DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The strike by the GDL union will affect passenger services and freight trains operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn until 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday. The union held a three-day strike earlier this month and two walkouts last year which lasted up to 24 hours. On Wednesday, train travel across the country and in many cities ground to a halt again with commuters and other travelers struggling to find alternatives involving long-distance bus or car travel or flights. “European freight traffic across the Alps, Poland or to Scandinavia as well as the seaports in Holland or Belgium will also be affected,” said Deutsche Bahn. With negotiations stalled, Germany's transportation minister said the government was not ruling out arbitration proceedings between GDL and Deutsche Bahn.

Persons: ”, Volker Wissing Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn Locations: Poland, Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium

☆ Germany freezes new spending commitments as budget woes deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The finance ministry has frozen future spending pledges across almost the entire federal budget, a letter by the budget state secretary showed, in a sign of how seriously it was taking the potential fallout to its finances. "The step reflects the necessity of the situation," an economy ministry spokesperson said about the budget freeze. That could include planned chip factories, the expansion of the battery supply chain and the decarbonisation of steel, government sources said on Monday. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Freeze, Olaf Scholz's, Kevin Kuehnert, that's, Kuehnert, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, BERLIN, Free Democrats, Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens, Digital, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Volkswagen restarts production after suffering major IT outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Volkswagen logo is seen during the press day at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 17, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) on Thursday said that a major IT outage, which had caused most of its German plants to halt production, was resolved overnight and its global production network was up and running again. "The IT infrastructure problems in the Volkswagen network were resolved during the course of the night and the network is stable again," Volkswagen said, without providing details on the impact or cause of the incident. The global production network is up and running, and production is expected to proceed as planned," it said, adding individual systems may still be affected during a transitional phase. "We need safety systems here that work," Wissing told broadcaster RTL/n-tv.

Persons: Mike Blake, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Christoph Steitz, Miranda Murray, Kim Coghill, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Rights, VW, Volkswagen, Porsche AG, Audi, Toyota, RTL, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Wolfsburg, Emden, Osnabrueck, Hanover, Dresden, Zwickau, Braunschweig, Kassel, Chemnitz, Salzgitter

☆ Germany's Scholz targets green jet fuel role, Airbus investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Transport Minister Volker Wissing attend the third national aviation conference at Lufthansa Technik, in Hamburg, Germany, September 25, 2023. Airbus (AIR.PA) is considering joining the consortium to use the fuel, HH2E said. Scholz also said Germany was targeting investment for a potential new plane to replace the Airbus single-aisle A320. "We would like to see further investment in aviation - not just in Hamburg, but throughout Germany, as part of the successor to the Airbus A320," he said. In July, Airbus expanded production of the same series in Toulouse, France, to meet rising demand.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Volker Wissing, Fabian Bimmer, HH2E, Scholz, Carsten Spohr, planemaker, Andreas Rinke, Tim Hepher, Rachel More, Friederike Heine, Barbara Lewis, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Lufthansa Technik, REUTERS, Rights, Airbus, DHL, National Aviation Conference, EU, Industry, Lufthansa, SAF, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Europe, France, German, Toulouse

☆ German transport minister rejects punitive tariffs in EU's China EV probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An NIO ET7 car model is presented at the NIO House, the showroom of the Chinese premium smart electric vehicle manufacture NIO Inc. in Berlin, Germany August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has rejected possible punitive tariffs as a result of the European Commission's investigation into Chinese electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this month announced a probe into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU automakers against China's EV imports, which the commissions says are benefiting from excessive state subsidies. China blasted the probe as protectionist and warned that it would damage economic relations, a concern shared by Germany's car industry. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, by contrast, has welcomed the step, saying action must be taken if massive breaches of competition rules are found by the EU probe.

Persons: Annegret, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Ursula von der, Robert Habeck, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Augsburger Allgemeine, Free Democrats, EU, China's EV, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China

The German cabinet approved a new hydrogen strategy, setting guidelines for hydrogen production, transport infrastructure and market plans. Produced using solar and wind power, green hydrogen is a pillar of Berlin's plan to transition away from fossil fuels. "A domestic supply that fully covers demand does not make economic sense or serve the transformation processes resulting from the energy transition as a whole," the document said. But Germany's limited renewable energy space will make it heavily dependent on imported hydrogen, experts say. We simply need space for wind and photovoltaic to be able to produce the hydrogen," Philipp Heilmaier, an energy transition researcher at Germany energy agency, told Reuters.

