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Norway’s electric car boom: The real cost advantage stemmed from tax exemptions
Norway is registering almost nothing but new electric cars. In May 2026, 97.8 percent of newly registered passenger cars were electric. The success of electric cars appears to be a technological breakthrough, yet it stems primarily from a political pricing lever: for years, the state waived high taxes on electric vehicles while simultaneously making internal…
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Reiche: EU permits further electricity price relief – Additional one billion euros needed
The European Union is enabling the German government to provide electricity price relief to companies this year: The Ministry of Economics has succeeded in securing the “cumulability” of the industrial electricity price and electricity price compensation, Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) told the Handelsblatt. This negotiating success requires additional budget funds amounting to around one billion…
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Solar-powered households face new grid fees: Reform could make private systems more expensive starting in 2029
In Germany, the Federal Network Agency is preparing a reform of electricity grid charges that could financially impact many households with larger photovoltaic systems and battery storage units starting in 2029. The move is driven by the high fixed costs associated with expanding, operating, and stabilizing the power grids—costs that have traditionally been allocated primarily…
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Ketchup sachets facing the axe: EU targets small-format packaging
Starting August 12, 2026, a new EU packaging regulation will come into effect, affecting restaurants, hotels, highway rest stops, snack bars, and beach kiosks right in the middle of the holiday season. The move is driven by the growing volume of packaging waste in Europe. The focus is on small, single-use portion packs for ketchup,…
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Stuttgart 21 Becomes Stuttgart 31: A Train Station as a Monument to Political Self-Deception
A (scathing) commentary by our author Klaus Bastian (KOB) Stuttgart 21 was once meant to symbolize a new beginning. Momentum. Modern infrastructure and a railway station that would lead Baden-Württemberg into the future. Now, the project faces yet another embarrassment: full operational status might not be achieved until December 2031. If this date is confirmed,…
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Attacks on power infrastructure: Investigations yield almost no results despite ongoing series of incidents
The attack on the Reutlingen-West substation on June 8, 2026, draws attention to a series of attacks on the power supply: Berlin-Adlershof and Johannisthal on September 9, 2025; Berlin-Lichterfelde on January 3, 2026; Großkayna and parts of Roßbach on January 10, 2026; and Garching near Munich in late May 2026. In Reutlingen, the fire triggered…
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Industrial orders fell in April – particularly in the automotive sector
Following a sharp rise in March, orders in the manufacturing sector declined in April. The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced on Monday that orders fell by 3.8 percent compared to March. Orders dropped significantly, particularly in the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. Experts attribute this primarily to the war in Iran, which had begun…
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Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly halves planned multi-billion investment in Germany
Eli Lilly is significantly scaling back its planned multi-billion-euro investment in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate. The US pharmaceutical company is responding to the German government’s healthcare cost-cutting plans. A large plant for producing weight-loss injections and diabetes medication was originally slated for the site; instead of 2.3 billion euros, only about half that amount will now be…
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Federal Employment Agency Needs Billions from the Government: Deindustrialization Now Hitting the Labor Market
Berlin/Nuremberg, June 2026: The Federal Employment Agency anticipates a multi-billion-euro shortfall due to the weak economy and rising unemployment. A current financial report submitted to the Budget Committee highlights the extent to which deindustrialization is now impacting the labor market. By 2030, around 23.4 billion euros in federal liquidity aid could be required. Those affected…
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Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft apparently facing 1,200 job cuts: Cost-cutting measures hit research
According to media reports, around 1,200 full-time positions at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are at risk. The situation is reportedly driven by declining orders, rising costs, and dwindling public funds. A structural deficit of approximately two percent is projected to emerge as early as 2025. Reports indicate that the institutes and the Munich headquarters would be affected.…
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Mandatory smoke detector replacement – why many old units must be removed by 2026
In 2026, a long-standing requirement to replace older smoke detectors will become a practical issue for many households in Germany, as units from earlier retrofitting phases reach the end of their permitted service life. Homes in Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt are primarily affected. Dust, dirt, and aging sensors can…
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Arson in Reutlingen: Power outage following fire at substation affects 20,000 customers
A fire at the Reutlingen-West substation triggered a widespread power outage in Reutlingen around 1:45 a.m. on Monday. Investigators are looking into suspected arson after discovering three separate points of origin, a damaged fence, and traces on the premises. The outage affected approximately 20,000 Fairnetz GmbH customers, leaving parts of Reutlingen as well as areas…
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Unreliability of the railways forces steelworks to cut back production
In Germany, major steelworks will have to cut production in early June 2026 because the unreliability of rail freight transport is slowing down crucial raw material deliveries. Facilities in Salzgitter (Lower Saxony) and Eisenhüttenstadt (Brandenburg) are affected. Construction work on the rail network in northern Germany is disrupting key freight routes, preventing iron ore, coal,…
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EU plans more debt for the energy transition: Germany set to shoulder a new multi-billion-euro burden
The EU Commission intends to allow higher levels of debt to fund the energy transition, as the conflict involving Iran has exacerbated the energy crisis. Oil prices have risen sharply due to the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Consequently, member states are to be permitted to take out additional loans for solar energy,…
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Natural gas supply: Domestic gas could last for 20 years through fracking
According to a new report, Germany could significantly bolster its natural gas supply using its own reserves. Hans-Joachim Kümpel, former president of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, sees sufficient potential in domestic shale gas deposits to extract approximately 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually for about 20 years. This would…