About: Germany
Slovakia threatens unilateral action over food quality crisis
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has set an ultimatum for the European Commission to take action over lower quality food products being sold in Eastern member states. EURACTIV.sk reports.
German nuclear damage shows atomic and renewable power are unhappy bedfellows
A Germany nuclear plant was damaged because its operators increased and decreased its output to respond to energy grid fluctuations. The incident supports the theory that nuclear and renewable energy generation are incompatible. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
EIB approves €12 bn for transport, energy, infrastructure
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved new financing worth €12.4 billion for projects in transport, including a new metro line in Paris, infrastructure and energy, the bank said on Tuesday (18 July).
EU court strikes small blow for transparency
The European Court of Justice on Tuesday (18 July) struck a blow for transparency by throwing out an appeal by the European Commission in a case related to public access to documents. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Estonia urges caution on Nord Stream 2 pipeline
Estonia’s foreign minister has warned against letting the controversial Nord Stream 2 project, a planned pipeline between Russia and Germany, become a “tool for political pressure”. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Germany made more than €1bn out of Greek crisis
Between its loans to Athens and its debt buying programmes, Germany has cashed in to the tune of €1.34bn since the beginning of the Greek crisis. EURACTIV’s partner La Tribune reports.
SPD’s Schulz accuses Merkel of lacking clear plan
German Socialist Party leader Martin Schulz set out plans to boost investment and enhance European unity, accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of making empty promises.
French anger at CAP co-financing proposal
The European Commission’s suggestion that EU member states co-finance part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the biggest consumer of the bloc’s budget, has met with steady support in Germany and exasperation in France. EURACTIV France reports.
Trans-Europe Express: Will the EU ever get the Western Balkans right?
The EU's fast-and-loose approach to the Western Balkans has never been more evident than in the last few years.
Macron: Germany is competitive thanks to eurozone weaknesses
Ahead of Thursday’s (13 July) Franco-German Ministerial Council, Friday’s Bastille Day celebrations and Donald Trump’s visit to Paris, President Emmanuel Macron spoke to EURACTIV’s partner Ouest-France about Europe's future, and France’s relations with the US.
With new evidence, Czechs call for solution to dual food quality issue
Fish fingers in Germany contain more meat than those sold in the Czech Republic. The Visegrad Group has asked for an EU solution but the Commission is reluctant. Czechs are raising the issue again, following the publication of a new study. EURACTIV.cz reports
At Trieste trilateral, Italy laments migrant burden
In the margins of the Western Balkans summit in Trieste, Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni criticised fellow EU member states on Wednesday (12 July) for leaving his country to grapple with the migrant crisis, despite pledges made by France and Germany.
Macron urges greater eurozone convergence, presses Germany to act
The European Union remains an incomplete project and will require changes to its treaties that bring greater convergence between eurozone member states, French President Emmanuel Macron said in comments published on Thursday (13 July).
Siemens turbines cause whirlwinds in Crimea
A firm part-owned by German firm Siemens was preparing to install electricity turbines in Crimea despite prohibitive EU sanctions. The issue was brought to the attention of Brussels and Siemens on Monday (10 July).
German diplomats assess China’s climate leadership promise
The international community is asking itself whether China really has what it takes to lead global climate policy now the United States has yielded that mantle. German diplomats in Beijing have attempted to broach the issue, in a paper seen by EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel.
Berlin invested in Belgian nuclear plants despite safety concerns
Germany’s federal government is invested to the tune of €6.4m in Belgium's ailing nuclear plants, despite Berlin recently advocating for their closure. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
German export surplus: Less is more
A reduction of Germany's trade surplus is in the long-term self-interest of the country itself, writes Thieß Petersen.
France, Germany pledge more support for Italy on migrants, offer vague
France, Germany and the EU executive on Monday (3 July) promised Italy more support in handling the influx of migrants arriving by boat from Africa, agreeing to bolster training and funding for Libya's coastguard and to relocate asylum seekers more swiftly.
Trans-Europe Express: Gay marriage and the German elections
Call it the Merkel tack. “For me, personally, marriage is a man and a woman living together. That is my concept, but I support civil partnerships,” she told YouTube vlogger Le Floid, AKA Florian Mundt, in July 2014.
German parliament votes to legalise same-sex marriage
Germany's parliament voted by a wide margin on Friday (30 June) to legalise same-sex marriage after Chancellor Angela Merkel did an about-face that freed members of her ruling conservative bloc to follow their personal conscience rather than the party line.
US journal Science publishes study linking neonicotinoids to bee deaths
Two of the most extensive field studies conducted to date in Europe and Canada have confirmed the hypothesis that neonicotinoid insecticides are harmful to bees and other pollinating species.
Merkel vs. Trump at Hamburg G20
As world leaders prepare to descend on Hamburg next week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes to gain sufficient support to isolate US President Donald Trump on trade and climate change, writes Fraser Cameron.
EU initiative to help coal mining regions will start in autumn
The Commission is working on an initiative to support coal mining regions during the transition towards a low-emission economy. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
Germany urges lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday (28 June) called for Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to extend a harvest-related ceasefire, saying it could help pave the way for a political solution.