About: Germany
Germany: Maaßen reshuffled from one post to another
Germany’s controversial constitutional protection chief Hans-Georg Maaßen may have had to leave his current post but he has already been promoted to state secretary in the German Ministry of the Interior. EURACTIV Germany's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
World’s first hydrogen train leaves station in Germany
The world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train service began operating in Germany on Sunday (16 September), while EU ministers debated the future potential of the clean fuel at an informal summit in Austria this week.
German coal commission member: If we don’t come up with a roadmap, it’ll be a disaster
Ahead of Germany’s coal commission meeting on Tuesday (18 September), one of its members explained to EURACTIV what is behind the meaning of ‘structural economic change’, which the newly appointed institution has to deal with.
Aufstehen: ‘We don’t want a German Europe, we want a European Germany’
Two weeks passed since the German leftist movement “Aufstehen” was officially formed – and according to their own account, it already has more than 140,000 supporters. EURACTIV Germany spoke to Fabio De Masi, deputy chairman of Die Linke in the German Bundestag about the European ambitions of the movement.
Top German court delays YouTube illegal uploads case to seek EU opinion
Germany’s highest court has postponed a decision on whether YouTube is liable for violations of intellectual property rights on its video platform in order to seek the opinion of European Union judges, a process expected to take one to two years.
German Angst of smart robots
The scary thing about AI is that it is hard to predict how far technology can go - and whether it manages to politically control them in such a way that in the end mankind retains the upper hand. Skepticism prevails among Germans. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Wanted: New forms of trade partnership with Africa
After several months of different European leaders beating a path to the African continent, Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission has got in on the act. But for the moment, Brussels is not offering anything new on either trade or investment.
Competitive European gas markets are a reality
From national silos to an integrated market, Europe’s gas network has come a long way writes Alex Barnes.
French analyst: ‘Nord Stream 2 won’t be built as planned’
Ukraine should decrease its transit fees if it wants to undercut the business case for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas directly to Germany, says Thierry Bros.
Autonomous weapons, AI are future of defence but require ethical debate, says expert
Should a computer be allowed to take decisions over life and death? As artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role, many issues still need to be discussed in parliament and by the general public, Ulrike Franke told EURACTIV about the ongoing autonomous weapons debate and the future of warfare.
Blood and soil: How hate speech is destroying political discourse
Anybody with an internet connection and a social media profile will have seen examples of hate speech against migrants and refugees in recent years. And we’re not talking about legitimate criticism of globalisation or Europe’s current migration policy – rather, dehumanising and violent language, calling for the sinking of refugee boats or the gassing of migrants.
Sales of glyphosate sink to 13-year low in Germany
Sales of the world’s most commonly used weed killer glyphosate in Germany reached 3,800 tonnes in 2016 - the lowest level in 13 years, Spiegel Online reported, quoting governmental documents.
A ‘grand gas bargain’ with Russia is in the pipeline, experts believe
The European Commission's push to rewrite the EU's Third Gas Directive is doomed, but Brussels has not withdrawn its proposal because it is preparing a "grand bargain” with Russia, experts told a EURACTIV event on Wednesday (5 September).
Socially just energy transition for coal workers no pie in the sky, study finds
As the UN's climate chief called for more "urgency" from negotiators at the ongoing Bangkok climate talks, a new international report found that a socially just transition is already feasible for coal workers and communities, while a global decline in coal production is expected.
Munich Security Conference Chief: Trump pushes Germany toward Russia and China
The longer Donald Trump stays in office, the higher the risk that anti-American forces will gain the upper hand in Germany and push it into the arms of Russia and China, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said in an interview.
German company ‘fully committed’ to Nord Stream 2 despite fear of US sanctions
The German company Uniper said it was "fully committed" to the planed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, despite "a very bad feeling" about US sanctions against Russia. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.
With attacks on Nord Stream 2, Washington ignores collateral damage
Standard political arguments of dependence are ineffective in times of a well-developed and diversified EU natural gas market. In the mid- to long-term, Trump's approach will damage European-American relations, Matthias Dornfeldt writes.
MEPs call for EU to stand with Canada amid Saudi rights row
The foreign minister of Canada, which is embroiled in a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia, called for German support on Monday in Ottawa’s campaign to promote human rights around the world.
Experts: ‘Germany is massively dependent on immigration’
The German government has agreed on the cornerstones of the new Immigration Act. But experts, business representatives and trade unions see still significant room for improvement. EURACTIV Germany's media partner "Der Tagesspiegel" reports.
Consumer group urges Germany to stop opposing colour coded nutrition labeling
Consumer organisation Foodwatch has called on German Minister of Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner to give up her opposition to a Nutri-Score food labelling scheme, after Belgium announced this week it will introduce such a label, following similar moves from the UK and France.
Coal commission keeps out of lignite mine expansion dispute
Germany’s coal commission will not give any recommendation regarding mining-owner RWE’s plans to continue clearing forest for the planned extension of the Hambach lignite mine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In its third meeting, the commission heard experts’ views on the implications of the country’s climate goals for the coal sector. EURACTIV's media partner Clean Energy Wire reports.
German Facebook use linked to refugee violence as AfD boost online presence
Recently published research has uncovered parallels between hate-fuelled Facebook posts and an increase in racially-motivated attacks on refugees in Germany, with material from the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party page under the spotlight.
Polish Auschwitz survivor to take Nazi camp row to EU court
A 97-year-old Auschwitz survivor hopes to take German public broadcaster ZDF to Europe's top court for calling Nazi camps "Polish", his lawyer said Wednesday (22 August).