Germany’s Office, Homeland, Deutsche, University of Leipzig, CNN, “, Ukraine, Tractors, CDU, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Locations: Berlin, Germany, Frankfurt, AFP, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg, Munich, Rügen, Pomerania, Thuringia, Berlin ., Dresden, Saxony, Deutsche Bahn, Cottbus, Torgau, London

☆ Germany to Override Debt Limit, Again, to Resolve Budget Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged lawmakers on Tuesday to override Germany’s borrowing limits for a fourth consecutive year, allowing his government to take on billions of euros in fresh debt to modernize his country’s economy despite a budget crisis triggered a constitutional court ruling. “It would be a grave, unforgivable mistake to neglect the modernization of our country in the face of all these acute challenges,” Mr. Scholz told Parliament, citing persistently high energy prices and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Afterward, a powerful leader of the opposition Christian Democrats signaled he may be wiling to accept Mr. Scholz’s plan, a sign that the fiscal crisis that has gripped Germany for two weeks and threatened to fracture the government’s three-party coalition may begin to ease. Germany’s highest court on Nov. 15 threw out a special fund set up by the government that shifted credits approved in 2020 to combat the coronavirus pandemic to instead finance environmental projects and green technology. The court ruled that credits taken out in a given year for a specific purpose had to be spent within that time, and for the designated purpose.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, ” Mr, Scholz, Scholz’s Organizations: Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Germany

Europe's largest economy shrank 0.1% in the July-to-September quarter as inflation eroded people's willingness to spend, Germany's statistics office confirmed Friday. The downbeat figures come as the country's budget crisis raises the possibility of deep spending cuts next year. A court ruled last week that previous spending violated constitutional limits on deficits, forcing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to put off a final vote on next year's spending plan. The court said the move violated rules in the constitution that limit new borrowing to 0.35% of annual economic output. He termed the uptick in the Ifo survey of business managers as “a bottoming out” rather than a rebound.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, quarrelsome, Christian Lindner, ”, Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Finance, ING Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Germany Announces Special Budget to Avert Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

How We Got Here: A court ruling put spending plans into disarray. The move came after days of uncertainty triggered by the ruling from the country’s highest court that declared elements of the 2023 budget invalid because of a rule that limits borrowing. Mr. Lindner, who leads the fiscally conservative Free Democrats party, has vowed to abide by the borrowing limits for the 2023 budget. “No new debt will be taken on, but the funds already used to overcome the crisis will be placed on a secure legal basis,” Mr. Lindner said in a statement on Thursday. Economists and business leaders, as well as some lawmakers from Mr. Scholz’s three-party coalition, demanded Mr. Lindner take action to clarify spending plans for 2023 to ensure stability and clear the way for lawmakers to approve a budget for 2024.

Persons: Lindner, Mr, Olaf Scholz, Scholz’s Organizations: Free Democrats Locations: Ukraine

☆ EU fiscal pact ignores green elephant in the room
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union’s troubled fiscal pact, once branded as "stupid" by former European Commission President Romano Prodi, has reached its sell-by date. Average EU debt has been consistently above the 60% target. NEW COURSEThe proposed revamp of the fiscal pact, now under discussion, is an improvement. BRAVE NEW DEBT WORLDFor all of Brussels’ reforming zeal, Europe’s future debt rules ignore a giant elephant in the room: climate change. Another option is to remove green investments from the fiscal rules’ deficit calculations.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Romano Prodi, Christian Lindner, Giorgia Meloni, Breakingviews, Bruno Le Maire, Olaf Scholz’s, Mario Draghi, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Trust, REUTERS, Reuters, European, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Commission, French Finance, EU, Intel, European Central Bank, Italian, Union, Thomson Locations: Green Park, London, Britain, Maastricht Treaty, Germany, it's, Italy, Greece, Brussels, EU, United States, Spain, Europe

From construction to health care and the high-tech experts needed for the EU green transition, the local talent pool in the bloc of 450 million people has increasingly proved insufficient. And instead of forcing talent from across the globe to seek entry into the lucrative EU labor market via the illegal and dangerous migration route where the EU is increasingly restrictive, Wednesday's plans call for a safe and legal way. “This package is also a strong, if not strongest, disincentive to irregular migration,” said EU Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas. The plans will now be assessed by the 27 member states and the EU's parliament before they can be turned into reality. Economically too, the urgency is there, and EU businesses realize they are facing competitors across the globe.

