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Underscoring the frustration, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the pro-spending Greens, called the verdict "a huge blow to industrial policy". Speaking to parliament, Habeck warned the court ruling put at risk support for the steel sector, which is counting on subsidies to decarbonise and stay competitive. Finance Minister Christian Lindner meanwhile said it was too early to discuss the consequences of the court ruling. "The steel industry alone can contribute to reducing a third of total industrial emissions - and thus has enormous leverage to save millions of tons of CO2 in the coming years." "The political bottom line is that many coalition disputes will reopen as serious budget constraints kick in.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, BERLIN, Wednesday's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Habeck, Yesenn, DBRS Morningstar, hawkish Lindner, Lindner, Bernhard Osburg, Carsten Brzeski, Eurointelligence, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Markus Wacket, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Matthias Williams, Alexandra Hudson, Susan Fenton Organizations: Finance, Climate, Economy, Greens, CHANGE, Budget, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: United States, Berlin, Germany

☆ Strained France-Germany ties slow EU decision making
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

From joint defence programmes to nuclear energy or relations with China, Paris and Berlin are at odds over a growing number of issues. In an August speech Macron made his frustration public, calling Germany's position on nuclear energy "a historic mistake". Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy after Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011, closing its last reactors in April. It is unclear if France and Germany can hash out a deal in Hamburg ahead of a crucial EU energy meeting on Oct. 17, but analysts are doubtful. Although the concept was criticised for having failed with Russia, German officials believe trade ties with a country like China could prevent conflict.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Meyssonnier, Macron, Detlef Seif, Marc, Antoine Eyl, Wolfgang Munchau, hasn't, Wandel, Handel, Noah Barkin, Sarah Marsh, Kate Abnett, Michel Rose, Rachel Armstrong, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Weimar, REUTERS, German Christian Democratic Union, BASF, Reuters, EDF, Franco, GMF, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Hamburg, Berlin, China, German, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, EU, Franco, Italian, Russia, Brussels, Beijing

[1/9] Spain's opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo reacts after giving a speech during an investiture debate at parliament in Madrid, Spain, September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Spain's rightwing opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo on Tuesday launched a likely fruitless bid to form a government following an election in which no party won a majority. Feijoo will get a second vote on Friday, which only requires a simple majority. If, as expected, Feijoo fails, acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), will have two months from Wednesday to make his bid before parliament is dissolved and fresh elections are called. In his speech, Feijoo outlined the policy proposals he would carry out as prime minister, including lowering taxes for entrepreneurs and low- and middle-income earners and devising a plan to capture foreign investment.

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Juan Medina, Feijoo's, Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Eurointelligence, Esquerra, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Bernadette Baum Organizations: People's, REUTERS, Rights, Feijoo's People's Party, Debating, Spanish Socialist Workers Party, PSOE, Vox, Union, Canarian Coalition, Basque Nationalist Party, Galician Nationalist Bloc, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Catalonia, Catalan, Basque

[1/4]Spain's opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo and People's Party spokeswoman Maria Concepcion Gamarra attend a meeting at the People's Party (PP) headquarters in Madrid, Spain, July 24, 2023. Puigdemont, who still wields considerable influence within Junts, said in mid-July the party would not support Sanchez. "We are sure about that, and that there will be no repetition (of the election)," the source said. Sumar lawmaker Jaume Asens has already begun talks with Junts on the platform's behalf, a source in the party said. Another PSOE source said the party would leave the PP to make the first attempt to form a government.

Persons: Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Vox, Feijoo, Sumar, Pedro Sanchez, Esquerra, Carles Puigdemont, Maria Concepcion Gamarra, Juan Medina, Jordi Turull, Turull, Puigdemont, Jaume Asens, Junts, Franco, Spain's, Eurointelligence, Joan Faus, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing, Christina Fincher Organizations: Conservative, Exiled, People's Party, Socialist, PSOE, Socialists, ERC, Vox, People's, of Navarre, UPN, Canary Coalition, REUTERS, Basque Nationalist Party, Sumar, Puigdemont, Thomson Locations: Spain, Exiled Catalan, BARCELONA, MADRID, Basque, Catalan, Canary, Belgium, Catalonia, Madrid, Bildu, Junts, PSOE, Barcelona

Still, many Germans feel Scholz is not doing a very good job of explaining his thinking. Scholz has so far neither said he would give the green light nor if he would send tanks from Germany. A main reason given is that Russia could see the deliveries of tanks as tantamount to Germany becoming a party to conflict. The Kremlin would be less inclined to retaliate if another nuclear power such as the United States also sent tanks. Already, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced Germany to overcome taboos such as exporting arms to war zones.

"It always rains a lot here, it's very cold and it's January and it feels like summer," said Bilbao resident Eusebio Folgeira, 81. French tourist Joana Host said: "It's like nice weather for biking but we know it's like the planet is burning. Scientists have not yet analysed the specific ways in which climate change affected the recent high temperatures, but January's warm weather spell fits into the longer-term trend of rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change. "The record-breaking heat across Europe over the new year was made more likely to happen by human-caused climate change, just as climate change is now making every heatwave more likely and hotter," said Dr Friederike Otto, climate scientist at Imperial College London. French national weather agency Meteo France attributed the anomalous temperatures to a mass of warm air moving to Europe from subtropical zones.

☆ EU struggles with Russian oil price cap, talks to resume when positions converge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There will be a meeting of representatives of all EU countries once there is progress. Diplomats said that six of the EU's 27 countries opposed the price cap level proposed by the G7. Russian Urals crude oil already trades within the discussed range at around $68 per barrel. "That means the proposed cap would either be the same as, or slightly higher than, the price Russian oil is fetching on the open market. It would be, in other words, another price cap that does not cap," the Eurointelligence think tank said in a note.

The previous day, the 27 EU leaders locked horns over a joint response to the acute energy crunch that has engulfed the bloc since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Smaller countries also appealed for a united EU front vis-a-vis Beijing, pointing to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's planned visit to China next month. "Germany's industrial strategy, and its economic model that feeds it, is toxic for the EU," Eurointelligence said in a commentary on Thursday. Germany, the EU's biggest economy, also leads the small EU camp opposed to capping gas prices, with Scholz defending himself on Thursday against accusations from other EU leaders that Berlin is pursuing selfish and unfair energy policies. Some EU countries want wider sanctions imposed on Iran, and the summit will also condemn Tehran's use of force against protests.

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