DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

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 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

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

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 —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.

☆ U.S., German defense ministers meet as differences emerge over tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Germany will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help its defense against Russia if the United States agrees to send its own tanks, a German government source told Reuters. "The secretary (of defense) will be pressing the Germans on this," one senior U.S. defense official said. The United States has committed roughly $24 billion to help Ukraine to defend itself against Russian forces. Some Eastern European officials have publicly called on Germany to allow the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Some U.S. officials remain hopeful that they can convince Germany to allow the transfer of third party tanks to Ukraine.

☆ All eyes on Germany when defense leaders meet on arming Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Ints KalninsWASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - When dozens of defense ministers meet at an airbase in Germany on Friday, all eyes will be set on what Berlin is - and is not - willing to provide Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been set to meet German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in Berlin before the Ramstein conference, but she resigned from her post on Monday. Instead, Germany's new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will host Austin on Thursday. Some Eastern European officials have publicly called on Germany to allow the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Well, they're not alone," British Defense minister Ben Wallace said on Monday.

☆ Little-Known Politician to Become German Defense Minister Amid Mounting Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Bojan Pancevski | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Boris Pistorius, the longstanding interior minister of the Western state of Lower Saxony, was a surprise appointment to the position of Germany’s defense minister. BERLIN—German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appointed a regional politician as defense minister on Tuesday, seeking to put back on track Germany’s plans to overhaul its ailing armed forces and boost military support for Ukraine. The move came after Monday’s resignation of Christine Lambrecht from the portfolio, dealing a blow to one of Mr. Scholz’s most ambitious projects: A 100-billion-euro plan to repair the country’s long-neglected military.

☆ Bosch to invest a billion dollars on EV parts centre in Suzhou, China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New Delhi CNN —Bosch, the German engineering and technology company, is planning to invest $1 billion to make components for new energy vehicles in China, the world’s largest car market. The company plans to build a research, development and manufacturing facility for parts for new energy vehicles and automated-driving technology in Suzhou, a city in the country’s east, Bosch said in a statement on Thursday. It plans to invest around $1 billion in the project over the next years, the statement added. “China is the world’s largest auto market, full of promise and vitality. Bosch has had a presence in China since 1909 and employs around 55,000 people in the country.

☆ German police clash with activists in showdown over coal mine expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many Greens oppose the mine's expansion, but Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens party has fronted the government's decision. Some activists dumped 250 kg (551 lb) worth of coal blocks in front of a local Greens party headquarters, German media reported. Some of the activists have built treehouses in Luetzerath, believing these would make it harder for police to force them to leave. The move echoes a similar protest in 2013 in the Hambach forest, which delayed an RWE coal mining project for years and became a symbol of anti-coal demonstrations. Those include firing up mothballed coal power plants and extending the lifespan of nuclear power stations after Russia cut gas deliveries to Europe in an energy standoff that sent prices soaring.

☆ First Russia, now China? Europe doesn’t appear ready to ‘decouple’ from Beijing just yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Marie Brockling | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Scholz was the first leader of a Group of 7 nations to visit China since the start of the pandemic, which was first detected there in 2019. China’s relations with Europe have deteriorated amid tensions over Taiwan, human rights issues and Beijing’s tacit support for Russia in its war on Ukraine. China has welcomed Scholz’s visit, saying it would “contribute to world peace, stability and growth.” But it received considerable pushback in Europe. Fears over Chinese interferenceScholz’s one-day visit to Beijing comes amid heightened fears in Europe over Chinese interference abroad. Wang suggested Europe could have the “best of both worlds” by playing a mediating role between Beijing and Washington.

The visit — the first by a G7 leader to China in roughly three years — comes as Germany slides towards recession. A spokesperson for Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA), the company operating the port terminal, told CNN Business on Thursday that it was still negotiating the deal with Cosco. “The restrictions are suffocating economic growth and heavily impact China’s attractiveness as a destination for foreign direct investment,” he told CNN Business. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment from CNN Business. He predicted that “the large majority will stay committed to the Chinese market and is expecting to expand their business.”Companies appear to be toeing that line.

Search resuls for: "Scholz’s"

23 mentions found