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Billion-euro projects approved, Direct transfers to citizens, TikTok ban, NATO meeting, Arms exports

published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus

Thursday, 19th of December, 2024
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Bild: Health insurers double additional contributions | Kassen verdoppeln die Zusatzbeiträge
FAZ: Kretschmer elected prime minister in second ballot | Kretschmer im zweiten Wahlgang zum Ministerpräsidenten gewählt
Funke: Berlin’s House of Representatives greenlights record cuts | Berlins Abgeordnetenhaus beschließt Rekord-Kürzungen
Handelsblatt: Unicredit angers the federal government | Unicredit erzürnt den Bund
RND: How the SBU secret service became Kiev’s sharpest sword | Wie der Geheimdienst SBU zu Kiews schärfstem Schwert wurde
SZ: Kretschmer re-elected head of government | Kretschmer erneut Regierungschef
Tagesspiegel: Minority government in Saxony: Leftists help Kretschmer into office | Minderheitsregierung in Sachsen: Linke hilft Kretschmer ins Amt
taz: Merci (Gisèle Pelicot) | Merci (Gisèle Pelicot)
Welt: BSW and Linke help Michael Kretschmer into office | BSW und Linke helfen Michael Kretschmer ins Amt

Top-News

Budget committee approves billion-euro projects:

  • 4.7 billion euros were released for the procurement of four additional submarines for the navy. The armaments project was started together with Norway. The modern submarines have a greater range and are equipped with better sensor technology. The budget committee approved a total of 38 individual projects worth more than 20 billion euros, including the procurement of a frigate for the German Navy and rocket artillery for the army. rnd.de, faz.net
  • Billions released for the railways. 2.7 billion euros are to be used for the renovation of the rail network, according to the adopted addendum to the so-called performance and financing agreement with the railways. The CDU also voted in favor. The railways had made advance payments for the renovations. spiegel.de

Cabinet decisions:

  • Short-time working allowance will be extended for up to 24 months. A corresponding bill from Labor Minister Hubertus Heil was approved. Heil referred to the major economic challenges currently facing the economy. Now it is a matter of relieving the burden on skilled workers. tagesschau.de
  • In the future, trained nursing staff will receive more medical skills. The cabinet approved the bill proposed by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. This will both support nurses in their work and help relieve the burden on doctors, Lauterbach said. swp.de
  • In the event of a crisis, the state will be able to help citizens with direct transfers in the future. According to Finance Minister Jörg Kukies, the payment mechanism will be available before the end of this year. During the coronavirus pandemic, the energy crisis or the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, direct payments were not possible, which delayed state aid. n-tv.de
  • Rent increases are to be curbed more effectively. The cap on rent increases is to be reduced from the current 15 percent to eleven percent in tight housing markets. Furnishings in furnished apartments are to be listed separately in the future. A majority in favor of this law is lacking in the Bundestag. n-tv.de
Polls

RTL/ntv Trendbarometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 30 percent (-1), SPD 17 percent, Greens 13 percent, FDP 4 percent, AfD 19 percent (+1), Left Party 3 percent, BSW 4 percent, others 10 percent. n-tv.de

  • Direct election of the Chancellor: Olaf Scholz 26 percent (-1), Friedrich Merz 26 percent (-1), neither/nor 48 percent.
  • Economic expertise: Olaf Scholz 18 percent, Friedrich Merz 44 percent, neither/nor 38 percent. n-tv.de
  • Competence in external security: Olaf Scholz 34 percent, Friedrich Merz 34 percent, neither/nor 32 percent.
Politics

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock calls for the participation of all segments of the population in Syria in the renewal process: Baerbock explicitly referred to the Kurds in the north of the country during a general debate in the Bundestag. Like Germany, they are part of the coalition against the extremist Islamic State. She would also make this clear during a visit to Turkey on Friday. For a peaceful transition, the rights of all ethnic and religious communities must be taken into account. During the debate, Development Minister Svenja Schulze warned against a premature discussion about the return of Syrian refugees; the security situation in the country is still completely unclear. welt.de

