Month: June 2020
Information deficits in report about right-wing extremism in public service
by Thorsten Koch The long-awaited Situation Report of the Offices for the Protection of the Constitution on “right-wing extremism in the public service” will not be a comprehensive overview. The document was announced last year in order to shed a light on right-wing extremism among…
Protection of the Constitution will monitor extremist communication
Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) has announced that the grand coalition has reached agreement on the powers of the Constitutional Protection against extremists. The SPD has approved more digital competencies. The Union parties then decided against the online search measure, in which…
Association of Judges for more digitization in the Judiciary
The German Judges Association (DRB) wants to accelerate digitization in the Judiciary. Gaps in IT equipment would have to be closed, said DRB federal managing director Sven Rebehn. Legal regulations already allow online negotiations in civil processes, but there is a lack of technology. “It…
Lufthansa wants to save money without layoffs
Following a meeting with trade unions, Lufthansa has identified 22,000 full-time surplus jobs. Even before the extraordinary general meeting on June 25, it should be agreed with the unions how part-time solutions can reduce personnel costs, in order to avoid layoffs during the Corona crisis….
Federal Government wants to secure places of job training
The Federal Government wants an aid program that aims to preserve apprenticeships. The aim is to prevent young people’s professional future from being jeopardized. This week, the Federal Cabinet is to provide advice for the first time on a key point paper “Securing training positions”….
Teachers’ Association for regular Corona testing
The German Teachers’ Association has advocated testing teachers for the Coronavirus once a week. Tests are carried out on a random basis in a number of countries. Whether this is sufficient depends on the infection process. Schleswig-Holstein will provide special teams. In the event of…
Risks remain despite lifting of travel warning
Minister of the Chancellor’s Office Helge Braun (CDU) has warned of risks after the lifting of travel warnings for numerous countries by the Foreign Office. If vacationers infected with a hotspot spread out in Germany, nationwide measures could quickly become necessary again. In this context,…
Border controls have fallen
This Monday, the controls at the German borders have fallen. They were introduced on March 16 in the face of the Corona crisis. According to the Federal Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer (CSU), there have been around 196,000 rejections since then. With all caution,…
Altmaier, Seehofer: markets should pass on VAT reduction
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) is against a VAT reduction beyond 2020. If it were not for the reduction to expire, there might be a great risk for the measure to fizzle out since people would not engage in investment in time. They…
Oppermann: no changes in dealing with the AfD
The Vice President of the German Bundestag, Thomas Oppermann (SPD), is unsurprised by the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court on the AfD. “The Federal Constitutional Court once again confirmed long-standing case law,” said Oppermann. “However, this does not change anything when it comes to…
Altmaier: the economy should grow in the second half of the year
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) hopes for a rapid and significant upswing in the German economy: “I expect that we can turn the corner towards new growth in the second half of the year. According to the government’s forecast, robust growth of 5…
Exports decreased by 24 percent in April
As a result of the Corona crisis, exports from Germany to other countries decreased by 24 percent in April, compared to March. Compared to April 2019, they fell by 31.1 percent to 75.7 billion Euros. Imports to Germany were 21.6 percent lower than in March…
European Union might review trade policy
In the face of the Corona crisis, the EU wants to try and find a new balance in trade policy between a Europe that is open to business and a Europe that protects citizens and companies. According to EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan, the key…
Key sector production slumped a quarter this April
Production in the industrial, construction and energy supply sectors fell by 17.9 percent in April, compared to March. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, the decrease was at 8.9 percent in March. Compared to the period of comparison in 2019, the slump was…
Licensed trade rose in the first quarter
Revenue generated by the so-called licensed trades rose by 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the comparable period in 2019. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, however, 0.4 percent fewer staff were employed in the sectors at the end…
Tourism industry with fewer overnight stays
In April, the tourism industry in Germany recorded 89.3 percent fewer overnight stays. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were only 4.3 million overnight stays. Only 0.5 million came from foreign guests.
Gröhe advocates a supply chain law
Union Vice-Group Leader in the Bundestag, Hermann Gröhe (CDU), advocates greater attention to supply chains to protect the environment and human rights. “A clever mix of legal regulations and voluntary commitments” makes sense, said Gröhe, emphasizing that more and more medium-sized and large companies are…
Harvest helpers are allowed to enter under hygiene restrictions
Beginning next week, harvest helpers from the European Schengen countries are again allowed to enter Germany without restrictions, but under strict hygiene rules. Entry is possible again from June 16. The seasonal workers should live together, and work, in fixed teams, observing distance rules. If…
Germany welcomes a number of refugee children and families in need of treatment
The German government has announced the humanitarian admission of refugee families, of whom the children must be treated in hospitals. As Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) announced, the refugees concerned are currently stuck on a number of Greek islands. There are 243 children in…
A group of Greens for rethinking genetic engineering
There are voices within the Greens party that speak out for a constructive approach to genetic engineering. One has to get involved in the discourse about a new way of dealing with genetic engineering, otherwise the future will be discussed without the Greens, a group…
Series of tests for Corona infection now possible in hospitals
According to a regulation signed by Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU), more tests for the Coronavirus can now be carried out. In order to “nip the virus in the bud,” preventive series tests of all patients in hospitals and nursing homes shall be…
No agreement yet on financial support for poorer countries
At a joint video conference, EU development ministers did not yet agree on financial support for the poorer countries, as a result of the Corona pandemic. The German development minister Müller (CSU) criticized that no additional support for the overly challenged states, such as several…
Labor costs rose in the first quarter due to the Corona crisis
The hourly labor costs incurred by employers in the first quarter of 2020 rose, after adjustment, by 4.3 percent in comparison with the same period in the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office announced. The hours worked can be lower, in the case of vacation…
Union parties, SPD: von der Leyen bears no responsibility in consultancy affair
The former Federal Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), according to the CDU-CSU and SPD members of a Bundestag investigation committee, is not responsible for the advisory affair of her, then, ministry. However, responsibility does lie at the level of the State Secretaries….
Teachers’ association: additional educational package makes sense
The German Teachers’ Association has emphasized that it makes sense to put together an “additional education package,” allowing funding in the areas of renovation and modernization, with at least 20 billion Euros. The president of the association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, complained that the education sector had…