The long-time CDU MEP has known Angela Merkel since the spring of 1990 and advised the future German Chancellor on European policy. He explains from his own experience where her authority in the circle of heads of state and government came from – but also how it began to crumble.
By Redaktion Table
The Council position on the Digital Services Act is in place and the negotiations in the European Parliament are also making decisive progress. However, consumers must be better protected by the laws governing online trade, demands Christian Köhler, CEO of the Markenverband.
By Redaktion Table
The change of government is an opportunity to initiate a digital awakening in the energy sector, writes Bitkom Executive Committee member Matthias Hartmann. Available technologies could achieve almost a third of the necessary CO savings in the building sector.
By Redaktion Table
Negotiations for Germany's ‘traffic light’-coalition government have produced an accelerated coal phaseout by 2030. The pressure to kick coal mounts ever higher. Could Germany represent a phaseout fable when it comes to a post-coal Europe?
By Redaktion Table
What did the COP26 world climate conference in Glasgow really achieve? Xavier Vives is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the IESE Business School in Barcelona. For him, it is not the wording of the final declaration that is key – but the question of what the financial sector is prepared to make of it.
By Redaktion Table
In August 1991, the then foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland launched the Weimar Triangle. It was supposed to signify the final overcoming of historical hostilities and advance Poland's integration into the Western community. But after promising first years, there is little reason to celebrate the anniversary, writes David Gregosz, head of the KAS office in Warsaw. However, civil society cooperation is a source of hope.
By Timo Landenberger
Powerful financial players are still investing in the fossil fuel industry. Yet these investments are no longer legally defensible, write Bevis Longstreth and Connor Chung in the Viewpoint. A decision by the billionaire Harvard Foundation could now have far-reaching consequences for institutional investors.
By Redaktion Table
In addition to CO2 offsets, Wilfried Rickels and Christine Merk call for a market for certificates from the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. According to the experts from the Global Commons and Climate Policy Research Centre at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, COP26 could set the course for this.
By Redaktion Table
The European Union and the US want to cooperate on decarbonizing the steel and aluminum industry. The agreement offers the chance for a better coordination of climate policies, says Susanne Dröge of the German Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. However, the exclusion of China could prove counterproductive.
By Redaktion Table
Cities are responsible for a large share of greenhouse gases and at the same time play an important role in climate protection. Mike Bloomberg, Special Representative for Climate Action of the UN Secretary-General and Co-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate Energy, and Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans call on governments to provide more support to mayors.
By Redaktion Table
