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☆ Germany the ‘tired man’ of Europe, finance minister admits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 15: German Finance Minister Christian Lindner gives a statement to the media at the Chancellery following the weekly government cabinet meeting on November 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. "I know what some of you are thinking, Germany probably is a sick man. Germany is not the sick man," Christian Lindner told World Economic Forum delegates at a Bloomberg panel on Friday. References to Germany as the "sick man of Europe" resurfaced last year. The "sick man" title had first been used to describe Germany's economy in 1998 as the country navigated the costly challenges of a post-reunification economy.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Sean Gallup, Lindner Organizations: German Finance, German, Court, Getty, Economic, Bloomberg Locations: BERLIN, GERMANY, Berlin, Germany, Europe

☆ ‘Sick man of Europe?’ Germany says it just needs a coffee
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Germany’s finance minister has shrugged off suggestions his country has once again become the “sick man” of Europe. Long the engine of growth in Europe, Germany’s economy shrank last year by 0.3%, likely the weakest performance among the region’s big countries. “I know what some of you are thinking: Germany probably is a sick man. Germany is not a sick man… Germany is a tired man after a short night,” Christian Lindner said at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The country became known as the “sick man of Europe” in the late 1990s as its economy faltered and unemployment soared.

Persons: It’s, ”, “, ” Christian Lindner, ” Lindner, ” Daniel Kral Organizations: London CNN —, Economic, Oxford Economics, Germany’s Federal, Office Locations: Europe, Germany, Davos, Switzerland, Germany’s, Ukraine, Moscow, Berlin, Russia, Red

☆ Deutsche Bank CEO says acquisitions not a 'priority' as Commerzbank rumors swirl
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Christian Sewing, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank, has acknowledged that a recession in Germany is inevitable, and urged leaders to accelerate its decoupling from China. Denis Balibouse | ReutersDeutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing on Thursday said that merger and acquisition activity is not a priority for his group, as speculation resurfaces over the future of domestic rival Commerzbank . The state still has a 15% stake in Commerzbank, but Reuters reported earlier this week that Finance Minister Christian Lindner is open to disposing of it. The merger of Germany's two biggest banks would create a combined entity with around $2 trillion in assets, although Deutsche Bank's low valuation could complicate any such move. The bank trades at around 12 euros per share, a fraction of its book value, and a significant portion of assets would need to be marked down.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Christian Lindner Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Reuters Deutsche Bank CEO, Commerzbank, Reuters, Deutsche, CNBC, Economic Locations: Germany, China, Commerzbank, Davos, Switzerland, Europe

☆ Tractors Converge on Berlin for Farmers' Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Farmers and their tractors rumbled towards Berlin from every corner of Germany on Sunday ahead of a giant protest demanding a rethink of plans to tax farmers more. But farmers, with the vocal backing of the opposition conservatives and the far-right, say this does not go far enough. "Farmers will die out," said farmer Karl-Wilhelm Kempner on Sunday as he boarded a bus in Cologne heading for the demonstration. Finance Minister Christian Lindner will address the protest and coalition party leaders have invited leaders of the demonstrations for talks. Disruption caused by protests and train strikes last week hurt coalition parties in the polls and propelled the far-right Alternative for Germany party to new heights.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Karl, Wilhelm Kempner, Christian Lindner, Scholz, We've, Thomas Escritt, Ros Russell Organizations: BERLIN, Farmers, Finance Locations: Berlin, Germany, Berlin's, Cologne

☆ Tracy Bennett Brings Whimsy to Wordle
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-31 | by ( Emmett Lindner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. When Tracy Bennett sits down to play Wordle, she does so with a word of six — not five — letters in mind: Whimsy. “I got one green letter and four gray letters,” she adds, referring to the game’s color-coded squares that signify which guessed letters are correct. Some may find the exercise meritless — Ms. Bennett does, after all, already know the answer. As Wordle’s first and only editor, she knows every answer to every Wordle puzzle about six weeks in advance.