Persons: Simone Peter, Bettina Stark, Watzinger, Philipp Heilmaier, Volker Wissing, Riham Alkousaa, Christian Kraemer, Rachel More, Kirsten Donovan, David Evans Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Canada, Norway, United Arab, Australia

☆ EU countries approve 2035 phaseout of CO2-emitting cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The approval from EU countries' energy ministers means Europe's main climate policy for cars can now enter into force - after weeks of delay caused by last-minute opposition from Germany. The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, versus 2021 levels. The EU policy had been expected to make it impossible to sell combustion engine cars in the EU from 2035. "The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said. Germany's late intervention, after EU countries and lawmakers had already agreed the 2035 phaseout last year, irked some EU diplomats, and stoked concerns that governments may try to block other carefully-negotiated deals on climate policies.

FRANKFURT/BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - The European Union and Germany have reached a deal on the future use of combustion engines, officials said on Saturday, an issue that has been closely followed by the auto industry. The agreement will allow some combustion engines beyond 2035 and was quickly condemned by a prominent environmental group. "We have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars," Frans Timmermans, head of EU climate policy, said on Twitter. "Vehicles with internal combustion engines can still be newly registered after 2035 if they fill up exclusively with CO2-neutral fuels," he said in a post on Twitter. Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said EU diplomats would vote on Monday to formally approve the 2035 phaseout law.

BERLIN, March 24 (Reuters) - Germany's transport minister on Friday said he was optimistic a dispute between Berlin and Brussels over the future of combustion engine cars running on e-fuels was close to resolution, though some questions still needed clarifying. The original law would effectively ban registration of combustion engine cars after 2035, but Germany seeks an exemption for cars that run exclusively on climate-neutral e-fuel and legal assurances from the Commission. In a letter to the Commission seen by Reuters on Friday, Germany's transport ministry welcomed the EU executive's proposals but asked for legislation to ensure its implementation. Berlin's demand for an exemption had "now been answered by the EU Commission with a letter that makes me optimistic," German Transport Minister Volker Wissing told a news conference on Friday. The European Commission declined to comment on the latest proposals.

☆ EU was set to ban internal combustion engine cars. Then Germany suddenly changed its mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When EU lawmakers voted to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars in the bloc by 2035, it was a landmark victory for climate. With cars and vans responsible for around 15% of its total greenhouse gas emissions, a phase-out of polluting vehicles is a key part of EU climate policy. The law envisions a total ban on the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by 2035. Germany is now pushing against the idea that all internal combustion engines must be banned. Other European countries, including Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic, have joined Germany in demanding the exception.

☆ Exclusive: EU drafts plan to allow e-fuel combustion engine cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Markus Wacket | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The draft proposal, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, suggests creating a new type of vehicle category in the European Union for cars that can only run on carbon neutral fuels. Such vehicles would have to use technology that would prevent them from driving if other fuels are used, the draft said. The proposal could offer a route for carmakers to keep selling combustion engine vehicles after 2035, the date when a planned EU law is set to ban the sale of new CO2-emitting cars. The Ministry's core demand is that the EU allow sales of new cars running on e-fuels after 2035. An EU official told Reuters on Monday that any proposal on registering e-fuel cars would only be made after the combustion engine phaseout law was finally adopted.

The Greens in particular, but also the SPD, want to invest more in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The FDP on other hand, seeks a return to solid public finances after signing off on hundreds of billions of euros of exceptional expenditure during the pandemic and energy crisis. German coalition disputes are also spilling over into European Union policymaking, sparking irritation among partners. Proportional representation, for example, means coalition governments are the norm, which can slow down decision-making. However singling out just one minister could could result in that minister's party exiting the coalition, he said.

The EU law would require all new cars sold from 2035 to have zero CO2 emissions, making it effectively impossible to sell new fossil fuel-powered cars. E-fuels, like e-kerosene, e-methane, or e-methanol, are made by synthesizing captured CO2 emissions and hydrogen produced using renewable or CO2-free electricity. Germany and Italy want clearer assurances from the EU that sales of new ICE cars can continue beyond 2035, if they run on CO2-neutral fuels. Most major carmakers are betting on battery-electric vehicles - a technology that is already widely available - as the main route to cut CO2 emissions from passenger cars. Supporters say e-fuels offer a route to cut the CO2 emissions of our existing passenger car fleet, without replacing every vehicle with an electric one.

