As Secretary General of the European Parliament, Klaus Welle has been one of the most influential people in Brussels over the past 14 years. In an interview with Markus Grabitz, he talks about the next European elections, the corruption scandal and what it has to do with the secret services.
By Markus Grabitz
Kathrin Henneberger sits as a climate activist for the Green Party in the German parliament. For the strike day of Fridays for Future, she wants to see a big protest on the streets – also against the policies of her own government. The dispute over the eradication of the German hamlet of Lützerath for an opencast mine has destroyed trust, but also strengthened the movement.
By Bernhard Pötter
European data protection regulators have formed an opinion on how they view the draft adequacy decision on the US level of data protection. The Data Privacy Framework (DPF) opinion addresses many points of contention that have caused previous EU-US agreements to fail. The transfer of personal data from the EU to the US could now come faster than expected.
By Falk Steiner
China has approved more new coal-fired power plants in 2022 than at any time in the last seven years. Are the international climate targets at risk? Chinese peculiarities such as low utilization of power plants and the rapid expansion of renewables give a reason for hope. But some risks to the climate remain.
By Nico Beckert
2023 will be decisive for Italy's China policy: Rome has the option of letting the existing cooperation agreement on the New Silk Road expire. There are many good reasons to do so. After all, the cooperation never really got off the ground and government leader Meloni is no fan of the program.
By Amelie Richter
Volker Wissing's opposition to the phasing out of internal combustion engines is not new, but the current blockade comes as a surprise. If the FDP sticks to this, it risks jeopardizing Germany's credibility in the EU. In addition, there would be a dispute with the coalition partner.
By Lukas Knigge
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti are to clear the way for normalization between their two countries. After Monday's meeting in Brussels, both sides are expected to sign a deal before the end of March.
By Stephan Israel
At the meeting of energy ministers, France wins new supporters for its nuclear initiatives. Germany wants to commit EU members to a higher gas savings target, while Luxembourg and Finland succeed in pioneering the expansion of renewables.
By Manuel Berkel
Commission President von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Sunak have reached an agreement: The import of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will be greatly facilitated. The long-running dispute strained relations between the two sides, which are on the same side in the Ukraine war. But the last word has not yet been spoken.
By Till Hoppe
The number of detainees in Xinjiang's re-education camps is drastically dropping. But this does not signal an end to the repression. The government continues its campaign consistently: hundreds of thousands of Muslims are now being sentenced to disproportionately long prison terms.
By Marcel Grzanna