Persons: ”, Margaritis Schinas, ” Schinas, Chancellor OIaf Scholz’s, Schinas Organizations: European Union, EU Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Netherlands, Europe, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany

☆ German Court Says Government Cannot Shift Covid Funds to Climate Projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Melissa Eddy | More About Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: A Restraint on Germany’s Green Ambitions. The Climate Transformation Fund has €212 billion dedicated to projects from 2024 to 2027. The court ruled that it must now be reduced by €60 billion, the money added from unused pandemic funds. Heart of the Issue: Germany’s ‘Debt Brake’Germany is the only leading industrial economy to have a so-called debt brake written into its constitution. “The circumvention of the debt brake is becoming increasingly absurd,” said Marcel Fratzscher, head of the German Institute for Economic Research, a Berlin-based think tank.

Persons: ”, Marcel Fratzscher, — Organizations: €, German Institute for Economic Research, Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats Locations: Germany, Berlin, Ukraine

☆ German president asks for forgiveness in Tanzania over colonial-era atrocities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologized Wednesday for colonial-era atrocities committed by German forces in Tanzania during a visit to the East African country. Tanganyika, now present-day Tanzania, was first a German colony before coming under British control in 1919. Steinmeier told the Mbano family in Tanzania that his country would work towards finding Mbano’s remains, which may have been transported to Europe by German troops for burial after his execution. “I promise that we will work together with you to find Chief Songea’s skull in Germany,” the German president added. Steinmeier also traveled to Zambia Wednesday, with both visits aimed at fostering partnerships, according to the German government.

Persons: Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ” Steinmeier, Songea Mbano Mbano, Tanzanians, “, isn’t, ”, Steinmeier, Olaf Scholz’s, Scholz Organizations: CNN Locations: Tanzania, East, Tanganyika, German, Songea, Germany, ” Germany, Africa, Namibia, Europe, East Africa, Zambia, West Africa, Nigeria, Ghana

☆ German voters send ominous message to Brussels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s resounding defeat in key local elections on Sunday will be as traumatic in Brussels as in Berlin. Voters dealt a sharp blow to all three parties in Scholz’s centre-left executive. The victory of conservative opposition party CDU came together with a strong showing of far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), who won 15% of the votes in the populous state of Bavaria and 18% in Hesse. In Berlin, divisions on the pace and cost of the green transition between the Green Party and the liberal FDP, whose leader Christian Lindner is the coalition’s finance minister, have already led to a watering down of a planned boiler ban from 2024. In Brussels, a German government preoccupied with its domestic travails may be unable to rally other member states around the sort of compromise proposals the EU needs to clinch some key deals.

Persons: Olaf Scholz’s, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Pierre Briancon, Sandoz, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Voters, Social Democrats, Greens, European Union, Green Party, X, Alstom, Brookfield, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Berlin, Scholz’s, Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, France, EU

Both states are led by the country's main opposition Union bloc, made up of the Christian Democratic Union and the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union. In Hesse, they give the CDU a double-digit lead in a three-way contest for the governor's office among the conservative party, Scholz's center-left Social Democrats and the environmentalist Greens. Scholz’s government also faces intense pressure to reduce the number of migrants arriving, a major issue in the run-up to the elections. Green challenger Tarek Al-Wazir, currently the deputy governor to conservative incumbent Boris Rhein, also faces an uphill struggle. Soeder is widely considered a potential candidate to challenge Scholz in 2025, although he has denied such ambitions.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Scholz, won’t, —, Karl, Rudolf Korte, Nancy Faeser, Tarek Al, Wazir, Boris Rhein, Markus Soeder, Soeder, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger — Organizations: BERLIN, Sunday, Union, Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union, CSU, CDU, Social Democrats, environmentalist Greens, Germany, Greens, Free, Welt, Sonntag, ” Voters, Free Democrats, Free Voters Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Frankfurt, Scholz's

CNN —The German states of Bavaria and Hesse vote in regional elections on Sunday, in what is widely being seen as a test-case for Germany’s shifting political landscape. In Hesse – home to Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub – dissatisfaction with Germany’s federal government threatens to deliver a blow to Scholz’s coalition. German flags are carried at an AfD election campaign event. Bavarian Premier Söder chose not to dismiss Aiwanger following the allegations, amid calls from across Germany’s political spectrum for the economy minister’s resignation. Hesse, which was formerly a stronghold for the SPD, is currently governed by the CDU in coalition with the Greens.

