The weather forecasts for the upcoming days promise anything but pleasant conditions. Looking at the projections, it can already be said that this July is the hottest month since the beginning of industrialization, warned Leipzig climate scientist Karsten Haustein yesterday. The global 1.5-degree threshold has already been reached in July. Similar reports came from the European Earth observation program Copernicus.
The July temperatures are likely unprecedented for thousands of years. The UN Secretary-General had to vent his frustration yesterday. “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” said António Guterres, known for his drastic messages. However, such cautionary words may not sit well with some hot-headed individuals.
“If you don’t like it, stay at home,” retorted the partner of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, TV presenter Andrea Giambruno, in his show against Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The latter had famously tweeted about the end of an era and how vacation destinations like Italy have no future.
Yet, there are remedies available. Guterres called on politicians to take immediate drastic measures against climate change. However, the Commission also plans to pursue paths that may show results, if at all, only in decades. At the beginning of next year, the Commission will present a new fusion strategy. You can find my news on this topic here.
Yet there are antidotes. Guterres called on politicians to take drastic steps against climate change immediately. However, the Commission also wants to explore avenues that are unlikely to yield results for decades, if at all. At the beginning of next year, the Commission intends to present a new fusion strategy. You can read my news on this here.
When it comes to regulating Artificial Intelligence, the USA starts from a completely different point compared to the EU: US companies are leading in this technology, while Europe is still relatively early in its development. While several global players have already occupied the field across the Atlantic, newcomers are trying their luck on this side.
The strategic direction also differs: While the Europeans, as often before, focus on the risks, US politicians emphasize the potential of AI. Nathaniel Fick, US Ambassador for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, stated in a briefing for the international press: The guiding principle of the United States is to preserve innovation and harness the benefits of AI. “That should be our guiding star,” said Fick. However, he acknowledged that there are risks, and it is important for governments to establish responsible guardrails to protect citizens.
In addition, Fick added something noteworthy: “I want to say that here in the US, we have learned from recent history. We do not intend to pursue a passive approach in controlling artificial intelligence.” The US has also recognized that the dominance of large tech companies can pose a threat to democracy. Therefore, Washington does not want to let AI development simply run without oversight. Moreover, the US government has made AI regulation a top priority.
US President Joe Biden recently summoned seven leading AI companies – Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI – to the White House. His goal was to obtain a voluntary commitment from them to contribute to a safe and transparent AI development.
Ambassador Fick had worked on the commitments together with the seven companies. They are now required to begin establishing a leadership structure for AI. The voluntary commitment includes three areas:
“We started with voluntarism for two reasons,” explains Fick. Firstly, voluntary commitments do not hinder innovation. Secondly, voluntary means fast. “Given the pace of technological change, we don’t have a decade to set up a leadership structure here.” In this respect, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic agree.
However, the European Commission’s reaction to the American initiative is somewhat reserved. The Commission referred to the voluntary commitments as an important first step. “At the same time, a clear legal framework is necessary to unleash the innovative potential of AI while limiting the risks associated with these technologies,” said the spokesperson. Therefore, binding regulations and a clear enforcement mechanism are preferred.
What bothers Europeans is that when large US tech companies quasi-regulate themselves, this regulation will burden them less than companies in Europe. In response, Europeans counter with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which already mandates transparency of algorithms when AI models are provided by major online platforms.
However, the EU also recognizes that it must move quickly given the dynamic development of AI. Therefore, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton also wants companies to voluntarily comply with the rules of the AI Act even before it comes into effect (AI Pact).
The EU finds it a bit more challenging to classify the American initiative in the many discussions about guidelines for global AI. During the May meeting of the Technology and Trade Council (TTC) in Luleå, Sweden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had agreed to work together and contribute to the G7’s Hiroshima AI process. Then the White House took control of the issue. “The Commission is confident that the USA’s commitments will contribute to these international processes,” the spokesperson in Brussels said.
