Latest news with #Deutschlandfunk
Middle East Eye
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
German president warns against Netanyahu visit over ICC arrest warrant
Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has cautioned against a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Berlin must not risk undermining international law in light of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). 'We, in particular, should make the international legal order part of our own identity,' Steinmeier said in an interview set to air Sunday on Deutschlandfunk radio, according to a transcript obtained by German news agency DPA. He suggested it would be wise to avoid a scenario where Germany might be compelled to detain an Israeli leader under ICC obligations. His remarks follow a controversial statement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany would not recognise the ICC's warrant against Netanyahu. The ICC issued arrest warrants last November for both Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
Business Recorder
08-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
ECB can take time on policy, policymaker Nagel says
FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank can take its time on interest rates with monetary policy now set at a neutral level that is no longer restrictive, ECB policymaker Joachim Nagel said on German radio on Sunday. The ECB cut interest rates on Thursday for the eighth time in a year but signalled at least a policy pause next month after inflation returned to its 2% target. Nagel, who is also the president of Germany's central bank, said rates are now at a neutral level - central-banker language to describe policy that neither expands nor brakes the economy. ECB should not 'overreact' if inflation edges below 2%, Vujcic says 'We are no longer restrictive. I believe that we can now take the time to look at the situation first. We now have maximum flexibility at this interest rate level,' Nagel said in a live interview on Deutschlandfunk radio. The ECB has lowered borrowing costs eight times, or by 2 percentage points since last June, seeking to prop up a euro zone economy that was struggling even before erratic U.S. economic and trade policies dealt it further blows.
Reuters
08-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
ECB can take time on policy, policymaker Nagel says
FRANKFURT, June 8 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank can take its time on interest rates with monetary policy now set at a neutral level that is no longer restrictive, ECB policymaker Joachim Nagel said on German radio on Sunday. The ECB cut interest rates on Thursday for the eighth time in a year but signalled at least a policy pause next month after inflation returned to its 2% target. Nagel, who is also the president of Germany's central bank, said rates are now at a neutral level - central-banker language to describe policy that neither expands nor brakes the economy. "We are no longer restrictive. I believe that we can now take the time to look at the situation first. We now have maximum flexibility at this interest rate level," Nagel said in a live interview on Deutschlandfunk radio. The ECB has lowered borrowing costs eight times, or by 2 percentage points since last June, seeking to prop up a euro zone economy that was struggling even before erratic U.S. economic and trade policies dealt it further blows.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany should prepare to bring back conscription, says army official
The head of the organization that represents Germany's armed forces personnel has called for the reintroduction of compulsory military service. André Wüstner, from the Bundeswehr Association, said on Friday that Germany's new coalition government should start laying the groundwork now for the possible reintroduction of conscription. In an interview with the Deutschlandfunk radio station, Wüstner also called for voluntary military service to be made more attractive in order to achieve increased NATO targets. He expressed doubts that it would be possible to recruit up to 60,000 additional men and women for active duty on a voluntary basis alone. He added that he could almost predict that a review would be necessary in the middle of the legislative period and that a switch to some form of compulsory military service would then be necessary. "In the military, those who plan best get better options. Now we have to plan and prepare," Wüstner said. In view of the threats Germany faces, speed is needed to increase the number of active soldiers from 181,000 to 260,000, he argued. The current target for the armed forces is 203,000 active soldiers, but this has not yet been achieved. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had recently made it clear on several occasions that the voluntary nature of military service agreed by the coalition only applies if the demand can be met in this way. The Bundeswehr Association represents the interests of soldiers and civilian employees and has around 200,000 members. On Thursday, NATO defence ministers in Brussels agreed on the largest rearmament programme since the Cold War in response to the threat posed by Russia.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Experts: Berlin-Warsaw ties will suffer after Nawrocki's election win
Relations between Berlin and Warsaw could suffer after conservative Karol Nawrocki won Poland's presidential election, German foreign policy experts warned on Monday. Lawmaker Paul Ziemiak said cooperation between Germany and Poland is "fundamentally important" for Europe. However, Ziemiak told the Deutschlandfunk radio station that the relationship could become strained after Nawrocki's victory in Sunday's election. "It will not be easier with this new president, Karol Nawrocki," said Ziemiak, who leads the German-Polish parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. During the election campaign, Nawrocki argued that Germany could never be trusted, Agniezka Lada-Konefal from the German Institute of Polish Affairs told dpa. Nawrocki, a conservative historian, pledged he would fight for World War II reparations from Germany, an issue that has long proved contentious between the two countries. As head of state, Nawrocki will not be able to initiate any concrete steps on reparations, but he can influence the atmosphere in bilateral relations with his rhetoric, said Lada-Konefal. Furthermore, she said the result will likely make life difficult for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who could struggle to pass his reform agenda due to Nawrocki's veto power. Tusk is seen as close to Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with the pair having already held several meetings since the latter took office last month. Lada-Konefal said Tusk will have to "avoid any positive movements in the direction of Germany" ahead of parliamentary elections in 2027. "Major German-Polish initiatives are therefore not to be expected," she argued.
