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In Germany, the expansion of wind farms near residential areas has been exacerbating the conflict surrounding the energy transition for years, because new installations generate noise, alter the landscape, and cause a significant drop in property value for many homes. A study by the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, based on 2.7 million real […]

The IG Metall union suffered a major setback in the works council election at Tesla in Grünheide, Oder-Spree district, losing significant support among the workforce. Voting took place from Monday to Wednesday of last week at the Gigafactory. According to preliminary results, the “Giga United” list, led by incumbent works council chairwoman Michaela Schmitz, won

TotalEnergies is considering selling its charging infrastructure division in Germany. BayWa has already officially confirmed the sale of its electric vehicle charging station business as part of a multi-year restructuring. TotalEnergies has a portfolio of approximately 190 charging parks up for sale, of which only about a third are currently operational. The package includes subsidies

In early March 2026, an energy policy conflict intensified in Berlin as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche pushed forward a grid package to reorganize electricity grid usage while simultaneously examining SMR reactors as an option for more stable electricity prices. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider immediately objected, however, after BUND Chairman Olaf Brandt criticized

On the evening of March 2, 2026, a power outage occurred in Aachen. The outage affected a data center belonging to the municipal IT service provider regio iT. Many authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia lost access to their central IT systems as a result. The critical risk factor lay in the shared dependence of numerous municipalities

Germany experienced a noticeable loss of purchasing power between 2020 and 2025 because prices rose significantly faster than incomes. The Federal Statistical Office published new analyses on this topic, which were commissioned by the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The period under review thus encompasses the years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inflation averaged

Car thefts in Germany increased again in 2023, but electric cars remain the exception for most perpetrators: The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded 15,924 permanently stolen passenger cars in its “Federal Situation Report on Motor Vehicle Crime 2023,” nine percent more than in the previous year. Organized groups often transport many vehicles abroad on

The insolvent shirt and blouse manufacturer Eterna will cease operations at its headquarters in Passau by summer 2026. The company filed for insolvency last December and subsequently sought a buyer. However, no investor was found in the following months willing to take over Eterna completely. This marks the definitive end of the rescue attempt. Management

Germany is facing a critical energy policy situation. Despite constant political promises, the dream of lower electricity prices through the expansion of renewable energy is not materializing. Instead of relief, costs are rising because weather-dependent feed-in is impacting a grid that is expanding too slowly. The immediate cause lies in the strong fluctuations in wind

Consumer advice centers are receiving increasing reports of sharply rising maintenance costs for new heat pumps. Maintenance costs are sometimes exceeding €630 (gross). This is particularly concerning because specialist companies often present this service as a prerequisite for manufacturer-provided services, for example, stating: “The manufacturer insists on annual maintenance of the system to maintain the

The Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe heard appeals in climate lawsuits brought by the German Environmental Aid Association (DUH) against BMW and Mercedes. Three managing directors of the DUH are suing as private individuals, claiming that their personal rights are violated by emissions. However, their application seeks a court-ordered ban. They demand that both

In Gehrden, in the Hanover region, a pilot project for a 30 km/h speed limit on a main road through the town ended on March 1st after an evaluation concluded that the measure did not achieve the expected results. The primary reason for the decision was that many drivers ignored the speed limit. The project

On February 28, 2026, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) announced plans to expand gas production in Germany to strengthen security of supply in “challenging geopolitical times.” At the same time, the federal government is planning new regulations for heating systems with the Building Modernization Act, increasing political pressure to provide sufficient gas

In the Baden-Württemberg state election campaign, shortly before the state elections on March 8, 2026, Cem Özdemir is strikingly shifting his stance. He is calling for significantly stricter immigration control and speaks of the need to limit irregular migration. At the same time, he is considered open to postponing the EU’s 2035 deadline for phasing

A court in the US state of North Dakota on Friday ordered Greenpeace to pay $345 million in damages for protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The lawsuit stemmed from a complaint filed by the pipeline’s operator, Energy Transfer, regarding actions taken in 2016 and 2017 around the more than 1,700-kilometer-long pipeline, which runs through