“When we act quickly, we recognize that not every answer is satisfactory at the moment, and we do not have a complete picture of all potential downsides we may need to anticipate,” explained Seth Center, Deputy Commissioner for Critical and Emerging Technologies at the US Department of State. “However, this must be a starting point. And we are committed to advancing this together with our partners.”
Ambassador Fick emphasized that the voluntary commitment is only the first step towards a solid and flexible leadership structure. “They are not the final step.” Now, the State Department is responsible for leading the multilateral discussions. Fick said that they have already held discussions with about 20 of their closest partners. “We intend to work through the full G7 Hiroshima process under Japanese leadership,” he announced.
Likewise, the USA wants to participate in the global summit on AI security, announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for this autumn in London. The USA will also work extensively with the United Nations “to leverage the benefits of AI to support sustainable development goals”. Only the TTC was not mentioned by Fick.
He said it was not intentional to leave that out. The fifth TTC meeting will take place in the United States later this year, and cooperation with the EU regarding AI will be an important topic of discussion there. He praised the fact that the EU has been focusing on controlling AI for quite some time. The control and regulatory structure must address the risks without limiting the companies’ ability to innovate.
As a warning, he referred to telecommunications technology, in which the US and Europe have lost their leading positions. “That is an important example of why it is essential that we approach this consciously and coordinate our approach to these technologies with trusted suppliers,” said the Ambassador. It is no coincidence that the top five companies worldwide in cloud computing are all American companies. The USA has an interest in AI development taking place in many parts of the world, including the EU. “Therefore, it is essential that the EU’s regulatory approach does not hinder this innovation,” Fick said.
“Do you not feel a little alone, vulnerable, in the face of this wave of khaki around you?” This was the first question in the major exclusive interview with President Mohamed Bazoum for the French magazine Jeune Afrique just two months ago. It referred to Niger’s isolated position in the Sahel region, as the only remaining democracy amidst military coup regimes. “Unfortunately, our region is challenging. African states can become victims of these difficulties,” Bazoum responded.
Now, it appears that Niger, under Bazoum’s leadership, has also become a victim of these difficulties. After the army sided with the coup leaders on Thursday, the coup and the ousting of the democratically elected president are likely completed. With the coup in Niger, which forms a particularly terrorism- and violence-affected tri-border area with neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso, the European Union loses its last democratic partner in the center of the Sahel region.
From Guinea in the west to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Sudan in the east, a contiguous belt of military regimes now stretches across the African continent. The European Union sharply condemned the attempt to destabilize Niger in a statement on Thursday. The German government, the USA, and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS also expressed their disapproval.
The future in Niger, especially the cooperation between Niger and the EU, remains uncertain, said Niger-focused analyst Delina Goxho in a conversation with Table.Media. “I think the most important thing at the moment is to say that none of us foresaw this development. The big question is whether the new leadership will lean ideologically towards Mali and Burkina Faso or continue to benefit from Europe and the USA, like Chad, for example.”
Both Mali under Colonel Assimi Goïta and Burkina Faso, led by Captain Ibrahima Traoré since October last year, have shifted away from the EU and towards Russia. With the planned end of the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by the end of this year, Niger’s importance as a partner for the EU has increased.
The EU only recently decided on a three-year military mission for Niger at the end of 2022. According to the EU’s statement on Thursday, there is no decision yet on the future of military support. According to the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr soldiers stationed in Niger are safe. The Bundeswehr maintains an air transport base in the capital Niamey for its military engagement in West Africa, with around 100 German soldiers stationed there.
“Since it was a very sudden coup, it is also difficult to predict how people on the streets will react in the coming days,” explained Goxho. On Wednesday evening, there were some counter-demonstrations in Niamey, and on Thursday, journalists on-site reported smaller demonstrations for a change of power.
