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☆ 'Cannabis in Germany will be a success story': Europe's biggest economy moves closer to weed legalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The sale of medical cannabis has been allowed in German pharmacies since 2016 — but several barriers to entry remain, including cost. "Patients, who cannot afford medical cannabis, may self-medicate with adult-use cannabis without medical advice. "An overall de-stigmatization of cannabis as a substance will also lead to a de-stigmatized medical cannabis market," Gallois added. The government is currently undertaking a review of its medical cannabis guidelines, including how it is prescribed and reimbursed under the country's statutory health insurance program. A 'domino effect'The plans come as cannabis legalization has fallen under renewed debate over recent years.

☆ Huawei ban would have significant impact on German mobile network -ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - A ban on certain components by Chinese companies Huawei (HWT.UL) and ZTE (000063.SZ) could have a significant impact on Germany's mobile network if they have to be replaced on a larger scale, according to a German economy ministry letter seen by Reuters. The German government is currently carrying out a review of telecom tech suppliers which it says is not directed at specific manufacturers. The precise impact on mobile operators and other economic players is not possible to assess, the ministry added, as it depends on individual decisions as well as transition periods. Critics of Huawei and ZTE say that their close links to Beijing's security services mean that embedding them in mobile networks could give Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to essential infrastructure. Huawei, ZTE and China's government reject such claims, saying they are motivated by a protectionist desire to support non-Chinese rivals.

☆ Scholz to seek reforms to boost EU competitiveness at Brussels summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, March 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he will seek to boost European competitiveness through reforms at an EU summit in Brussels next week, including making state aid more flexible and completing capital markets and banking unions. In a speech to the German Bundestag, Scholz urged the European Union to pull together to face a raft of challenges, including in response to a massive U.S. subsidy programme for clean technologies known as the Inflation Reduction Act. The EU is unveiling a Critical Raw Materials Act aimed at keeping pace with the United States and China in access to raw materials. Scholz said raw material security will also top the agenda when he visits Japan for talks this week. Turning to the war in Ukraine, Scholz said that EU member states will agree further measures to improve the continued supply of arms and ammunition to Kyiv, without going into specifics.

☆ German liquefied natural gas capacity may not be fully utilised-RWE CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Rwe Ag FollowFRANKFURT, March 8 (Reuters) - Germany's liquefied natural gas infrastructure may end up not being fully utilised, the chief executive of the country's top utility said in an interview, but added that simply having the import capacity was key to avoid a possible fuel supply squeeze. The comments by RWE (RWEG.DE) CEO Markus Krebber, made in a joint interview with German magazines Der Stern and Capital, came in response to the notion that Berlin may have overshot the mark with existing LNG capacity plans. "It may be that the LNG terminals are not fully utilised. Krebber said that Russia, which fully stopped gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of August, was still fulfilling supply obligations via the alternative Ukraine pipeline. Germany said on Friday that the rollout of its LNG infrastructure would exceed the 9.8 billion euros ($10.40 billion) for the 2022-2038 period approved by the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

☆ Germany's Scholz criticizes 'public competition' to send arms to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday criticized the public competition among some countries over who can deliver more and better weapons to Ukraine, saying it harmed unity among allies. "We preserve and strengthen this cohesion by first preparing decisions confidentially - and only then communicating them," Scholz told the Bundestag lower house of parliament according to a manuscript of his speech, citing his cooperation with U.S. President Joe Biden on the decision to supply tanks to Ukraine. "What harms our unity is a public competition to outdo each other along the lines of: battle tanks, submarines, aircraft - who is asking for more?" Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ German inflation rate to ease over course of 2023 - econ minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - German inflation will remain high at the beginning of 2023 before easing over the course of the year, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Thursday. "We have broken the inflation trend," Habeck said in his address to the Bundestag regarding the annual economic report. Inflation is seen at 6% in 2023, as energy prices ease following the initial shock of the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war, according to the economic report published on Wednesday. Regarding the economic report for 2023, he said the numbers were not good, but significantly better than feared some months ago. In 2024, inflation will be lower than in 2023 and growth will be higher, he added.

