New development: The most vulnerable are the most vulnerable

And the poorest are the most poor.

It’s a good thing we have a steady flow of experts bringing out new reports about things we ought to know.

UK, German and French aid cuts will take ‘devastating toll’ on most vulnerable, says study – As Europe’s leading donor countries slash budgets, the result could be more than 11.5m preventable deaths, report suggests.

Cuts to foreign aid budgets by the UK, France and Germany could contribute to more than 11.5 million preventable deaths by the end of the decade, according to a new report, which warns that Europe is abandoning its role as a pillar of global health and development.

Three separate studies within the report reveal the extent to which the nations have slashed their foreign aid budgets, and illustrate the impact worldwide. UK official development assistance (ODA) spending is projected to fall by 45% between 2020 and 2026, Germany’s by 37% between 2023 and 2026, and France’s by 30% over the same period, according to the research.

Pro tip: When the money’s gone, the money’s gone.

Now do highest taxes, highest energy costs, most bureaucracy…

Germany can’t be beat.

Richest countries in 2026: New measure of wealth pushes France and Germany out of top ten – Europe dominates global wealth rankings, but what it actually means to be a “rich country” depends heavily on how prosperity is measured and who benefits from it.

You can use any new measure you want, Germany will always be number one.

German of the day: Schneckentempo

That means moving at a snail’s pace.

But at least it’s still movement. In the right direction.

Germany drops opposition to nuclear power in rapprochement with France – Paris wins approval from Berlin to remove anti-nuclear bias in EU legislation, say officials.

Germany has dropped its long-held opposition to nuclear power, in the first concrete sign of rapprochement with France by Berlin’s new government led by conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Berlin has signalled to Paris it will no longer block French efforts to ensure nuclear power is treated on par with renewable energy in EU legislation, according to French and German officials.

“What on earth is happening with European leadership?”

What a silly question.

“European leadership?” There is no such thing. It’s just that now and then little reminders like this pop up in the news. Europe doesn’t lead. Europe doesn’t produce. It redistributes. It redistributes until there is nothing less to distribute.

First France, Now Germany: What Is Going On in Europe?

Germany’s government collapse and imminent snap elections mark the latest crisis amid an ‘uneven’ state of European leadership, an expert says.

None of the experts can figure out why…

It’s inexplicable. Why on earth would Europeans by voting for the right?

Something seems to bothering the electorate that we professionals in power have not been able to understand. Oh well. I suppose it’s one of those mysteries we will never be able to solve…

In Germany, the EU’s most populous nation, projections indicated that voters had not been dissuaded by the AfD’s scandals as it rose to 16.5%, up from 11% in 2019. In comparison, the combined result for the three parties in the German governing coalition barely topped 30%.

German of the day: Blitzschnell

That means lightning fast.

Seven seconds? Get outta here.

Germany raise Euro 2024 hopes as Wirtz and Havertz shock France in Lyon – Toni Kroos returned and Florian Wirtz scored the fastest-ever Germany goal as the Euro 2024 hosts defeated France 2-0 in Lyon.

Kroos, coaxed out of international retirement for the upcoming European Championship, wasted no time with a precise pass for Wirtz, who let fly from outside the penalty area to score after seven seconds.

It’s the energy, stupid

They may beat them in footbal (2-1 last night, without a manager) but…

German economic weakness belies France’s outperformance – Germany’s economic weakness is casting a flattering light on France’s relative resilience that belies the otherwise middling performance of the euro zone’s second-biggest economy, economists say…

Germany’s manufacturing-focused economy is struggling to adapt to being cutoff from cheap Russian gas and the rise of the electric vehicle, said Charles-Henri Colombier with the Rexecode economics think tank in Paris.

Germany’s gas-hungry chemical industry has seen production fall 18% from 2019 levels while in France it is only 8%, Colombier said. Meanwhile, German motor vehicle production is down 26% and only 6% in France.

I See Germany, I See France

I see the same old phony song and dance.

Best friends forever! Sort of.

At joint appearances, Macron and Scholz like to ritually reaffirm their nations’ close relations, but so far there has not been much evidence of personal closeness. Politically, too, there is a certain friction at the moment, especially on how to deal with the war in Ukraine. It took a long time for Macron and Scholz to travel together to Kyiv. Scholz has shown himself more hesitant than Macron in delivering arms to Ukraine. On the issue of a gas price cap, Macron even publicly warned that Germany was “isolating itself” in Europe — an affront to Berlin. The two sides are also making very slow progress on joint armaments projects, for example on the development of a fighter aircraft.

German Of The Day: “Keine Deutsche Sonderwege”

That means no (more) Germany going it alone.

That’s a very popular political mantra here. You normally hear it right before Germany goes it alone again.

France and Germany’s relationship questioned as Scholz goes alone on policy – Germany has been criticized for approving a 200 billion euro ($200.2 billion) rescue package.

Fresh tensions between France and Germany are challenging their relationship at a time when their unity is critical for broader European policy in tackling the energy crisis.

The leaders of the two nations will meet in Paris on Wednesday, but this encounter almost got canceled.

We Not Only Supply You With Nuclear-Generated Electricity Already

(just like the Czech Republic). We’ll supply you with gas now too.

France starts sending natural gas directly to Germany – Technical adjustments were necessary as the single pipeline between the two countries was originally intended only to deliver gas (from Russia) from Germany to France.

If you haven’t noticed, Germany’s Green doesn’t stink.

Fun fact for you CO2 fans out there: The Germans generate 10 tons of CO2 per capita per year (some call it the “Carbon Footprint”), the nuclear-friendly French only do 6.