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Europe News

Euroviews. Merz is chiseling economic decline into the German constitution

Friedrich Merz, who once presented himself as the last line of defence against debt madness, is now set to push Germany’s new debt into the trillion-euro range. This program will accelerate the country's economic decline, Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel writes.

Europe News

Surprise strike at Hamburg airport a day earlier than expected

A German trade union had called for strikes at 13 major German airports to take place on Monday - but then staged the strike at Hamburg airport on Sunday.

Europe News

Preliminary talks conclude on new coalition government for Germany

According to Friedrich Merz, his conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party leaders agreed on common principles on migration and the economy.

Business

How Germany's car industry is bracing for Donald Trump's tariffs

Europe’s biggest, export-oriented economy is exposed to Trump’s tariffs, with German automakers in Mexico likely to see knock-on effects of a potential trade war.

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Economy

Eurozone economy grows marginally, boosted by household spending

The eurozone economy saw a slight rise in the last quarter of 2024, although major economies such as France and Germany continued to lag.

Europe News

Germany's Merz in race over debt reform to raise defence spending

The CDU/CSU and SPD are proposing to create a special fund of €500bn for infrastructure and defence by reforming the country's "debt brake" provision.

Europe News

Germany’s historic defence turnabout dominates EUCO discussions

With the US scaling back its support for Ukraine, strengthening EU defence has become a priority for EU countries. At Thursday’s EU summit, traditionally frugal Germany led calls to revise fiscal rules to allow for increased defence spending.

Germany

Five jailed in Germany for far-right plot to overthrow the government

The defendants had planned to use bombs to cause nationwide blackouts and kidnap former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, prosecutors said.

Economy

Eurozone private sector sees fragile growth as inflation stays high

Eurozone private sector growth remained weak in February, with inflationary pressures rising. France’s activity shrank, while Spain and Italy outperformed, leaving the ECB in a bind over rate cuts.

Europe News

Merz secures billion-euro deal for German military and infrastructure

A provision would exempt defence spending above 1% of GDP from debt brake rules, enabling Germany to increase military spending without limit.

Culture news

Don't try this at home: Europe's scariest children's TV characters

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of a depressed loaf of bread gracing German children's TV, we look at some of Europe's most peculiar attempts at entertaining the youth.

Europe News

Mannheim car attack suspect a German 'with history of mental illness'

The suspected perpetrator in the car ramming attack which has killed at least two people in Mannheim on Monday is a 40-year-old German from Ludwigshafen with previous convictions related to drunk driving and right-wing hate speech.

Nature

From Czechia to the UK, here’s how beavers are winning people over

Beavers are working wonders across Europe. Is the UK finally realising their potential?

Europe News

CDU and SPD start talks in bid to form next German government

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democrats, has ruled out a coalition with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which finished second in last week's elections.

Economy

German manufacturing woes continue to keep unemployment rate high

German unemployment stayed at the highest level since October 2020, as concerns about deindustrialisation and weaker demand continued to weigh on the economy.

Europe News

Europeans express mixed reactions on Trump and EU support for Ukraine

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its three-year mark this week, Europeans are expressing mixed views about the EU’s continued support for Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s moves to end the conflict, our correspondents report.

Europe News

Merz travels to Paris for dinner with Macron

The winner of Germany's parliamentary elections has travelled to Paris to meet the French president for a working dinner on Wednesday.

Business

Tesla's European sales slide amid Musk's political controversy

Elon Musk's involvement in politics may have weighed on Tesla's sales performance in Europe, with its share price sinking the most in the Magnificent Seven stocks this year.

Europe News

What's at stake for Europe after the German election?

With domestic problems and foreign policy crises looming large, the pressure is on to form a new government in Berlin.

Europe News

Germany's Merz ‘resolute and determined,' former EU chief Barroso says

Merz’s centre-right CDU emerged as the largest party in Sunday’s federal elections, winning 208 seats in the 630-seat German parliament.

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