☆ Germany to send Leopard tanks to Kyiv, allow others to do so - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan StoklasaBERLIN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries such as Poland to do so while the United States may supply Abrams tanks, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A government spokesperson, the foreign ministry and the defence ministry declined to comment. Other allies, in Scandinavia for example, intend to go along with Germany in supplying their Leopard tanks to Kyiv, the magazine reported. U.S. officials told Reuters that Washington may soon drop its opposition to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, in a move intended to encourage Germany to follow.

☆ A major union in Germany says workers at Tesla's Berlin factory face unreasonable working hours and fear speaking out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A major German union has criticized the working conditions at Tesla's giant Berlin plant. IG Metall said long hours mean workers have too little time for "leisure, family, and relaxation." At the conference, IG Metall, a German union representing workers at Tesla's Gigafactory has criticized the electric carmaker for poor working conditions, Reuters reported. Tesla did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal US working hours. Tesla struggled to hire at the Berlin-based factory because of low wages, IG Metall told Bloomberg in June.

☆ Rapper who became the voice of the Iranian revolt is in danger of execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Sanam Mahoozi | Sanam Mahoozi Is A Freelance Writer Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Fear for his safety have also grown after Salehi’s official Twitter account posted Friday that despite being in danger of losing his eyesight, he was being repeatedly beaten. Iranian mourners march towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez in Iranian Kurdistan to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death on Oct. 26, 2022. ESN / AFP - Getty ImagesUsing his voice and lyrics, Salehi came out in support of the anti-government protesters from the beginning. At the heart of the protests, and Salehi’s lyrics, is the conviction that the government must go. “This is Toomaj Salehi,” he wrote, reposting a Salehi video supportive of the protesters.

☆ A bizarre far-right coup plot uncovered in Germany hints at a much more sinister trend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alexander Clarkson | World Politics Review | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In early December, German police uncovered a plot by far-right conspirators to mount a coup. It is widely acknowledged that the electoral appeal of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, to about 10% of German voters is a matter of great concern. This image of political stability, though not unjustified, caused many observers to downplay the revelation in early December that German police had uncovered an organized plot by a network of far-right conspirators to mount a coup. German police and intelligence services had to take the threat this network represented seriously. This complacency gave the East German Stasi and other Soviet-bloc intelligence services opportunities to reach out to emerging radical networks willing to destabilize the Federal Republic at the time.

☆ Germany's Scholz says EU firmly on Ukraine's side
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses parliament ahead of the EU-ASEAN commemorative summit, in the plenary hall of the Bundestag in Berlin, Germany December 14, 2022. Budapest earlier this week dropped its objections to an EU loan to Kyiv after the partial unfreezing of financial support for Hungary. The EU had blocked the funds over rule of law concerns. Support for Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia, would be maintained and intensified for as long as President Vladimir Putin kept up his war against Kyiv, Scholz added. "Nobody is suffering as much from Russia's war as the Ukrainians - and we stand firmly by their side," he said.

☆ Germany to tighten gun laws after suspected coup plot, interior minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerBERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Germany plans to tighten its gun laws in the wake of a suspected plot by a far-right group to violently overthrow the government and install a minor royal as national leader, its interior minister said in an interview published on Sunday. German police last week arrested 25 people suspected of involvement in the plot, which has shocked many in one of Europe's most stable democracies. "These are not harmless crazy people but suspected terrorists who are now sitting in pre-trial detention," Faeser was quoted as saying. "We need all authorities to exert maximum pressure" to remove their weapons, Faeser was quoted as saying, which was why the government would "shortly further tighten gun laws". Prior to the raids, authorities had already confiscated weapons from more than 1,000 Reichsbuerger members.

