Latest news with #Franco-German
Local France
a day ago
- General
- Local France
French expression of the day: Jus de chaussette
Why do I need to know jus de chaussette? It's a common, colloquial expression with a fascinating backstory, but which sounds quite odd when you don't know what it means. What does it mean? Jus de chaussette directly translates as 'sock juice' ( jus is French for 'juice' and de chaussette means 'of sock'). Jus de chaussette is not however what the French call sweaty, smelly feet, but rather that a drink is weak - to the point that it tastes bad. According to French online dictionary l'Internaute , the expression 'implies that the liquid was not made with the necessary ingredients for the preparation of the beverage.' This colloquial expression is most commonly used about coffee - usually the brew from bad vending machines - which also was the drink at the origin of the expression. At the end of the 19th Century, during the Franco-German war in the 1870s, soldiers lacking filters to brew their coffee used their socks instead. The result was, the story goes, disgusting. Advertisement Jus de chaussette can also be used about something that - figuratively speaking - leaves a bad aftertaste in the mouth. Say you make a deal with someone and have to give up something that is important to you, or act contrary to your own values, tu as l'impression d'avoir avalé du jus de chaussette - you feel like you just drank sock juice. Use it like this On a bu leur jus de chaussette dégoûtant sans rien dire. - We drank their disgustingly weak coffee without saying anything. Il faut éviter la machine à café au bureau, elle fait du jus de chaussette. - You should avoid the coffee machine at the office, it makes piss-weak weak coffee. Avec cet accord de paix on a l'impression d'avoir ingurgité un jus de chaussette. - This peace deal leaves a bitter aftertaste Synonym Jus de vaisselle - Dish juice
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Will European business turn away from America?
If the European Union was, as Donald Trump claims, formed 'to screw the United States", nobody told its companies. The stock of foreign direct investment in America held by EU businesses reached more than $2trn in 2023, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the country's total, up from a third a decade before. That is far more than from any other source. European companies employ around 3.5m people in America, more than American ones do in the bloc. Germany's car-industry association says its members have 140,000 workers across 2,000 factories in America, producing 900,000 vehicles a year. Nevertheless, European companies have found themselves in the sights of America's president, who is irked by the fact that his country imports more goods from the EU than it exports (and ignores the fact that the opposite is true for services). On May 23rd Mr Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on European wares from June 1st. Since then, a flurry of diplomacy has led to a reprieve, and a court in America has thrown Mr Trump's tariff-setting powers into doubt. But the uncertainty is enough to make European bosses take a hard look at their exposure to the country. Based on figures from Morgan Stanley, a bank, companies listed in the EU rely on America for almost a fifth of their sales on average (see chart). For companies such as EssilorLuxottica, a Franco-German maker of spectacles, and Novo Nordisk, a Danish manufacturer of weight-loss drugs, the share is much greater. Even European firms that produce in America often rely on inputs from abroad. As America threatens to become a more costly and volatile place to do business, some may be tempted to shift their attention to another market that has lately fallen out of favour: China. Should they? European companies have poured money into America in recent years, attracted by the spritely growth of its economy and, for some industries, the generous subsidies introduced by the Biden administration. At the same time, many European firms have dialled down their investments in China in response to slowing growth, fierce competition from domestic rivals and concerns over the country's increasingly fractious relations with the EU. Over the past few years, the share of listed EU companies' sales generated in China has stalled at below a tenth, while the portion from America has gradually ticked upwards. Redirected Now some European businesses are rethinking their westward turn. Although a few, such as Sanofi, a French pharma giant, and Siemens, a German machinery-maker, have announced big investments to boost production in America, many others are being put off by Mr Trump's chaotic policymaking. In a recent survey by Germany's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 24% of companies said they were planning to increase their investments in America, whereas 29% said they were planning to reduce them. 