But EU countries still need to rubber stamp the decision before it can take effect. EU countries' ambassadors on Friday cancelled the vote that had been planned for March 7, the spokesperson for Sweden said. Italy, which has previously said it will vote against the EU cars law, on Friday welcomed the postponement of the vote. Such an outcome, along with some resistance from Italy and some eastern European countries, could throw the whole EU ban into question. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend a German cabinet meeting at the Schloss Meseberg palace on Sunday, where the topic is likely to be discussed.

☆ German synthetic fuels row threatens planned EU combustion engine ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - German Transport Minister Volker Wissing on Tuesday called into question a bid by the European Union to ban new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035, saying the use of synthetic fuels should remain possible after the deadline. The Environment Ministry, led by the Greens, was surprised by Wissing's announcement, with a spokesperson saying that Germany's approval of the combustion engine ban was "coordinated with the other ministries". The FDP has long advocated for climate-neutral synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, arguing their use would enable the continued use of combustion engines. The European Parliament, the Commission and EU member states agreed last year to phase out combustion engines for passenger cars from 2035. If Germany's coalition cannot agree a position, it would have to abstain which, along with some resistance from Italy and some eastern European countries, could throw the whole EU ban into question.

BERLIN, Jan 10 (Reuters) - German carmakers, Tesla, chip producers and battery maker Northvolt met the German chancellor and cabinet ministers on Tuesday to discuss topics from European law on vehicle emissions to energy prices, according to two participants. The annual summit was formerly only for carmakers but was this time dubbed a "mobility" summit, with the broader focus signalled by Northvolt's presence on the guestlist for the first time. Tesla (TSLA.O), was not on the first draft of the guest list shared with participants but was present, according to a participant, alongside German carmakers Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), BMW (BMWG.DE), Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and Opel. Associations, including cyclist club ADFC and rail association "Allianz pro Schiene", criticised the summit as still too car-focused. German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Transport Minister Volker Wissing and Labour Minister Hubertus Heil were among those present from the government, the other participant said.

☆ Germany tells Musk it expects Twitter to fight disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Germany's digital minister recently met Elon Musk to clarify what Berlin expects from Twitter, especially in fighting disinformation, since the Tesla founder took over the social media firm, the digital ministry said on Friday. Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing, who was in California at the start of 2023, told Musk that Germany expects Twitter to voluntarily comply with commitments to fight disinformation, a spokesperson for the ministry said. Wissing also told Musk he expects Twitter to adhere in future to the Digital Services Act, agreed by the European Union's 27 member states and lawmakers in April 2022, which requires online platforms to do more to police the internet for illegal content. "There was a very open and long talk," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Musk made reassurances to Wissing. The German government will continue to critically observe the situation at Twitter, added the spokesperson, who would not comment in detail about individual statements by Musk.

☆ German minister reignites coalition row with call to review nuclear exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Germany's transport minister called for an expert committee to examine whether the lifespan of the country's nuclear plants should be extended, reopening a row within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition. But Free Democrat Transport Minister Volker Wissing reignited the argument, telling the Frankfurter Allgemeine that the environmental benefits of electric cars would be reduced unless they were charged using nuclear energy, which is emissions-free. Critics of the nuclear exit say it could force Germany to rely more than planned on coal, which is more polluting than gas, during the transition to renewable energy. The Greens strongly oppose revisiting Germany's nuclear exit, which was introduced in response to the 2011 disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. Advocates of the policy say an extension would be costly and that more can be achieved by building out renewables.

The plan envisages a 14-fold increase in the number of charging stations, climbing to 1 million by 2030 from around 70,000 now. It also aims to have 15 million electric vehicles on German roads by 2030 from around 1.5 million now. Other measures in the government's plan include speeding up state approvals to build charging points. The electric vehicle push comes against a backdrop of surging electricity prices, resulting from an energy crisis fuelled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The electric vehicle plan drew a mixed reaction from industry associations, which have long complained that the government has not kept pace with the rapid expansion of electric vehicles.

Search resuls for: "Wissing"

19 mentions found