This week she was arrested in a raid as part of a group suspected of plotting to violently overthrow the German government. Prosecutors have said the 58-year-old, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was to become justice minister in a new state headed by aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss after the coup. The AfD said in a statement on Wednesday that it condemned the efforts of the suspected plotters. The inscription 'To the German people' is written above the entrance to the Reichstag building, the seat of Germany's lower house of parliament Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany December 9, 2022. Nationwide it is polling at 14%, making it the most successful far-right party in Germany since World War Two.

☆ Germany arrests 25 suspected of far-right plot to overthrow state
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Numerous officers were deployed in several federal states, said a spokeswoman for the Karlsruhe-based authority . German authorities on Wednesday detained 25 members and supporters of a far-right group that the prosecutor's office said were preparing a violent overthrow of the state, with some members suspected of plotting an armed attack on the parliament. Prosecutors said the raids were conducted by more than 3,000 police officials and security forces across 11 German federal states. Suspects were arrested in the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Thuringia as well as in Austria and Italy, said the office. The group's ideology is in the same vein as the far-right Reichsbuerger movement and QAnon conspiracy theorists who share the deep conviction that Germany is ruled by a "Deep State", the office.

[1/2] The headquarters of Wirecard AG in Aschheim near Munich, Germany, September 22, 2020. REUTERS/Michael DalderMUNICH/BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Former Wirecard executives go on trial on Thursday, two years after the collapse of the payments company that produced Germany's biggest post-war fraud scandal and sent shockwaves through the country's political and financial establishment. Wirecard, which started out processing payments for pornography and online gambling, rose to be worth $28 billion and displaced Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) in Germany's DAX blue-chip index. But in June 2020, Wirecard was forced to admit that 1.9 billion euros were missing from its balance sheet. In the ructions that followed Wirecard's demise, the head of German financial regulator BaFin resigned and the head of Germany's accounting watchdog also stepped down.

☆ German court dismisses challenge to 750 bln euro EU recovery fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Germany's constitutional court on Tuesday threw out a legal challenge to the European Union's 750-billion-euro ($786 billion) recovery fund, which saw the EU take on joint debt to help member states overcome the COVID-19 crisis. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner welcomed the ruling but said some aspects of the decision would have to be closely analysed by the government. The funds are to be repaid from the EU budget over the coming decades, with Germany shouldering by far the biggest share of any member state. The court ruled that the ratification act had not violated their right to democratic self-determination nor did it "impair the overall budgetary responsibility of the Bundestag". Lucke expressed disappointment at the ruling but said it was positive that the court had emphasized the EU has no general authority to take on common debt.

☆ German government defends plan to ease citizenship rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

German language requirements for citizenship would also be eased for members of the so-called "Gastarbeiter" generation, many of them Turkish, who came to Germany in the 1950s and 1960s as migrant workers. It would also be made easier to study or obtain qualifications in Germany, he said. Scholz defended allowing immigrants to hold dual citizenship, arguing that "belonging and identity are not a zero-sum game." The secretary-general of the FDP, the junior partner in coalition with the SPD and environmentalist Greens, has spoken out against the plan. Faeser played down differences in the coalition and said that all parties had signed up to the plan in their coalition agreement.

☆ Germany — burned by overrelying on Russian gas — now vows to end dependence on trade with China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Germany's dependence on Russian gas is sparking a rethink of Berlin's foreign policy. Germany, an industrial powerhouse and Europe's biggest economy, is reliant on piped natural gas from Russia which accounts for 35% of the country's fuel imports. Europe's largest economy has since been diversifying away from Russian natural gas by importing liquefied natural gas from other countries and is racing to build more essential infrastructure to hasten the shift. It has also learnt a lesson from its Russia policy. In particular, Berlin is working on a new trade policy with China to cut dependence on Chinese raw materials, batteries, and semiconductor chips, Reuters reported in September.

