What Europe wants from the State of the Union — love for Ukraine – POLITICO

“We shouldn’t make the mistake of declaring Trump a premature winner, or even subscribing to this idea,” German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said on Wednesday. But for others it’s already too late. Ex-Tory Minister Tim Loughton told the BBC that Biden “frankly needs to read the room — it’s time to go home to the … Read more

After scrapping nuclear reactors, Germany to spend billions on new gas power plants – POLITICO

The government has described the fossil gas power plants as “modern, highly flexible and climate-friendly” because they will be capable of conversion to use clean-burning hydrogen gas produced from renewable sources. The plants are projected to produce up to 10 gigawatts of electricity. Tenders for the projects will begin soon. German energy firm Uniper, which … Read more

Fears grow over far-right efforts to co-opt German farmer protests – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. BERLIN — German farmers commenced a week of planned protests on Monday while officials warned that far-right groups are attempting to co-opt the movement for their own political ends. The farmers began the day by blocking roads across much of the country in response … Read more

Party vote provides slight relief for Germany’s troubled coalition – POLITICO

BERLIN — The rulers of Germany’s fractious three-party coalition government can breathe a small sigh of relief. In an internal party referendum, some 52 percent of members of the fiscally conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) supported remaining in the ruling coalition, relieving some of the pressure on the FDP’s leadership to withdraw from the alliance … Read more

Germany plans partial reform of its debt brake, Lindner says – POLITICO

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced plans to reform the country’s debt rules to allow more spending in times of economic downturn, while also voicing criticism over planned price increases for farmers and airlines. In an interview with German regional newspapers published Saturday, Lindner said he intends to revise an economic calculation component that defines … Read more