Germany

Germany urges France to turn UN seat into EU one

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on Wednesday (Nov 28) proposed that France give up its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and turn it into an EU seat to allow the bloc to speak with one voice on the global stage.

“I realise this will take some convincing in Paris but it would be a bold and smart goal,” Scholz said in a wide-ranging Berlin speech on the future of the European Union.

To lessen the pain of losing the powerful seat, France could become “the permanent EU ambassador to the United Nations”, added Scholz, who is also Germany’s vice-chancellor. Source Channel Nes Asia

 

France, Germany Reportedly Against New Sanctions on Russia Over Kerch Strait Row

Austria has mulled over the possibility of new sanctions against Russia due to the detention of three Ukrainian Navy vessels that sailed toward the Kerch Strait in what Moscow has described as an unequivocal provocation committed in violation of international law. At a secret meeting of the Political and Security Committee in Brussels on Tuesday, French and German diplomats spoke out against stepping up existing EU sanctions against Russia in light of the growing rift between Moscow and Kiev over the Kerch Strait incident. Source: Sputnik

German Exports Drag Economy to First Contraction Since 2015

Germany’s first economic contraction since 2015 was led by a drop in exports and private consumption, a trend that needs to be reversed if the Europe’s largest economy is to rebound before the end of the year. The 0.2 percent decline in the third quarter, matching the initial reading, has been blamed on a slump in the auto industry that the Bundesbank and government predict will be temporary. Source: Bloomberg