☆ Germany to emerge from crisis stronger with new trade, energy policies - Scholz
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Germany is strong enough to weather the crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and emerge stronger from it thanks a new approach to energy, defence and trade policy in Europe's biggest economy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday. "Germany has the strength to master the crisis and emerge stronger from it," the Social Democrat chancellor said, adding his government would do more than stick to the status quo. Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Germans have faced soaring energy prices due to disruption to supplies from Russia. The government will not be able to completely stop a surge in energy prices through subsidies but can reduce them to a bearable level, Scholz said. Caps on electricity and gas prices to be introduced by Berlin next year will bring energy costs to a level experts did not expect to see before 2024, he added.

☆ German lawmakers break Europe's silence on suspected Nord Stream pipeline saboteur to point the finger at Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two senior German lawmakers have pointed the finger at Russia over suspected sabotage of Nord Stream. European lawmakers had previously left open the question about who the suspected Nord Stream saboteur could be. On Monday, Danish and Swedish authorities detected three severe leaks affecting the four Nord Stream pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Nord Stream was intended as the main artery for natural-gas exports from Russia to Europe. The US Central Intelligence Agency warned Germany weeks ago about potential attacks on Nord Stream, German magazine Der Spiegel reported Tuesday.

☆ Germany and the US aren't going to deter Putin with a few sanctions and frozen bank accounts. It's going to take a strong, democratic alliance to stop the war in Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-25 | by ( Mathias Döpfner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Germany must abandon its pacifist foreign policy and stand up against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Germany needs to form tighter ties with the US, stop using Russian gas, and confront Vladimir Putin. Stirred by the nuclear-power-plant disaster in Fukushima, Germany made an epochal blunder and created an unnecessary dependence on Russian energy and Russian policy. Time for a new German foreign policyNow Putin has started the long-feared war with Ukraine. The people of Ukraine need our solidarity, and words will not be enough.

☆ Angela Merkel propune ca toate țările UE să impună carantină cetățenilor din Marea Britanie, din cauza variantei Delta
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-23 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Cancelarul german Angela Merkel a declarat miercuri că ar vrea ca și celelalte state europene să impună, la fel ca Germania, carantină pentru cetățenii care vin din țări cu rate mari de incidență a variantei Delta a coronavirusului, cum este Marea Britanie, scrie digi24.ro. "În țara noastră, dacă vii din Marea Britanie, trebuie să intri în carantină - dar asta nu este valabil în fiecare țară din Europa, și asta este ceea ce aș vrea să văd", a declarat miercuri Angela Merkel în Bundestag, camera inferioară a Parlamentului, potrivit Reuters. Varianta Delta a coronavirusului, descoperită pentru prima oară în India, ar putea fi responsabilă pentru 90% din cazurile de pe continent până în luna august a acestui an, transmite Agenția Uniunii Europene pentru controlul bolilor. În Regatul Unit, varianta Delta este deja responsabilă pentru mai mult de 90% din cazurile de Covid și a dus la o creștere a numărului de infectări la persoanele nevaccinate și la cele imunizate doar cu prima doză. Din acest motiv, guvernul britanic a amânat eliminarea restricțiilor planificată pentru 21 iunie.

Persons: Angela Merkel Organizations: Reuters, Agenția Uniunii Europene Locations: Germania, Britanie, Europa, Bundestag, India, Regatul Unit

☆ Om de știință rus, arestat de Germania pentru spionaj
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-21 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +3 min

Între octombrie şi iunie anul trecut, el s-a întâlnit în "cel puţin trei ocazii" cu un agent al serviciului de informaţii externe rus, a precizat aceeaşi sursă. În timpul a cel puţin două dintre aceste întâlniri, "a furnizat informaţii" despre universitate şi "a primit bani în schimb". Au fost efectuate percheziţii la domiciliul şi la locul de muncă al acestuia, iar sâmbătă a fost adus în faţa unui judecător care a decis să îl aresteze preventiv. De fiecare dată, Moscova a reacţionat în mod simetric, denunţând în acelaşi timp acuzaţii nefondate şi "rusofobe". El a fost pus sub acuzare de către procuratură şi urmează să fie judecat, dacă instanţa competentă va da undă verde.