'The uncertainty is making big strategic decisions very tricky," says Alexander Lacik, boss of Pandora, the world's largest jewellery-maker by volume. Around 30% of the Danish company's sales come from America. Most of its production is not in Europe but Thailand. Pandora also ships wares destined for Canada and Latin America to its distribution centre in Baltimore, which it may stop doing as a result of American tariffs. The boss of a Dutch multinational company likewise laments the volatility of America's trade policies. Every new tariff announcement has potentially big ramifications for its supply chain and pricing. Meanwhile, some European companies are turning their gaze back eastward. 'There is an appetite among European business leaders for re-engagement in China," says Max Zenglein of MERICS, a think-tank based in Berlin. Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, is one company that is eager to reverse its deteriorating position in the market. At the Shanghai auto show in April it announced that it would launch 11 models exclusively for China, including six electric vehicles and two plug-in hybrids. It has set itself a target of selling 4m cars in China annually by 2030, up from 2.9m in 2024—a difficult task, given that its sales there shrank by nearly 10% last year. Despite recent efforts by China's leaders to court European bosses, the country remains a tricky place for eu companies to operate in. European firms still face significant barriers to investment, procurement and data handling, says Mr Zenglein. In a survey conducted earlier this year by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, 73% of companies said that doing business there had become more difficult over the past year. 'China's charm offensive—no matter how timely given Trump's aggression against the EU—should be ignored," argues Alicia García Herrero of Natixis, an investment bank. Profit margins are razor thin, foreign companies are at a disadvantage and anyone hoping to transfer technology from China to Europe will do so in vain, cautions Ms García Herrero. Not all European firms will place the same bets. China is the world's largest market for cars and machine tools; America is the biggest for apparel and drugs. Exposure to the two superpowers already varies significantly across European countries. America accounts for 42% of the sales of listed Dutch firms, according to Morgan Stanley, compared with just 8% for Italian ones. German companies generate 13% of their revenue in China, whereas Spanish ones make just 2% of theirs in the country. What is more, America and China are not the only options available to European businesses. Jacob Aarup-Andersen, chief executive of Carlsberg, a Danish brewer, says that although his company plans to continue investing in China, which makes up a fifth of its sales, it is also increasing its efforts to grow in other markets such as India and Vietnam. There is, after all, a world beyond the rival superpowers.
Barnama
4 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
French, German Schools Launch Eurocampus In Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 -- French Ambassador to Malaysia, Axel Cruau and German Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Peter Blomeyer in group picture with guests at the grand opening of the Eurocampus in Kuala Lumpur at Lycee Francais de Kuala Lumpur today. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 (Bernama) -- The French and German international schools in Kuala Lumpur have jointly launched the Eurocampus KL, marking a milestone that further strengthens European educational collaboration and ties with Malaysia. Located in Mont Kiara, Eurocampus KL - one of only six such campuses globally - brings together the Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur (LFKL) and the Deutsche Schule Kuala Lumpur (DSKL), which operate side by side on the same grounds while maintaining their respective curricula and identities. French Ambassador to Malaysia Axel Cruau, in his remarks at the launch ceremony, said the Eurocampus reflects the strength of the Franco-German partnership and its significance for Malaysia. bootstrap slideshow He said the campus meets the growing demand for quality international education and reflects a shared ambition to nurture talent across ASEAN. He described the Eurocampus as the start of a renewed educational vision between France, Germany and Malaysia. 'The Eurocampus is a living example of what we can achieve through shared trust and vision. It serves our communities, contributes to the building of Europe, and adds value here in Malaysia,' he said. Cruau said the campus is the outcome of a collective commitment, including both school boards and the embassies, and expressed his gratitude to the Malaysian government for its support. German Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Peter Blomeyer called the launch 'a truly good morning,' noting it had taken four years of ideas, discussions and goodwill to bring the vision to life. 'Our German and French children can now attend school together here. And more than just learning, they are encountering one another - this is how understanding is built,' he said.
