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Between 1913 and 2024, financial power in Germany shifted significantly to the federal government, and according to an analysis by the Institute for Conservative Economic Policy, this fundamentally altered federalism to this day. The restructuring affected the Reich/federation, the states, and municipalities simultaneously, while the state assumed an increasing number of tasks, expenditures, and regulatory […]

BASF is relocating jobs from its Berlin site to Asia. The affected areas include financial and human resources services, as well as supply chain-related tasks. The chemical company plans to consolidate these functions in India and Malaysia. This move is part of a comprehensive restructuring and is prompted by intensified cost-cutting measures. The critical issue

After more than 160 years, the story of the Baden-Württemberg-based timber company Mocopinus has come to an end in insolvency. The company, headquartered in Ulm, announced on March 5, 2026, that all three German locations would be shut down as a result of the failed insolvency proceedings. The reason for the closure is that, despite

A massive waste disposal problem from the wind industry has escalated in the city of Sweetwater in Nolan County, Texas. In February, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Global Fiberglass Solutions and affiliated companies. According to authorities, more than 3,000 wind turbine blades, along with other materials from decommissioned turbines, were stored on

Germany’s metal and electrical engineering industries face further massive job losses in 2026. The employers’ association Gesamtmetall anticipates the loss of up to 150,000 jobs this year. The warning stems from the ongoing crisis in the sector, which shows no signs of abating despite a significant increase in orders in the last quarter of 2025.

In the Hofgeismar district, the Reinhardswald wind farm project faces another major intervention in nature and infrastructure. The transport of the 75-meter-long rotor blades will now take place via a newly established route to the forest near Gottsbüren, as the originally planned delivery route is no longer accessible for heavy transport due to the reduced

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