Persons: Tracy Bennett, —, “ I’m, “, Ms, Bennett, Wordle’s Organizations: New York Times Games

Speaking to parliament, Scholz went into Germany's recent history of the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine and soaring energy prices to extend a suspension of self-imposed borrowing limits to tackle a crisis that has knocked his coalition. A constitutional court ruling nearly two weeks ago blocked the government's plans to reallocate unused pandemic funds towards green initiatives and industry support, raising fears Germany's economy could be further weakened. Scholz's assurances that his government would solve the budget crisis with care were met with jeers and laughter from the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), whose lawsuit against the government had sparked the earlier court ruling. He underscored support for Ukraine, after the recent budget turmoil raised questions over how much military aid Berlin was willing to commit. "It is also clear that we must not let up in our support for Ukraine and in overcoming the energy crisis.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Scholz, Germany's, Berlin, Scholz's, " Merz, Andreas Rinke, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Climate, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Bundestag, Christian Democrats, Ukraine, Finance, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Ukraine, Germany, East Germany

☆ German government unveils budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The government said the spillover effects from the energy crisis that hit in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and caused rocketing prices had created an emergency situation that justified suspending the debt brake. The leader of Scholz's SPD urged the government to consider suspending the debt brake next year, a move rejected in particular by the fiscally hawkish Free Democrats (FDP). "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, which have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Scholz's, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham Alkousaa, Amir Orusov, Rachel More, Matthias Williams, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Ukraine, Sarai, East Germany

☆ German government to agree budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) 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 budget would see Germany suspend its constitutionally enshrined debt brake for a fourth year in a row as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government fights its way out of a crisis that has triggered warnings about growth and an industry exodus. "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-09, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, who have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham, Matthias Williams, Alison Williams Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Rights, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Sarai, East Germany

A constitutional court ruling on Nov. 15 against a budget manoeuvre to get around Germany's "debt brake" threw the financial plans of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition into disarray. "As I have long been saying, we must fear that the debt brake becomes ever more a brake on the future," said Berlin mayor Kai Wegner on social media platform X. "The debt brake was implemented when Europe had a debt sustainability issue and Germany wanted to lead by example," he said. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. The Greens' campaign programme ahead of the last election included debt brake reform to allow for greater investments.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Reiner Haseloff, Haseloff, Kai Wegner, Friedrich Merz, Carsten Brzeski, Roderich Kiesewetter, Stefan Marschall, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams, Holger Hansen, Nick Macfie Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, U.S, Intel, Reuters, AAA, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Christian Social Union, CSU, Berlin, Free Democrats, Social Democrats, Greens, ING, SPD, University of Duesseldorf, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Europe's, Ukraine, Saxony, Anhalt, United States, Bavarian, Federal, Germany, Europe, France, Italy, Spain, China

The court ruling has called into question Germany's traditionally strict fiscal policy and sparked warnings that German companies could be starved of support to keep them globally competitive. HANDS TIEDThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. A poll by broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans supported suspending the debt brake. Some 57% wanted the budget shortfall from the court ruling to be covered by spending cuts, 11% favoured tax increases and 23% wanted the state to take on additional debt.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Lindner, Habeck, Steffen Hebestreit, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, Deepa Babington Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, Greens, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, FDP, ZDF, Thomson Locations: Germany, Europe's, East Germany, China

Lindner plans to lift self-imposed limits on borrowing and present a supplementary budget next week after a constitutional court ruling wiped billions from the federal budget and forced the government to freeze most new spending commitments. HANDS TIED IN A BOXING MATCHThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match. A poll by the broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans, 35%, supported suspending the debt brake however, compared to 61% wanting it to stay in place. Some 57% wanted the budget shortfall from the court ruling to be covered by spending cuts, 11% favoured tax increases and 23% wanted the state to take on additional debt.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Lindner, hawkish Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Thomas Gitzel, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra Organizations: BERLIN, German Finance, Greens, ZDF, Bank, Thomson Locations: Germany, China, Europe