Since 2012, the European Union has been present in Niger with the EUCAP Sahel Niger training mission. EUCAP focused on fighting terrorism and organized crime. The new head of EUCAP, Katja Dominik, recently met with local representatives of the UN Development Program. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Since 2016, EUCAP has also been present in Agadez, in northern Niger. Agadez was a major transit point for people trying to migrate to Europe, passing through Niger on their way to the Mediterranean. The EU and Niger agreed to cooperate in the fight against human trafficking a little over a year ago.
The head of the SPD-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Mali’s capital Bamako said in a conversation with Table.Media that it is important to consider the entire Sahel region and the neighboring countries on the West African Gulf. “In this respect, the Sahel Plus initiative, which also includes coastal states, is the right approach. The question will be how to cooperate with the coup leaders,” said Christian Klatt. “We must not legitimize them, that’s clear, but we shouldn’t leave the population alone either.”
It is not yet clear who exactly is behind the coup in Niger. The group of coup leaders calls itself the National Council for the Salvation of the Fatherland. The statements read on national television were not signed by name.
Observers suspect that a power struggle in Niamey could also be behind the coup. “Immediately after President Mohamed Bazoum’s re-election in 2021, there was already a coup attempt,” recalls Christian Klatt of the FES in Bamako. “So, the coup did not come out of nowhere. However, it will present Western partners with real challenges.”
Bazoum’s inauguration in April 2021 was the first peaceful democratic transfer of power in the country since its independence from France in 1960. Bazoum had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior under his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou since 2011 until he succeeded the two-term-limited Issoufou. He won with about 56 percent of the vote. Issoufou retained considerable influence.
Many innovations in the field of photovoltaics originally come from German or European research institutions. However, the mass production of solar modules has almost completely shifted to Asia, especially China, in the last few decades, partly because their governments have heavily subsidized these production facilities. But can we really do without our own solar industry? Should we in Europe limit ourselves to research and perhaps develop prototypes that will then be produced elsewhere? I am convinced that this would be disastrous, not only because it creates dependencies but also because the absence of relevant industrial facilities significantly reduces our innovative power.
Even when a technology is ready for production and is already running as mass production, it continues to be improved – often in very small incremental steps. These improvements can only succeed in close contact with production practices where data and observations are collected and evaluated. In contrast, research institutions’ laboratories work with much smaller solar cells and other processes, so they simply cannot recognize optimization potential in the process flow of mass production.
Therefore, it is a fact that the best silicon solar cells are not produced in research institution laboratories today but by well-known companies that have perfected silicon technologies in all variations. This applies to all technologies with a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL). For developments with low TRL, such as tandem solar cells, this is not yet the case: Here, research institutions score with new materials, structures and processes that allow them to achieve new efficiency records. However, such promising concepts from research must also be put into practice, and quickly. A key factor for rapid technology transfer is trusting cooperation with companies that have experience in mass production with state-of-the-art facilities.
For technological leadership and an innovative, strong economy, we need both: research in the laboratory that drives new ideas forward, as well as research and development in companies – only then can we create an effective innovation chain overall.
Currently, almost 90 percent of solar modules come from China. However, the USA and India have also been actively building their own PV companies, supporting them with financing measures and protecting them with tariffs from competition. Because the PV industry strategically occupies a crucial place for a society’s future viability, not only China but also the USA and India have recognized this: A strong PV industry reduces dependence on fossil imports and enables climate protection at the most competitive electricity prices. Thanks to significant progress through research, the cost of a kilowatt-hour of solar power today is the lowest compared to other energy sources. A high-performance and innovative PV industry ensures a strong positive momentum. In Germany and Europe, we should not give up this economic engine.
Rutger Schlatmann is the Chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV), which advises on energy policy and the expansion of photovoltaics in Europe. At the Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Schlatmann heads the Solar Energy Division. Together with nearly 50 globally renowned experts, the physicist recently published a call in the journal Science, urging for the rapid expansion of photovoltaics.