Qatar Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Europe's defence firms struggle to find workers as business booms
Agencies Pavel Cechal believes that the Czech company he works for could easily generate more business for its missile and drone engines to double its workforce, if only he could find the staff. His dilemma is shared by many defense companies in Europe, where governments are ramping up spending on ammunition, tanks and other arms in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's warnings that they should not rely so much on Washington. Cechal is vice president of operations at PBS Group, whose production facility in Velka Bites, a two-hour drive from Prague, employs 800 people. He is looking for more. 'If they were available on the labor market, we would hire most of them immediately. We have the business for it,' he told Reuters, adding the firm had raised wages by 8% last year and plans another 10% hike in 2025 to attract talent. 'We are now hiring at all levels of the company.' While the bloc's 800 billion euro ($896 billion) defence spending push is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade, the specially trained AI engineers, data scientists, welders and mechanics required are in short supply. Reuters spoke to more than a dozen companies, recruiters, and workers who said that, along with hiking wages and benefits, arms makers are poaching from other sectors and seeking potential recruits among local pupils and students. PBS Group has taken a step beyond cooperation with schools and universities. Milan Macholan, chief executive of the Velka Bites production facility, said: 'We also started our own training school where we generate our own employees.' Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, 78% of EU military procurement spending has gone outside the bloc, with the U.S. alone securing 63%, European Commission data show, partly because Europe's defense sector is fragmented between states. The EU plans to move a big chunk of that procurement to Europe and hopes its new Union of Skills training and hiring strategy will help fill the defence recruitment gap. In Russia, meanwhile, hiring by the well-funded arms sector is causing labour shortages elsewhere. Franco-German company KNDS, which manufactures the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer used in Ukraine, has expanded shifts at the company's main production site in Bourges in central France and is boosting hiring by 50% annually. Recruitment remains a key issue, said Nicolas Chamussy, managing director of KNDS France, adding that there was a limit to how much they could hike salaries. 'Don't forget that we're in a war economy, but we're also in an economic war. If our wages increase in an uncontrolled way, we'll be less competitive,' he said. AI experts who can develop autonomous weapons systems as well as people with expertise in products made in small volumes are in particular demand, industry participants said. 'We're not going to manufacture a CAESAR in the same way as a Peugeot 308. We have to master very, very specific know-how, which requires very particular skills. And those are rare on the job market,' said KNDS spokesperson Gabriel Massoni. A boost in defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) from the current NATO target of 2% would require as many as 760,000 new skilled workers in Europe, management consultant firm Kearney said in a recent report. 'Defense policy independence in Europe would only be possible if the local share of defense spending were to increase dramatically, which in turn could further exacerbate personnel shortages,' Kearney partner Guido Hertel wrote in the report. Rheinmetall – Europe's largest ammunition maker – plans to increase its workforce by around 29%, or up to 9,000, by 2028, primarily with product developers, engineers, welders and electronics technicians, it told Reuters. Submarine and frigate builder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is seeking up to 1,500 workers for its shipyard in Wismar, northern Germany. It is scouring trade fairs but says shortages of STEM experts trained in mathematics, IT, or sciences are a challenge, a view shared by Leonardo in Italy. 'In the past, the fact that we offered secure, quality contracts was enough to guarantee our leadership, but today young people favor other sectors over industry,' said the aerospace and defense firm, which is looking to universities and technical schools. Godefroy Jordan, general manager at Headhunting Factory, a Paris-based recruiter, specializes in finding mechanics, systems engineers and technicians for some of France's 4,000 small and medium-sized defense industry suppliers. 'The people we're targeting are in jobs where they've never been headhunted, they don't even have a CV,' Jordan told Reuters. 'When we call them, they think it's a scam.' 'This isn't a problem of finances; it's a human resources problem because the skills aren't there,' he added. Emrullah Karaca, who has worked at the soon-to-be-closed Gifhorn plant of auto supplier Continental for 25 years, is pondering a switch to Rheinmetall, which operates a factory around 50 kilometers (30 miles) north. But the father of three, who has trained to become a machine operator specialized in plastics technology, was also considering other options without the three-hour commute. 'For 25 years I've had the luxury of ... getting to work within five minutes,' he said. Auto industry struggles have helped Czech ammunition and shell producer STV Group recruit some of the more than 200 people it aims to add to its Vysoke Myto facility, 155 kilometers (96 miles) from Prague, by the middle of next year, its chairperson, David Hac, said. 'With the situation in the automotive industry worsening, we are now, for the first time in a long time, in a situation where we can choose a little among the people.' Oliver Doerre, CEO of German sensor and radar maker Hensoldt, told Reuters the company welcomed former auto workers because they are used to just-in-time manufacturing. 'That's where we hope to gain expertise to support us on this path towards serial production, towards scaling up production,' he said.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Europe's defence companies scramble for workers as business booms