Persons: Hesse –, Martin Schutt, shockwaves, of Bavaria, Markus Söder, Angela Merkel, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Charlotte Knoblauch, Katrin, Ebner Steiner, AfD’s, ” Steiner, ”, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger, ” Hubert Aiwanger, Sven Hoppe, Söder, Thomas Kreuzer, Chancellor Scholz’s, Nancy Faeser, Kreuzer, “, ” Kreuzer, Faese, Faeser, Der Organizations: CNN, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Scholz’s SPD, Bavaria, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Free Voters, Getty, INSA, New, Central Council of, Germany’s Süddeutesche Zeitung, Zeitung, FW, Bavarian, Greens . Center, ”, Der Spiegel, Interior Ministry Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, –, Frankfurt, Germany’s, AFP, Saxony, Bavarian, Munich, “, Germany’s Süddeutesche

CNN —Germany announced Wednesday that it is ramping up its border controls with neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic to “limit human trafficking,” as the country faces fierce debate on its migration policy while asylum applications surge. Police will carry out “additional flexible checks and mobile controls along the smuggling routes at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the press. The announcement came as the interior minister raised the possibility of implementing fixed controls along the borders with its two eastern neighbors this week. Until now, the southern state of Bavaria on the Austrian border was the only part of Germany with stationary border controls, a legacy of the 2015-2016 migration crisis when Europe’s leading economy took in over a million refugees. “We are fighting to keep internal border controls open within the European Union.

Persons: CNN —, Nancy Faeser, Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Faeser, Italy –, Berlin’s, ” Alexander Handschuh, Handschuh, Angela Merkel’s Organizations: CNN, Police, ”, Immigration, Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, European Union, Office, Migration, Refugees, German Federal Police, German Association of Towns Locations: Poland, Czech Republic, Czech, Bavaria, Austrian, Germany, Polish, Forst, Hesse, Italy, Berlin, –, Brussels, “, Ukraine, Municipalities

☆ Germany Takes Step Toward Legalizing Marijuana
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The German government approved a plan on Wednesday to legalize some recreational marijuana use, paving the way to allow adults to legally buy and possess small amounts of cannabis. The legislation, which would allow adults to purchase and possess up to 25 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption through nonprofit social clubs, must still be approved by Parliament. But the endorsement from the three-party coalition’s cabinet was a crucial step toward Germany becoming the first major European country to legalize marijuana. The measure is weaker than what Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government had originally proposed. The socially liberal coalition announced its intent to legalize recreational marijuana when it came into power in 2021, quickly finding consensus on an issue opposed for years by the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Persons: ”, Karl Lauterbach, Olaf Scholz’s, Chancellor Angela Merkel Locations: Germany

☆ Sweaty Europe can kill two birds with one pump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What may be less immediately obvious is that heat pumps are the best way to do both. In Europe, currently only 16% of residential buildings use heat pumps, according to a study from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) based on data from 21 countries including non-EU Britain and Norway, with 20 million heat pumps installed. On average buying and installing a heat pump could cost up to $13,000 compared to $2,500 for a gas boiler. Heat pump sales rose 35% in Italy last year, making it Europe’s second-biggest marketplace after France, EHPA data shows. To meet net-zero targets by 2030 EHPA estimates Europe would need 60 million more heat pumps installed by 2030.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Olaf Scholz’s, Joe Biden’s, António Guterres, George Hay, Oliver Taslic, Streisand Neto Organizations: Popolo, REUTERS, Remo Casilli LONDON, Reuters, International Energy Agency, IEA, European Union, Pump Association, Reuters Graphics, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin Industries, El, El Corte Inglés, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, EU Britain, Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Brussels, Britain, United States, U.S, U.N, El Corte

London/Berlin CNN —Germany announced Thursday that it would reduce its dependence on China in “critical sectors” including medicine, lithium batteries used in electric cars and elements essential to chipmaking. The government published its first ever “Strategy on China,” a 40-page document that highlights the tightrope Berlin must walk in managing its dependence on the world’s second-largest economy amid growing criticism of Beijing’s human rights record and attitude towards international law. China is Germany’s most important trading partner, with imports and exports between the two nations reaching nearly €300 billion ($335 billion) in 2022, according to the government. China is a crucial partner in tackling climate change, pandemics and sustainable development, the strategy paper added. China is a key market for several major German companies, including Volkswagen (VLKAF) and BMW, and the government said it planned to hold talks with firms “particularly exposed to China” with a view to “identifying concentration risks.”