The weather forecasts for the upcoming days promise anything but pleasant conditions. Looking at the projections, it can already be said that this July is the hottest month since the beginning of industrialization, warned Leipzig climate scientist Karsten Haustein yesterday. The global 1.5-degree threshold has already been reached in July. Similar reports came from the European Earth observation program Copernicus.
The July temperatures are likely unprecedented for thousands of years. The UN Secretary-General had to vent his frustration yesterday. “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” said António Guterres, known for his drastic messages. However, such cautionary words may not sit well with some hot-headed individuals.
“If you don’t like it, stay at home,” retorted the partner of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, TV presenter Andrea Giambruno, in his show against Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The latter had famously tweeted about the end of an era and how vacation destinations like Italy have no future.
Yet, there are remedies available. Guterres called on politicians to take immediate drastic measures against climate change. However, the Commission also plans to pursue paths that may show results, if at all, only in decades. At the beginning of next year, the Commission will present a new fusion strategy. You can find my news on this topic here.
Yet there are antidotes. Guterres called on politicians to take drastic steps against climate change immediately. However, the Commission also wants to explore avenues that are unlikely to yield results for decades, if at all. At the beginning of next year, the Commission intends to present a new fusion strategy. You can read my news on this here.
When it comes to regulating Artificial Intelligence, the USA starts from a completely different point compared to the EU: US companies are leading in this technology, while Europe is still relatively early in its development. While several global players have already occupied the field across the Atlantic, newcomers are trying their luck on this side.
The strategic direction also differs: While the Europeans, as often before, focus on the risks, US politicians emphasize the potential of AI. Nathaniel Fick, US Ambassador for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, stated in a briefing for the international press: The guiding principle of the United States is to preserve innovation and harness the benefits of AI. “That should be our guiding star,” said Fick. However, he acknowledged that there are risks, and it is important for governments to establish responsible guardrails to protect citizens.
In addition, Fick added something noteworthy: “I want to say that here in the US, we have learned from recent history. We do not intend to pursue a passive approach in controlling artificial intelligence.” The US has also recognized that the dominance of large tech companies can pose a threat to democracy. Therefore, Washington does not want to let AI development simply run without oversight. Moreover, the US government has made AI regulation a top priority.
US President Joe Biden recently summoned seven leading AI companies – Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI – to the White House. His goal was to obtain a voluntary commitment from them to contribute to a safe and transparent AI development.
Ambassador Fick had worked on the commitments together with the seven companies. They are now required to begin establishing a leadership structure for AI. The voluntary commitment includes three areas:
“We started with voluntarism for two reasons,” explains Fick. Firstly, voluntary commitments do not hinder innovation. Secondly, voluntary means fast. “Given the pace of technological change, we don’t have a decade to set up a leadership structure here.” In this respect, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic agree.
However, the European Commission’s reaction to the American initiative is somewhat reserved. The Commission referred to the voluntary commitments as an important first step. “At the same time, a clear legal framework is necessary to unleash the innovative potential of AI while limiting the risks associated with these technologies,” said the spokesperson. Therefore, binding regulations and a clear enforcement mechanism are preferred.
What bothers Europeans is that when large US tech companies quasi-regulate themselves, this regulation will burden them less than companies in Europe. In response, Europeans counter with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which already mandates transparency of algorithms when AI models are provided by major online platforms.
However, the EU also recognizes that it must move quickly given the dynamic development of AI. Therefore, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton also wants companies to voluntarily comply with the rules of the AI Act even before it comes into effect (AI Pact).
The EU finds it a bit more challenging to classify the American initiative in the many discussions about guidelines for global AI. During the May meeting of the Technology and Trade Council (TTC) in Luleå, Sweden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had agreed to work together and contribute to the G7’s Hiroshima AI process. Then the White House took control of the issue. “The Commission is confident that the USA’s commitments will contribute to these international processes,” the spokesperson in Brussels said.
