Germany has made no progress in the fight against corruption in the past year, according to Transparency International. In the German context, corruption usually takes the form of party donations. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The EU is considering new curbs on microplastics, a decision which could also affect the synthetic turfs of countless football pitches in Germany. Yet, replacing all surfaces by real grass, although more environmentally-friendly, is hardly feasible. EURACTIV Germany reports.
At a party retreat on 8 January, Germany's conservative Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) passed a resolution highlighting its ideas on digital policy. Although digital activists criticised the party's demands for increased monitoring of the digital space, they agreed with its approach to 5G expansion. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany has sent the EU Commission its official emissions figures for 2018, which are slightly lower than the previous year. Most reductions were made in the energy sector, while transport and agriculture still lag behind. Yet, Germany will not miss its climate targets for this decade as was initially anticipated. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Shortly after Germany announced plans to shut down its lignite-fired power plants, eight members of the country's Coal Commission voiced criticism that their work has been discredited and that these plans would result in an additional 40 million tons of CO2 emissions. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Conservative German MEP Axel Voss, also known as the father of the controversial copyright reform, has published a manifesto on European digital policy in which he warns that Europe should not become a "digital colony" of other powers. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Many have seen Austria's new conservative-Green coalition as a model for Europe, and especially for Germany. But the German Greens quickly distanced themselves, motivated by strategic calculation, election tactics and a concern that their more idealistic electorate would not approve it. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin in the tenth "We're fed up with it!" rally on Saturday (18 January) in an effort to bring about a radical change in Germany's agricultural sector. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Could bacteria assist in the recycling of greenhouse gases in the future instead of releasing them into the atmosphere? European researchers are working to reverse the metabolism of intestinal bacteria that feed on CO2 so that they form products that can be used at an industrial level. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Austria's right-wing populist party FPÖ has launched a rebranding exercise with the aim of becoming a "modern right-wing conservative party", EURACTIV Germany reports.
Shortly before Germany launches its "green week", Lower Saxony's conservative agriculture minister, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU), raised the issue of introducing a meat tax, again, which is something animal welfare activists have been demanding for years. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer plans to use automatic facial recognition at 134 railway stations and 14 airports, according to a news report published on 3 January. Although official confirmation of the plan is still missing, an alliance between civil society and politicians has called for the banning of this surveillance technology. EURACTIV Germany reports.
In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Green Austrian MP Lukas Hammer spoke about his party's negotiations with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) while drafting the coalition agreement and why his party took the risk of accepting tough migration policies in exchange for increased climate protection.
With Coca Cola and BMW sponsoring Romania and Finland during their respective EU Council presidencies last year, it would appear that member states have no qualms with private sector funding. But the European Ombudsman finds that this tarnishes the EU's reputation. EURACTIV Germany reports.
All EU member states should have submitted their climate protection plans for the coming decade to the European Commission by 31 December 2019. But some missed the deadline, including Germany. EURACTIV.de reports.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has formed what is now his second ruling coalition, this time between his conservative ÖVP party and the Greens, replacing the interim government of experts. Although the new government is set to make Austria a climate pioneer, there are question marks as to how long the new alliance is likely to last. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Football plays a big role in the lives of many Europeans. Football clubs can reach people on an emotional level, and some use this to raise awareness about sustainability. One such example is Schalke 04, which drives environmental awareness in a traditional German coal region.
The Green Deal presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday (11 December) avoided two controversial agricultural issues: genetic engineering and pesticide limits. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Within the framework of the current COP25, 24 Turkish cities and municipalities committed themselves to the Paris Climate Agreement yesterday (9 December). Turkey is the only G20 country that has not yet ratified the Paris Agreement. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Austria's Green party is expected to join the government for the first time, with negotiations already underway. After Sebastian Kurz's ÖVP party governed alongside the Eurosceptic far-right group FPÖ from 2017-2019, this could now prompt a change in Austria's foreign and EU policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) officially elected Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans as the new chairmen at a national conference on Friday (6 December). There was no vote about remaining in the Grand Coalition with the CDU/CSU conservatives, but the new leadership appears to have 'declared war' on them. EURACTIV Germany reports.
After having represented the interests of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for four years, Ulrike Rabmer-Koller takes stock, in an interview with EURACTIV Germany, of her successes and discusses her ambitions looking forward in the fight against climate change.
Following the ongoing protests by farmers in recent months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) were invited to attend an agricultural summit yesterday (2 December). They intend to reinforce dialogue with the agricultural sector, once again. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Since the German government abolished the mother sheep premium in 2005, shepherds have been suffering financially. But given that 22 other EU member states still award such a premium and since Germany could reintroduce such a bonus at any given time, shepherds continue to protest. EURACTIV Germany reports.