☆ Morning Bid: Giving thanks you're not in China stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding shakily on Friday with no major reports of attacks, although both sides were accused of violations. The decline marked yet another investor shrug at reports of further official moves to shore up China's ailing property sector. In Europe, data showed Germany's economy shrank slightly in the third quarter, confirming an initial estimate of a 0.1% fall. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, shrug, didn't, Christian Lindner, Geert Wilders, Luis de Guindos, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Nick Macfie Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Stock, Mainland Properties, Bloomberg, Nvidia, Finance, Britain's Barclays, Central Bank, Bank of Spain, PMI Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wall, Israel, OPEC, United States, Friday's, Beijing, Taiwan, China, Europe, British

These include plans by ArcelorMittal , the world's second-largest steelmaker, to spend 2.5 billion euros to decarbonise its German steel mills, efforts that depend on now-uncertain government support. "What we're seeing here is devastating for Germany as a business location globally. Besides the 6 billion euros of steel investments, other sectors potentially affected by the court ruling include 4 billion euros in the area of microelectronics and 20 billion euros for battery cell production, according to an economy ministry paper seen by Reuters. Those have previously been estimated at 68 billion euros. "Important industries in Germany, such as chemicals or steel production, need economical energy prices," Oliver Blume, CEO of Europe's top carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Reiner Blaschek, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Stefan Rauber, Intel INTC.O, Taiwan's, Bernhard Osburg, Oliver Blume, Christoph Steitz, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Andreas Rinke, Catherine Evans Organizations: Climate, Finance, ArcelorMittal, SHS Stahl, Reuters, IMF, Intel, TW, Infineon, Steel, BASF, Wacker Chemie, Volkswagen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, DUESSELDORF, Berlin, Germany, Asia, United States, U.S, USA, Steel Europe

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

The court ruling has called into question Germany's traditionally strict fiscal policy and sparked warnings that German companies could be starved of support to keep them globally competitive. The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008/09, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. HANDS TIEDThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. A poll by broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans supported suspending the debt brake.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Fabrizio Bensch, Scholz, Olaf Scholz, Lindner, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Steffen Hebestreit, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, BERLIN, Finance, Greens, ZDF, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Europe's, East Germany, China

☆ German budget crisis will haunt economy for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The German government is working hard to demonstrate the foolishness of the country’s iron-clad ban on large budget deficits. The budget crisis will cripple the economy for years to come, for three reasons. The debt brake, which limits structural budget deficits to 0.35% of GDP, has only been suspended for this year’s budget. Public net investment has been negative for 20 years, Marcel Fratzscher, head of the German Institute for Economic Research, has pointed out. The country is not on the cusp of a debt crisis.

Persons: Carsten Brzeski, That’s, Marcel Fratzscher, Christian Lindner, Lindner, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Constitutional, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, ING, German Economic Institute, Public, German Institute for Economic Research, German, Germany’s, Thomson Locations: Europe, Berlin

☆ Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The deal to normalise ties with Israel, signed in 2020 by Bahrain when Donald Trump was president, brought few business benefits to Bahrain, unlike those it offered United Arab Emirates, a regional commercial hub which signed at the same time. Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters Bahrain would not abandon its ties with Israel, even though parliament - a body that remains subservient to the monarchy - has made a strident statement suggesting Israel relations were in the freezer. Bahrain is trying to preserve the relationship with Israel while also managing public opinion, one of the sources said. "They can't abandon normalisation with Israel without endangering this whole strategic framework," said Kristin Smith Diwan, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. The sources said the public confusion over relations with Israel appeared to have eased pressure on the government in its efforts to balance domestic outrage and ties with Israel.