“When we act quickly, we recognize that not every answer is satisfactory at the moment, and we do not have a complete picture of all potential downsides we may need to anticipate,” explained Seth Center, Deputy Commissioner for Critical and Emerging Technologies at the US Department of State. “However, this must be a starting point. And we are committed to advancing this together with our partners.”
Ambassador Fick emphasized that the voluntary commitment is only the first step towards a solid and flexible leadership structure. “They are not the final step.” Now, the State Department is responsible for leading the multilateral discussions. Fick said that they have already held discussions with about 20 of their closest partners. “We intend to work through the full G7 Hiroshima process under Japanese leadership,” he announced.
Likewise, the USA wants to participate in the global summit on AI security, announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for this autumn in London. The USA will also work extensively with the United Nations “to leverage the benefits of AI to support sustainable development goals”. Only the TTC was not mentioned by Fick.
He said it was not intentional to leave that out. The fifth TTC meeting will take place in the United States later this year, and cooperation with the EU regarding AI will be an important topic of discussion there. He praised the fact that the EU has been focusing on controlling AI for quite some time. The control and regulatory structure must address the risks without limiting the companies’ ability to innovate.
As a warning, he referred to telecommunications technology, in which the US and Europe have lost their leading positions. “That is an important example of why it is essential that we approach this consciously and coordinate our approach to these technologies with trusted suppliers,” said the Ambassador. It is no coincidence that the top five companies worldwide in cloud computing are all American companies. The USA has an interest in AI development taking place in many parts of the world, including the EU. “Therefore, it is essential that the EU’s regulatory approach does not hinder this innovation,” Fick said.
“Do you not feel a little alone, vulnerable, in the face of this wave of khaki around you?” This was the first question in the major exclusive interview with President Mohamed Bazoum for the French magazine Jeune Afrique just two months ago. It referred to Niger’s isolated position in the Sahel region, as the only remaining democracy amidst military coup regimes. “Unfortunately, our region is challenging. African states can become victims of these difficulties,” Bazoum responded.
Now, it appears that Niger, under Bazoum’s leadership, has also become a victim of these difficulties. After the army sided with the coup leaders on Thursday, the coup and the ousting of the democratically elected president are likely completed. With the coup in Niger, which forms a particularly terrorism- and violence-affected tri-border area with neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso, the European Union loses its last democratic partner in the center of the Sahel region.
From Guinea in the west to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Sudan in the east, a contiguous belt of military regimes now stretches across the African continent. The European Union sharply condemned the attempt to destabilize Niger in a statement on Thursday. The German government, the USA, and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS also expressed their disapproval.
The future in Niger, especially the cooperation between Niger and the EU, remains uncertain, said Niger-focused analyst Delina Goxho in a conversation with Table.Media. “I think the most important thing at the moment is to say that none of us foresaw this development. The big question is whether the new leadership will lean ideologically towards Mali and Burkina Faso or continue to benefit from Europe and the USA, like Chad, for example.”
Both Mali under Colonel Assimi Goïta and Burkina Faso, led by Captain Ibrahima Traoré since October last year, have shifted away from the EU and towards Russia. With the planned end of the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by the end of this year, Niger’s importance as a partner for the EU has increased.
The EU only recently decided on a three-year military mission for Niger at the end of 2022. According to the EU’s statement on Thursday, there is no decision yet on the future of military support. According to the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr soldiers stationed in Niger are safe. The Bundeswehr maintains an air transport base in the capital Niamey for its military engagement in West Africa, with around 100 German soldiers stationed there.
“Since it was a very sudden coup, it is also difficult to predict how people on the streets will react in the coming days,” explained Goxho. On Wednesday evening, there were some counter-demonstrations in Niamey, and on Thursday, journalists on-site reported smaller demonstrations for a change of power.