Persons: Alexei Navalnîi, Suspectul, El, Merkel Organizations: France, Externe, NATO, Monde Locations: Germania, Moscova, germană, Karlsruhe, universitatea, Berlin, Occident, ruse, Italia, Bulgaria, Olanda, Austria, Franţa, Republica Cehă, Rusia, Maas, Rusiei, Berlinul, Statelor Unite

☆ Maia Sandu a participat la discuțiile în cadrul unor comisii din Bundestag; Ce le-a spus deputaților germani
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-20 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Sursa foto: presedinte.mdMaia Sandu a participat la discuțiile în cadrul unor comisii din Bundestag; Ce le-a spus deputaților germaniCu ocazia vizitei oficiale la Berlin, președintele Maia Sandu a participat la discuțiile parlamentare, organizate în cadrul comisiilor de Afaceri Externe și de Afaceri Europene ale Parlamentului Federal German. Șefa statului le-a vorbit parlamentarilor despre situația curentă din Republica Moldova, provocările cu care ne confruntăm în plan intern și regional, despre planurile de reformare a sistemului de justiție și de combatere a corupției, dar și despre miza alegerilor parlamentare anticipate din luna iulie, menite să consolideze eforturile de revenire la democrație și stat de drept în Republica Moldova. „Le-am mulțumit parlamentarilor pentru sprijinul oferit de Germania pentru programe de dezvoltare în Moldova, pentru investițiile germane în economia noastră, pentru susținerea parcursului european și pentru ajutorul acordat pentru gestionarea crizei pandemice”, a declarat Maia Sandu. La Bundestag, șefa statului discutat și cu Günther Krichbaum, președintele Comisiei pentru Afaceri Europene, și Norbert Roettgen, președintele Comisiei pentru Politică Externă. Maia Sandu le-am mulțumit interlocutorilor pentru oportunitatea de a face auzită și de a explica poziția Republicii Moldova pe diverse subiecte de interes comun intern și extern, și a menționat că „participarea la asemenea discuții este o oportunitate bună de a ne face noi aliați și prieteni pe plan internațional”.

Persons: Sandu, Maia Sandu, Günther Krichbaum, Norbert Roettgen Organizations: Afaceri, Federal German, Europene Locations: Bundestag, Berlin, Republica Moldova, Germania, Moldova, Republicii Moldova

☆ Președinta R. Moldova, Maia Sandu, efectuează o vizită oficială în Germania
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-19 | by ( Buzdugan Loredana | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +2 min

Președinta R. Moldova, Maia Sandu, efectuează în zilele de 19-20 mai o vizită oficială la Berlin. Potrivit notei informative emisă de instituția prezidențială, în prima zi a vizitei, pe 19 mai, Maia Sandu va avea o întrevedere cu președintele Germaniei, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, după care cei doi șefi de stat vor susține o conferință de presă. În după amiaza aceleiași zile, președinta Sandu va avea o discuție cu Cancelarul german, doamna Angela Merkel. La fel, președinta Sandu va participa la o discuție publică cu genericul „Moldova – un nou început”, organizată de Fundația Konrad Adenauer. Din delegația oficială care o va însoți pe Maia Sandu în Germania fac parte Cristina Gherasimov, consilier prezidențial în domeniul politicii externe și Veaceslav Negruța, consilier în domeniul economic.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Sandu, Angela Merkel, Armin Laschet, Apărării Günther Krichbaum, Președintele, Norbert Roettgen, Fundația Konrad Adenauer ., Norbert Lammert, Gerhard Wahlers, Cristina, Veaceslav Organizations: Afaceri, CDU, CSU, SPD, Partidul, Președintele Partidului Creștin - Democrat, Maas, Apărării, Fundația, Președintele Fundației Locations: Moldova, Berlin, Republicii Federale Germania, Germaniei, Bundestag, Nord - Westfalia, Germania, Republica Moldova

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