Persons: Hamad I Mohammed, Donald Trump, Kristin Smith Diwan, Abraham, Israel, Mamdooh Al Saleh, Smith, Tobias Lindner, Alexander Cornwell, Maha El, Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rare, U.S . Navy Fifth Fleet, United, Reuters, Gulf States Institute, Bahraini, Abraham, Islamic, Abraham Accords, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Muharraq, Bahrain, MANAMA, Gaza, Gulf, United States, Iran, Manama, United Arab Emirates, Reuters Bahrain, Washington, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahraini, Jerusalem, Bahrainis, Tehran, Islamic Republic, East, U.S, Kingdom of Bahrain, Maha El Dahan, Dubai

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 21, 2023. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.4% to close out the week with a 0.9% gain as investors focused on corporate earnings and the prospect of rate cuts. Euro zone government bond yields were set to close the week higher as investors balanced recession fears against comments from European Central Bank policymakers pushing against market expectations for rate cuts in 2024. For the week, real estate (.SX86P) shares lagged while media (.SXMP) and retail stocks (.SXRP) were the top performers. Reporting by Ankika Biswas and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wintershall, they're, Giles Coghlan, Coghlan, Christian Lindner, Germany's DAX, Ankika Biswas, Bansari, Sonia Cheema, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, BASF, U.S, European Central Bank, Shoppers, Bloomberg News, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, Barclays, German, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, Abu Dhabi, Israel, Bengaluru

☆ 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

☆ Germany slides deeper into budget crisis. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Germany didn't get to this point overnight, however — in ways, the roots of the current crisis even predate the pandemic. The government took on emergency debt to try to stem the impact the pandemic had on its budget through a temporary debt brake suspension. And so, the current coalition government decided to re-allocate it to finance policies aimed at climate change and a greener, more sustainable economy. Some observers (and several Green party members), have suggested that the climate crisis is as much of an emergency as the pandemic. But the court's ruling stands, and Germany's budget now has a 60-billion-euro ($65 billion) hole.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Sean Gallup, Germany didn't, fumbling, Jan Techau, Mujtaba Rahman, Jens Larsen Organizations: Finance, Getty, Greens, Free Democratic Party, Eurasia Group Locations: Berlin, Germany

Their options include drawing up a supplementary budget for 2023 and suspending Germany's self-imposed debt brake before reinstating it for next year. "Our goal is to discuss the budget quickly but with due care," said a joint statement of ruling party lawmakers. The delay has heightened uncertainty about spending in all areas of the German economy and meant the 2024 budget might not be concluded before the end of the year. "I firmly assume that the commitments for Intel and TSMC will remain," a government source said, adding: "This is very important to the chancellor, as well as to the economy minister." This will happen in the course of next early 2024 and we will see how far hydrogen is available," CEO Miguel Lopez said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Olaf Scholz's, Scholz's, Siegfried Russwurm, TSMC, Scholz, Miguel Lopez, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Victoria Waldersee, Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, Alex Richardson, Christina Fincher Organizations: Finance, Climate, Government, Ukraine Industry, Intel, TSMC, Wednesday, Social Democrat, Greens, Free Democrats, Fund, Eurasia Group, U.S, BMW, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: TSMC BERLIN, Germany's, Ukraine, EU, Saxony, Anhalt, Berlin, Germany

☆ Pressure mounts on German government to find way out of budget hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The court ruled the budget manoeuvre was incompatible with the debt restrictions enshrined in Germany's constitution. The pressure is even more intense as talks for next year's budget are on the final stretch. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the government has already imposed a freeze on most new spending commitments on ministries. "German industry is looking at the current political situation with the greatest concern," said Siegfried Russwurm, president of the BDI industry association. One obstacle to reforming the debt brake, which restricts Germany's structural budget deficit to the equivalent of 0.35% of gross domestic product, has been Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Siegfried Russwurm, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Miranda Murray, Alex Richardson Organizations: Finance, Climate, Europe's, Social Democrat, Greens, Free Democrats, Fund, Reuters, Ukraine, Greens Economy, U.S, Intel, European, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, reallocating, Berlin, Ukraine

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ German budget crisis tests limits of its 'debt brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" that sets legal limits on borrowing. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED? HAS GERMANY SUSPENDED ITS DEBT BRAKE BEFORE? Some analysts say the debt brake is ripe for reform and a more flexible fiscal policy would let governments take on more debt to fund much-needed investments. The government is still weighing options, including suspending the debt brake or curtailing spending.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Angela Merkel's, Christian Lindner, Carsten Brzeski, Philippa Sigl, Robert Habeck, Riham Alkousaa, Holger Hansen, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, GERMANY, Ukraine

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