Israel denies reports of deaths in attacks in the Gaza Strip: The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health reported that at least ten people were killed in attacks; residential buildings and the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia were fired upon. The intensive care unit of the hospital was hit; miraculously, patients were able to be saved. The situation is catastrophic. The Israeli army has denied the report, saying that there were no attacks in the area in question either during the night or in the morning. br.de

Informal NATO meeting on support for Ukraine in Brussels: Secretary General Mark Rutte criticized the debate on possible ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia as unhelpful. If they are now discussing among themselves what such an agreement could look like, they are simply making it easy for the Russians. Rather, they must now focus on ensuring that Ukraine achieves a position of strength. Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that the EU should not get ahead of itself. n-tv.de

Prime ministers of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony call for support for the German automotive industry: In a letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Markus Söder, Winfried Kretschmann and Stephan Weil call for the domestic automotive industry to be strengthened. Specifically, they warn against the EU regulation on so-called CO2 fleet targets. Starting next year, stricter exhaust emission limits will apply, along with fines. These should be suspended for the time being. ndr.de, heise.de, handelsblatt.com

Arms exports in 2023 at ten-year high: According to the arms export report, Germany delivered more weapons of war to countries outside NATO and the EU last year than at any time in the past ten years. The total value of these arms exports amounted to almost 2.5 billion euros. Around 1.3 billion euros of this was accounted for by South Korea, Singapore and Ukraine. A new record was also set for so-called export licenses, which amounted to around 12 billion euros. These licenses relate to future rather than current exports. spiegel.de, n-tv.de

FDP and BSW present key points of their election program:

  • FDP wants to attract votes by calling for massive tax cuts. Secretary General Marco Buschmann has promised financial relief for citizens and companies. For example, corporate taxes are to be cut from around 30 percent at present to below 25 percent. The top tax rate will no longer apply to an annual income of over 68,000 euros, but only to 96,600 euros. Buschmann rejected doubts about the financial viability. rnd. de, faz.net
  • Presenting her election manifesto, BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht called for a change of direction. She said the aim was to overcome the politics of the old parties in order to prevent Germany’s impending decline. Wagenknecht called for a change of course in social policy, for example. She also described the „question of war and peace“ in Ukraine as a central point. tagesschau.de

Chinese citizen investigated in Schleswig-Holstein on suspicion of espionage: The man is said to have gained access to the naval base in Kiel at the beginning of December and taken photos there. According to a WDR report, the man’s cell phone is being analyzed and he is in custody. The Military Counterintelligence Service is also involved in the investigation. ndr.de, tagesschau.de

Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer re-elected: In the second round of voting, 69 members of parliament voted in favor of Kretschmer, giving him a clear majority. Free Voters candidate Matthias Berger received 39 votes, AfD candidate Jörg Urban received one vote. In the first ballot, Kretschmer had failed to achieve the required absolute majority. The Left Party had signaled in advance that it would support Kretschmer in the election to prevent a prime minister from the far-right. Kretschmer is confident that cooperation with the opposition will work as planned. He told MDR radio that in view of the balance of power in the state parliament, this was the only chance they had. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de

More Regional:

  • Hamburg: Parliament approves two-year budget. ndr.de
  • Thuringia: SPD state leader Georg Maier apologizes to the Left Party after party conference speech. n-tv.de
  • Hamburg: Court sentences Syrian Shabiha militia leader loyal to Assad to ten years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity. tagesschau.de
  • Hessen: More deportations and voluntary returns. n-tv.de
  • Bremen: Senate raises port fees and expects significant additional revenue. butenunbinnen.de
  • Saxony-Anhalt: 155 million euros for fiber-optic cable expansion. mdr.de
  • Hamburg: Research and development in 3D printing is to be strengthened. ndr.de
  • Hessen: Guggenheim curator Naomi Beckwith is to become artistic director of the Documenta in Kassel. zdf.de
Around the World

French parliament passes emergency budget bill: The French parliament passed an emergency budget bill on Wednesday that will allow the government to continue collecting taxes and borrowing money until a new budget is passed early next year. The bill was necessary because former Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s center-right government fell in early December, failing to win a majority for its budget bills. stuttgarter-zeitung.de

EU and Western Balkan countries discuss rapprochement: EU Council President Antonio Costa described an expansion as the most important geopolitical investment in peace, security and prosperity. In a joint declaration by the 27 EU states with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, the parties said they wanted to cooperate more closely in the area of defense. The EU would help protect the region from cyber threats or foreign interference, for example with regard to Russian disinformation campaigns. EU membership was promised to the Western Balkan states more than 20 years ago. Meanwhile, Russia and China are increasingly vying for influence in the region.

