Robert Habeck News

The German government is watering down cost-saving plans that have infuriated farmers

German farmers are gathering in Berlin to protest against planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture, part of a deal reached by the government to plug a hole in the country’s budget

When Robert Habeck, co-leader of the Green party and the economy tsar in Germany’s ruling coalition, floated a bill last spring that mandated replacing gas and oil boilers with cleaner heat pumps, he got more heat than he bargained for. Tabloids screamed his “heat hammer" would push millions into debt. Whipped-up fury against “Green fascism" boosted ratings for the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Germany is struggling to find a way out of a budget crisis after a court decision struck down billions in funding for clean energy projects and help for people facing high energy bills because of Russia’s war in Ukraine

renewable energy capacity by 2030 though also offered support to technology that can sustain the use of fossil fuels, easing concerns from Russia and Saudi Arabia that had previously stalled a deal. Members will make a commitment to “pursue and encourage” efforts to meet the target to increase clean energy generation, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The bloc will also call for a similar impetus in the deployment of abatement technologies like carbon capture that can reduce emissions from the use of gas, coal and oil, said some of the people, who asked not to be named as the details aren’t yet public. Even so, the outcome offers some new momentum in the energy transition after global concerns over supply security and costs had begun to erode progress on a shift away from fossil fuels.

By Maria Martinez

BERLIN (Reuters) — German Economy Minister Robert Habeck wants to tighten the process for reviewing foreign investments with a new law that would aim to enhance economic security, according to a ministry document seen by Reuters on Sunday.

(Corrects first paragraph to show Spanish resilience, not German)

The German economy is still failing to grow

Robert Habeck on Thursday said India and Germany want to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and increase investments and collaboration among companies. He arrived on a three-day visit to India on Thursday. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Indo-German Business Forum in New Delhi, Habeck also said China is Germany's biggest trading partner and a lot of German and European companies have invested in that country.

Gazprom is expected to restart gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline Thursday, after the completion of a 10-day maintenance that has put EU leaders on edge.

The Nord Stream 1, the biggest single pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany, starts annual maintenance today, with flows expected to stop for ten days. 

Germany activated the second phase of its three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies Thursday, saying the country faces a “crisis” and warning that storage targets for the winter are at risk due to dwindling deliveries from Russia.

A deal on a stalled proposal to introduce an EU-wide ban on Russian oil imports could be reached "in a matter of weeks," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is one of the staunchest advocates behind the measure.

Today marks the three-month anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night accusing Russia of inflicting as many casualties and as much infrastructure destruction as possible.

Brussels says it is preparing for difficult months ahead in the energy sector, following an extraordinary meeting of the bloc's energy ministers on Monday to discuss its strategy after Russia decided to cut off gas to Poland and Bulgaria last week.

Vladimir Putin has said buyers of Russian gas from "unfriendly" countries will have to pay in roubles from accounts in Russia from Friday, or face the "consequences".

Poland says it is putting in place Europe's most radical plan to cut dependence on Russian energy sources.

Germany's prospective new coalition wants to legalise cannabis and phase out coal earlier than planned.