VELKA BITES: P avel Cechal reckons the Czech company he works for could easily generate more business for its missile and drone engines to double its workforce, if only he could find the staff. His dilemma is shared by many defence companies in Europe , where governments are ramping up spending on ammunition, tanks and other arms in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's warnings that they should not rely so much on Washington. Cechal is vice president of operations at PBS Group, whose production facility in Velka Bites, a two-hour drive from Prague, employs 800 people. He is looking for more. "If they were available on the labour market we would hire most of them immediately. We have the business for it," he told Reuters, adding the firm had raised wages by 8% last year and plans another 10% hike in 2025 to attract talent. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo "We are now hiring at all levels of the company." While the bloc's 800 billion euro ($896 billion) defence spending push is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade, the specially trained AI engineers, data scientists, welders and mechanics required are in short supply. Reuters spoke to more than a dozen companies, recruiters and workers who said that along with hiking wages and benefits, arms makers are poaching from other sectors and seeking potential recruits among local pupils and students. Live Events PBS Group has taken a step beyond cooperation with schools and universities, Milan Macholan, chief executive of the Velka Bites production facility said: "We also started our own training school where we generate our own employees." Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, 78% of EU military procurement spending has gone outside the bloc, with the U.S. alone securing 63%, European Commission data show, partly because Europe's defence sector is fragmented between states. The EU plans to move a big chunk of that procurement to Europe and hopes its new Union of Skills training and hiring strategy will help fill the defence recruitment gap. In Russia, meanwhile, hiring by the well-funded arms sector is causing labour shortages elsewhere. COMPETITIVENESS CONCERNS Franco-German company KNDS , which manufactures the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer used in Ukraine, has expanded shifts at the company's main production site in Bourges in central France and is boosting hiring by 50% annually. Recruitment remains a key issue, said Nicolas Chamussy, managing director of KNDS France, adding that there was a limit to how much they could hike salaries. "Don't forget that we're in a war economy, but we're also in an economic war. If our wages increase in an uncontrolled way, we'll be less competitive," he said. AI experts who can develop autonomous weapons systems as well as people with expertise in products made in small volumes are in particular demand, industry participants said. "We're not going to manufacture a CAESAR in the same way as a Peugeot 308. We have to master very, very specific know-how which requires very particular skills. And those are rare on the job market," said KNDS spokesperson Gabriel Massoni. A boost in defence spending to 3% of GDP from the current NATO target of 2% would require as many as 760,000 new skilled workers in Europe, management consultant firm Kearney said in a recent report. "Defence policy independence in Europe would only be possible if the local share of defence spending were to increase dramatically, which in turn could further exacerbate personnel shortages," Kearney partner Guido Hertel wrote in the report. Rheinmetall -- Europe's largest ammunition maker -- plans to increase its workforce by around 29%, or up to 9,000, by 2028, primarily with product developers, engineers, welders and electronics technicians, it told Reuters. Submarine and frigate-builder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is seeking up to 1,500 workers for its shipyard in Wismar, northern Germany. It is scouring trade fairs but says shortages of STEM experts trained in mathematics, IT or sciences are a challenge, a view shared by Leonardo in Italy. "In the past, the fact that we offered secure, quality contracts was enough to guarantee our leadership, but today young people favour other sectors over industry," said the aerospace and defence firm, which is looking to universities and technical schools. Godefroy Jordan, general manager at Headhunting Factory, a Paris-based recruiter, specialises in finding mechanics, systems engineers and technicians for some of France's 4,000 small and medium-sized defence industry suppliers. "The people we're targeting are in jobs where they've never been headhunted, they don't even have a CV," Jordan told Reuters. "When we call them, they think it's a scam." "This isn't a problem of finances; it's a human resources problem because the skills aren't there," he added. AUTO WORKERS IN DEMAND Emrullah Karaca, who has worked at the soon-to-be-closed Gifhorn plant of auto supplier Continental for 25 years, is pondering a switch to Rheinmetall, which operates a factory around 50 km (30 miles) north. But the father of three, who has trained to become a machine operator specialised in plastics technology, was also considering other options without the three-hour commute. "For 25 years I've had the luxury of ... getting to work within five minutes," he said. Auto industry struggles have helped Czech ammunition and shell producer STV Group recruit some of the more than 200 people it aims to add to its Vysoke Myto facility 155 km (96 miles) from Prague by the middle of next year, its chairman, David Hac, said. "With the situation in the automotive industry worsening, we are now, for the first time in a long time, in a situation where we can choose a little among the people." Oliver Doerre, CEO of German sensor and radar maker Hensoldt , told Reuters the company welcomed former auto workers because they are used to just-in-time manufacturing. "That's where we hope to gain expertise to support us on this path towards serial production, towards scaling up production," he said.