The number of asylum seekers in Europe is falling: In the first ten months of the year, there were around 860,000 applications, and by the end of the year, around one million will have been reached, said EU Asylum Agency boss Nina Gregori to the Funke newspapers. Last year, there were around 1.1 million. The main destination country within the EU continues to be Germany, with about a quarter of all applications. The main countries of origin continue to be Syria, followed by Afghanistan and Turkey. morgenpost.de

Iran criticizes warnings about nuclear program: „The E3 and the United States are trying to advance a political agenda to undermine constructive engagement for a diplomatic solution,“ said Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Irawani. The E3 countries are Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Iran is cooperating constructively with the International Atomic Energy Agency and there is no justification for such warnings. In a joint statement, the E3, as the remaining partners of the 2015 nuclear deal, called on Iran to reverse the „nuclear escalation“. swissinfo.ch

South Korea’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, refuses to cooperate with the judiciary: The country’s anti-corruption agency said that Yoon had once again failed to appear for a hearing. He was supposed to be there to answer charges of sedition and abuse of office. Yoon had unexpectedly declared martial law at the beginning of December and repealed it just hours later after massive resistance. The parliament voted in favor of an impeachment procedure. This must be reviewed by the South Korean Supreme Court within six months. spiegel.de

Supreme Court considers possible ban of Tiktok in America: A hearing is scheduled for January 10. The Chinese parent company Bytedance is fighting a US law that requires Tiktok’s US business to be sold to a non-Chinese company by January 19 at the latest. According to Tiktok, the law violates the freedom of speech guaranteed by the US Constitution. A majority of parliamentarians, on the other hand, see the Chinese-run video portal as a threat to national security. handelsblatt.com

More News:

  • EU: Inflation in the eurozone rises to 2.2 percent year-on-year. boerse.de
  • EU: AI and the GDPR: EU data protection authorities agree on common approach. heise.de
  • France: Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy must serve a one-year prison sentence with electronic monitoring; sentence for bribery and illicit influence is final. n-tv.de
  • Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to restrict the right of asylum. faz.net
  • Georgia: President Salome Zourabichvili asks the EU for help. faz.net
  • Hungary: Outgoing US ambassador David Pressman takes Viktor Orbán to task: „Europe’s most corrupt country“. diepresse.com
  • Czech Republic: Populists want to return to power. frankenpost.de
  • Great Britain: Elon Musk wants to support right-wing populists. zeit.de
  • Great Britain: According to an investigation report, police underestimated the violence during the racist riots this summer. n-tv.de
  • Switzerland: Temporary residents may continue to bring their families into the country. nzz.ch
  • Austria: Approval of dictatorship is declining. derstandard.at
  • Poland: Ex-Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski wanted by PiS government across Europe. spiegel.de
  • Serbia: Student protests continue. derstandard.at
  • Serbia: Belgrade introduces free public transport deutschlandfunk.de
  • France: Distribution of drinking water begins in the overseas territory of Mayotte. spiegel.de
  • Greece: Government plans 30 km/h speed limit in all cities. stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
  • France: Nuclear reactor goes online twelve years late. n-tv.de
  • USA: US President-elect Donald Trump demands Republican budget blockade. tagesschau.de

Business

80,000 Syrians work in so-called bottleneck occupations in Germany: These include automotive engineering, childcare and parenting, as well as the medical and nursing fields, according to a study by the employer-affiliated German Economic Institute. Syrian employees are therefore important for the German labor market. They make a significant contribution to cushioning the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. Politicians are therefore called upon to offer these working people a secure right of residence. zdf.de

The number of people in need of care is rising significantly. At the end of 2023, it was just under 5.7 million, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Within two years, this is an increase of 730,000. Almost 90 percent of those affected are cared for at home. The increase is not least due to the introduction of a broader concept of care a few years ago. tagesschau.de

