Month: June 2020
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….
