China is increasingly using export controls as a geo-economic tool, especially since 2020. The measures are mainly reactive in nature and are used as a tactical element in the US-China conflict.
By Jack Lee and Markus Herrmann Chen
The BMZ has announced plans to strengthen the evaluation of development policy measures. Gabriel Hanrieder and Johanna Wicke of the think tank Kooperation Global welcome this move as a step in the right direction. In their Opinion piece, they outline what they expect from the ministry’s planned “Evidence Service Unit.”
By Johanna Wicke and Gabriel Hanrieder
A mandatory green gas quota for the heating sector is set to form part of the German government’s amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG). According to the Association of the Electrical and Digital Industry (ZVEI), the measure would undermine core elements of the heating transition, weaken Germany’s industrial competitiveness and dilute climate action efforts.
By Sebastian Treptow and Mark Becker-von Bredow
Europe possesses more strategic leverage than is often assumed – from the weight of its consumer market and its role in critical supply chains to its influence on US government bonds. The challenge lies less in a lack of instruments than in deploying them coherently as a union of sovereign states.
By Philippa Sigl-Glöckner
A sustained transfer of expertise between Israel and Germany – for example through the establishment of German-Israeli defense tech hubs – is essential to keep pace with rapid advances in military technology, writes Carsten Ovens of ELNET in Berlin.
By Carsten Ovens
During Friedrich Merz’s trip to China, Beijing will try to exploit transatlantic tensions, writes Cora Jungbluth of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. She advises him to deliberately invoke the very goals China itself has pursued for years: reducing dependencies and strengthening domestic capacities.
By Cora Jungbluth
Inga Blum, Co-President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) considers the calls for a European nuclear deterrent to be dangerous. She says the defense of international law must begin with the nuclear weapons regime.
By Inga Blum
The Spring Festival is a time for beautifully handwritten messages of good fortune. But Muslim Chinese celebrate their own holidays. Only in places where they live together in large numbers are these recognized as local public holidays.
By Redaktion Table
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Federal Network Agency want to change the rules on grid connections and charges. The proposals create considerable uncertainty for investors. The ministry and the agency need to make improvements.
By Maximilian Uibeleisen