Many young people leave school early or drop out of training: According to an EU report, the percentage of young people in Germany who attend school for no more than ten years is just under 13 percent. This is significantly higher than the EU average of 9.5 percent. The situation is only worse in Spain and Romania. handelsblatt.com

Rents in many German cities have risen significantly this year as well: on average, there was an increase of around four percent, according to an analysis by the German Institute for Economic Research. Purchase prices, on the other hand, continued to fall. Building plots, owner-occupied homes and condominiums were on average five percent cheaper than in 2023. zdf.de

record demand for coal: The International Energy Agency put global demand at 8.77 billion tons, a slight increase compared to 2023. At the same time, the construction of nuclear power plants and the expansion of renewable energies, for example in China, should help to limit the increase in coal consumption by 2027. spiegel.de

US Federal Reserve lowers key interest rate by a further 0.25 percentage points: It had initiated the interest rate turnaround in September, followed up in November, and now, for the third time this year, monetary policy is being relaxed. However, it signaled that it would lower interest rates more slowly in the future, as the punitive tariffs on imports announced by US President-elect Trump could fuel inflation. sueddeutsche.de, n-tv.de

More from Business, Tech and Science:

  • Lindner Hotels are insolvent. faz.net
  • Defects in Schufa credit ratings are to be removed more quickly. spiegel.de
  • Marketing deal between Ad Alliance and RTLzwei has failed; RTL criticizes the cartel office. kress.de
  • Warning strikes by parcel delivery drivers in Bavaria before Christmas. sueddeutsche.de
  • Off the coast of Belgium, Princess Elisabeth Island: artificial islands for the energy transition. golem.de
  • Stock price collapses: machine manufacturer Manz is insolvent. n-tv.de
  • Federal and state governments take stake in Meyer Werft. wiwo.de
  • Report: Nissan and Honda want to build market power in e-cars together. heise.de
Lifestyle
  • The Lord of the Yellow Pages Steps Down – Hubert Burda’s retirement marks the end of an era. Will his children Elisabeth and Jacob be able to lead the publishing house through the major challenges of the future? faz.net
  • Extraordinary research: Correctiv reporters are the „Journalists of the Year 2024“. kress.de
  • Accusations rejected: ARD and ZDF defend TV debate plans in the face of harsh criticism. dwdl.de
  • Police operation in Berlin: Demonstrators invade ZDF’s capital city studio. welt.de
  • Toni Kroos withdraws from the public eye – podcast on hold. stern.de
  • Film industry: new funding law in slimmed-down form. table.media
  • Billie Eilish surprises with Charli XCX as guest. viply.de
  • Italian painting: artwork by Giorgione discovered in Alter Pinakothek. monopol-magazin.de
  • France’s ex-president Sarkozy must serve one year in prison with an ankle monitor. spiegel.de
  • White beard and bobble hat: Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Santa Claus. n-tv.de
Community News

Life in Germany doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but Simple Germany is the next best thing! We’re here to help you tackle life’s little (and not-so-little) challenges—like decoding the public transportation system, understanding your payslip, navigating bureaucracy, or mastering the art of Stosslüften like a pro. Our goal is to empower internationals to settle into life in Germany more smoothly. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram for practical tips and a vibrant community of expats making Germany feel less foreign and more like home!

Sports
  • Reform of the Women’s Champions League: More excitement and more money. sportschau.de
  • DFB strengthens mothers‘ rights: New protection rules for pregnant footballers. sportschau.de
  • „Unfortunately no Christmas present“: Bayern star Musiala makes contract announcement – There will be no new contract under his Christmas tree. n-tv.de
  • Striker has not played a role at West Ham so far – Füllkrug’s difficult start: „It was pretty awful at best“. kicker.de
  • Who will bring Red Bull the upcoming titles? Marko names concrete Verstappen successor – Arvid Lindblad. sport.de
  • „Sat together“ – Verstappen: There were „constructive“ talks with Mercedes. sport.de
  • Suspicion of embezzlement: search warrant at German Equestrian Federation. sportschau.de
Gedöns

Young man on „Hart aber fair“: „Actually, I wanted to go to ‘Maischberger’„. sueddeutsche.de

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