Persons: Berlin CNN —, ”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, ” Scholz, Olaf Scholz, Germany Heiko Becker Organizations: Berlin CNN, Siemens, Reuters, Volkswagen, BMW Locations: Berlin, China, ”, Beijing, Germany, overdependent, EU, Bavaria

☆ Germany Says China Trade Could Create Perilous Dependence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Melissa Eddy | More About Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The new policy calls for export controls and the screening of investments by German companies doing business in China to protect the flow of sensitive technology and know-how. The strategy echoes themes from the European Union that urge “de-risking” ties with China. “We do not want to decouple from China, but minimize our risks. This includes strengthening our European economy as well as reducing dependencies,” said Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister. “The more diverse trade and supply chains are set up, the more resilient our country is,” she added.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, “, ”, Annalena Baerbock Organizations: European Union Locations: China

CNN —A candidate from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won a local leadership post for the first time on Sunday in a resounding victory for a group whose anti-migrant, Euroskeptic and anti-Muslim agenda is under surveillance by German authorities. The AfD’s Robert Sesselmann triumphed over incumbent Jürgen Köpper of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party to become district administrator of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, central Germany, at the weekend. “Unfortunately, it has not been a personal election as state elections have always been, it has become a pure party election,” he said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party’s chairwoman Saskia Esken called the AfD victory in Sonneberg a “political dam-break” on Monday. Even though the move doesn’t apply to parent party AfD, it revealed a growing segment of young Germans united by extreme views on migration and anti-feminism.

Persons: Robert Sesselmann, Jürgen Köpper, Sesselmann, Köpper, ”, Olaf Scholz’s, Saskia Esken, Ricarda Lang, ” Lang, Mario Czaja, Steffen Hebestreit, ” Hebestreit, ‘, BfV, Martin Schutt, Hans Vorländer, ” Vorländer, Alice Weidel Organizations: CNN, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Office, Statistics, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic, Green Party, Getty Locations: Germany, Thuringia, Thuringian, Sonneberg, Ukraine, Dresden, Berlin “, Saxony

☆ Germany Adopts a More Muscular Security Plan. Critics Call It ‘Weak.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Steven Erlanger | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Haunted by its responsibility for World War II and Nazi tyranny, Germany embraced the pursuit of peace with the fervor of a convert. But on Wednesday, its government took an important step toward shedding that legacy as war once again transforms the European continent. For the first time since the world war ended, the government unveiled a comprehensive national security strategy meant to confront Germany’s vulnerability to new military, economic and geopolitical threats, including climate change. With the war in Ukraine in its 16th month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz touted the security plan as “a big, big change in the way we deal with security issues.” The goal, he said, is to combine foreign, domestic and economic priorities, and to increase spending on the military. The strategy was announced as a key part of the coalition agreement of the government when it took office in December 2021‌.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz’s Locations: Germany, Ukraine, 2021‌

☆ Ugly Fight Over Climate Bill Exposes Cracks in German Coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Erika Solomon | Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN — Germany’s coalition government was always an awkward trio of center-left Social Democrats, climate-conscious Greens and pro-business Free Democrats. Yet in the heady days after their election victory in 2021, the parties vowed to stick to a tradition of consensus-driven politics, keeping the drama behind closed doors. While the stakes would seem relatively minor, the level of vitriol has been anything but, reflecting a new era in which Germany’s once-staid politics have turned more fractious. No one is predicting a collapse of the coalition. But the public sparring has raised questions over how Germany will meet commitments to Europe’s climate goals — as well as Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ability to maintain effective stewardship of Europe’s most powerful economy.

☆ Germany’s electricity headache has an M&A cure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sorting out a rickety power grid is an especially pressing issue in Germany, but luckily Scholz also has the means to act. Cutting carbon emissions means powering more cars and homes through zero-carbon electricity rather than fossil fuels. It has to transport electricity all the way from wind turbines in the northern regions to its southern industrial heartland, which means the power network is often overloaded. The German power network is also unusually complex. Germany’s historic dependence on Russian gas deepened its energy crisis last year, and underscored the risks of relying on foreign-owned critical assets.

NEW DELHI/BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Germany will pursue a $5.2 billion deal with India to jointly build six conventional submarines in the country during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Feb. 25-26 visit, two Indian and two German sources said. Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in India. The Indian foreign and defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment. An Indian diplomatic source told Reuters that India has asked Germany for an assurance for joint manufacturing for the submarines, not just supply-side support. Another official from the Indian foreign ministry said that “Scholz was determined to reinvigorate trade and defence ties with India”.

☆ NATO’s Willing Members vs. Germany on Tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared last year his commitment to bolstering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Scholz last week demonstrated that he’s now one of the main impediments to NATO unity as his vacillations over military aid to Ukraine force Germany’s allies to create their own coalitions of the willing. The main event was Friday’s summit at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which failed to dislodge Mr. Scholz’s opposition to new tank deliveries to Ukraine. Mr. Scholz’s refusal to provide Leopard 2 tanks or to allow anyone else to send them has exasperated Washington, as we noted over the weekend, and is damaging Germany’s reputation.

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