Since 2012, the European Union has been present in Niger with the EUCAP Sahel Niger training mission. EUCAP focused on fighting terrorism and organized crime. The new head of EUCAP, Katja Dominik, recently met with local representatives of the UN Development Program. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Since 2016, EUCAP has also been present in Agadez, in northern Niger. Agadez was a major transit point for people trying to migrate to Europe, passing through Niger on their way to the Mediterranean. The EU and Niger agreed to cooperate in the fight against human trafficking a little over a year ago.
The head of the SPD-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Mali’s capital Bamako said in a conversation with Table.Media that it is important to consider the entire Sahel region and the neighboring countries on the West African Gulf. “In this respect, the Sahel Plus initiative, which also includes coastal states, is the right approach. The question will be how to cooperate with the coup leaders,” said Christian Klatt. “We must not legitimize them, that’s clear, but we shouldn’t leave the population alone either.”
It is not yet clear who exactly is behind the coup in Niger. The group of coup leaders calls itself the National Council for the Salvation of the Fatherland. The statements read on national television were not signed by name.
Observers suspect that a power struggle in Niamey could also be behind the coup. “Immediately after President Mohamed Bazoum’s re-election in 2021, there was already a coup attempt,” recalls Christian Klatt of the FES in Bamako. “So, the coup did not come out of nowhere. However, it will present Western partners with real challenges.”
Bazoum’s inauguration in April 2021 was the first peaceful democratic transfer of power in the country since its independence from France in 1960. Bazoum had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior under his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou since 2011 until he succeeded the two-term-limited Issoufou. He won with about 56 percent of the vote. Issoufou retained considerable influence.
Many innovations in the field of photovoltaics originally come from German or European research institutions. However, the mass production of solar modules has almost completely shifted to Asia, especially China, in the last few decades, partly because their governments have heavily subsidized these production facilities. But can we really do without our own solar industry? Should we in Europe limit ourselves to research and perhaps develop prototypes that will then be produced elsewhere? I am convinced that this would be disastrous, not only because it creates dependencies but also because the absence of relevant industrial facilities significantly reduces our innovative power.
Even when a technology is ready for production and is already running as mass production, it continues to be improved – often in very small incremental steps. These improvements can only succeed in close contact with production practices where data and observations are collected and evaluated. In contrast, research institutions’ laboratories work with much smaller solar cells and other processes, so they simply cannot recognize optimization potential in the process flow of mass production.
Therefore, it is a fact that the best silicon solar cells are not produced in research institution laboratories today but by well-known companies that have perfected silicon technologies in all variations. This applies to all technologies with a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL). For developments with low TRL, such as tandem solar cells, this is not yet the case: Here, research institutions score with new materials, structures and processes that allow them to achieve new efficiency records. However, such promising concepts from research must also be put into practice, and quickly. A key factor for rapid technology transfer is trusting cooperation with companies that have experience in mass production with state-of-the-art facilities.
For technological leadership and an innovative, strong economy, we need both: research in the laboratory that drives new ideas forward, as well as research and development in companies – only then can we create an effective innovation chain overall.
Currently, almost 90 percent of solar modules come from China. However, the USA and India have also been actively building their own PV companies, supporting them with financing measures and protecting them with tariffs from competition. Because the PV industry strategically occupies a crucial place for a society’s future viability, not only China but also the USA and India have recognized this: A strong PV industry reduces dependence on fossil imports and enables climate protection at the most competitive electricity prices. Thanks to significant progress through research, the cost of a kilowatt-hour of solar power today is the lowest compared to other energy sources. A high-performance and innovative PV industry ensures a strong positive momentum. In Germany and Europe, we should not give up this economic engine.
Rutger Schlatmann is the Chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV), which advises on energy policy and the expansion of photovoltaics in Europe. At the Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Schlatmann heads the Solar Energy Division. Together with nearly 50 globally renowned experts, the physicist recently published a call in the journal Science, urging for the rapid expansion of photovoltaics.
