Because starting around 2015, the money had to be used for other things.
‘Rust in peace’: why are Germany’s bridges and schools falling apart?
Problems caused by underinvestment are being seized on by the far right as evidence of ‘state failure.’
If you were catastrophically inept at your last job, it’s time for you to get a promotion.
Everybody’s doing it. See Ursula von der Leyen who got promoted to President of the European Union after bungling her job as German Defense Minister – and two or three other jobs before that.
Germany’s Baerbock elected as UN General Assembly head – Former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was voted in as president of the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, Germany’s tough migration policy has been dealt a setback in court.
Or was it the diapers that caused the “hurt religious feelings?”
I didn’t know people even had religious feelings anymore these days.
A performance inside a Catholic cathedral in Germany earlier this month that featured raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers onstage — and the country’s president and the local archbishop in the audience — has prompted the church and municipal leaders to apologize that the show “hurt religious feelings.”
The show, “Westphalia Side Story,” was part of a May 15 celebration to mark the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany.
Video footage shows one woman and two shirtless men singing “Fleisch ist Fleisch” (“Meat is meat”) — apparently spoofing Austrian band Opus’ 1984 pop song “Live is Life” — with scythes and dancing with the dead chickens on a stage in front of Paderborn Cathedral’s altar.
It’s the never-ending cycle of “climate crisis” hysteria.
Not enough rain: How can Germany cope with drought?
This spring was one of the driest on record in Germany. Agriculture, groundwater, and even retail prices are suffering. Plants and ecosystems are already in drought stress. What can be done?
Until they do.
Then an agreement is reached and the tariffs are lowered. We could ask Elon but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.
Trump’s Tariffs Cost BMW $11 Million A Day, So Germans Want A Deal – European carmakers are losing millions daily to US tariffs despite American production bases.
Trade wars rarely end well for anyone involved, and when the crossfire hits the automotive industry, the damage adds up fast. Nowhere is that more evident than in Germany, where the ongoing tariff standoff is racking up some eye-watering costs. According to a new report, BMW is losing a staggering $11.3 (£8.4 / €10) million per day thanks to U.S. tariffs.
Developing long-range thinking is quite another.
German chancellor promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles – Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from Russian attack.
“We want to talk about production and we will not publicly discuss details,” he said, when asked by reporters in Berlin if Germany would supply Kyiv with its Taurus missiles.
We’re all for it.
But not here.
German government restricts migrant family reunification, path to citizenship – Germany’s government approved measures to restrict family reunification for migrants and delay citizenship access on Wednesday, forging ahead with a major shift in migration policy under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The cabinet agreed to a two-year suspension of the right for migrants who do not qualify for full refugee status, so called “subsidiary protection” holders, to bring their children and spouses to Germany.
Could get you killed.
‘Crazy’ data rules hit German plans to boost army reserve – Reservists’ association says Berlin has lost contact with almost a million potential reservists.
Strict data protection laws are hindering Germany’s efforts to swell the ranks of the armed forces of Europe’s largest nation, its reservists’ association has warned.
Patrick Sensburg, head of the Reservist Association of the German Armed Forces, said tough German and EU privacy rules meant it could not keep in contact with close to a million people who might help boost the country’s reserve forces as it seeks a stronger role in European defence and security…
Sensburg, a former member of parliament from Merz’s ruling Christian Democrats, added that while some might be unwell or uninterested, if even only a quarter of the 1mn agreed to serve it would be enough to meet the target for reservist numbers.
He said it was absurd that the body responsible for collecting Germany’s annual television fee could contact citizens a few weeks after they had moved house, while he had no way of tracking down people whose names were in the association’s records.
That means weapons and knives are forbidden (here).
Why didn’t anybody think of this before? Problem solved. At least “temporarily.”
Federal police declare temporary knife ban at major Berlin train stations – A temporary knife ban at major Berlin stations promises safety but raises questions about policing and public space.
Starting next week, Berlin’s central train stations will become no-knife zones, at least for part of the day. In an effort to curb rising violence, federal police are instituting a month-long weapons ban across twelve of the city’s busiest stations.
So I judge this to probably be another misjudgement.
Trump misjudged influence on Putin, German defence minister says – U.S. President Donald Trump misjudged his influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Germany’s defence minister said on Wednesday, after a phone call between the two leaders yielded no progress in Ukraine peace talks, prompting Europe to announce new Russia sanctions.
“I suspect he assessed his negotiating position incorrectly,” Boris Pistorius told the Deutschlandfunk radio broadcaster, following Trump’s now-abandoned efforts to pressure Putin into accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
Observing Hermann 