Germany’s Baerbock chides Orbán and Serbia in fiery remarks
LJUBLJANA — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday urged Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to drop his vetoes on launching EU enlargement talks with Ukraine and approving fresh cash...
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Germany’s budget crisis: No clear way forward after coalition misses deadline
BERLIN — The German government missed a self-imposed deadline for reaching a 2024 budget deal Wednesday, fueling concerns that the European Union’s biggest economy is headed for a prolonged period of...
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Macron takes on Orbán in bid to avoid disastrous Ukraine summit
The EU is in panic mode, a week before a key summit where it will discuss major decisions for the future of Ukraine. The reason is by now a familiar one: Viktor Orbán. The Hungarian prime minister has...
View ArticleGerman budget crisis: Ruling coalition gives up on finalizing 2024 budget...
BERLIN — Germany’s ruling coalition will not manage to have a 2024 budget in place before the end of this year, a senior lawmaker from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) said...
View ArticleGerman budget crisis: Government reaches spending deal for 2024
Leaders of Germany’s three-party ruling coalition agreed on a new draft budget for next year after weeks of tense negotiations that mired the government in political and fiscal crisis. “The government...
View ArticleScholz gets Orbán out the room to open Ukraine’s membership talks
BRUSSELS — About three hours into deadlocked discussions among EU leaders on Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, the German chancellor proposed to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: Grab a coffee...
View ArticleOrbán’s walkout was planned, Macron says
BRUSSELS — The coffee break that saved Ukraine’s EU accession bid had been planned all along. Speaking to reporters after a summit where European leaders successfully bypassed Viktor Orbán’s...
View ArticleGermany plans partial reform of its debt brake, Lindner says
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced plans to reform the country’s debt rules to allow more spending in times of economic downturn, while also voicing criticism over planned price...
View ArticleGermany aims to seize €720 million of frozen Russian money
BERLIN — At a time when Germany’s ruling coalition is scrambling to find money due to its still-simmering budget crisis, it might be getting an unexpected windfall: a large chunk of frozen Russian...
View ArticleUkrainian ambassador denies German pressure for peace talks with Russia
BERLIN — Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany on Saturday rejected claims that Berlin may be pressuring Kyiv behind closed doors to reach a peace deal with Russia. The speculation has been fueled by a...
View ArticleWolfgang Schäuble, former German finance minister, dies at 81
Wolfgang Schäuble, former German finance minister, longstanding senior lawmaker and a key figure behind Berlin’s controversial austerity push during the eurozone financial crisis, has died at the age...
View ArticleParty vote provides slight relief for Germany’s troubled coalition
BERLIN — The rulers of Germany’s fractious three-party coalition government can breathe a small sigh of relief. In an internal party referendum, some 52 percent of members of the fiscally conservative...
View ArticleMercosur mulls ‘last-chance’ summit to close EU trade deal
South America’s Mercosur countries are considering holding a high-level summit with top European Union officials in Brasília late January or early February in a bid to seal their long-delayed trade...
View ArticleFlood risk in Germany reignites coalition fight over debt rules
BERLIN — A widespread risk of floods in Germany has prompted renewed infighting within the country’s tripartite ruling coalition over calls to relax strict debt rules to provide aid to those affected....
View ArticleGerman government backtracks on tax hikes for farmers following protests
BERLIN — Germany’s three-party ruling coalition on Thursday partly backed down from a proposal to cut tax privileges for farmers after facing emotional protests. The government said in a statement...
View ArticleMob of German farmers accosts top Green as protests escalate
BERLIN — Tensions over Germany’s budget crisis escalated significantly late Thursday as a group of angry farmers protested against tax hikes by blocking Greens Economy Minister Robert Habeck from...
View ArticleGermany drops block to Eurofighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia
BERLIN — Germany’s decision allow the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia is due to the changed situation following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as well as Saudi Arabia’s...
View ArticleGermany holds its nose, paving the way for future jet fighter sale to Saudi...
BERLIN — The German government U-turned on its policy of blocking the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia over the Gulf kingdom’s human rights record — but it still has qualms...
View ArticleGermany’s Scholz badgers EU countries to boost military aid for Ukraine
BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday urged other EU nations to deliver more military aid to Ukraine, saying Berlin has asked Brussels to check with countries on their planned support for...
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German farmer protests spark fears of far-right infiltration
BERLIN — German farmers commenced a week of planned protests on Monday while officials warned that far-right groups are attempting to co-opt the movement for their own political ends. The farmers...
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