Germany edition

Steinbrück

The following articles have been tagged with "Steinbrück":

SPD puts off picking chancellor candidate

Politics: 5 Dec 11
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has sentenced itself to another year of unofficial wrangling for the top job of challenging Chancellor Angela Merkel in the 2013 election. READ »

Steinbrück rules out new grand coalition

Politics: 4 Dec 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, a leading member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), has categorically ruled out entering a new grand coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ »

Cabinet approves tax deal on money hidden in Switzerland

Business & Money: 21 Sep 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet approved a double-taxation deal with Switzerland on Wednesday, aiming to end a long-standing dispute over tax and banking secrecy. READ »

Social Democrats gain support amid euro crisis

Politics: 14 Sep 11
Popular support for the Social Democratic Party is at its highest level since 2008, reaching 29 percent, according to the latest Stern-RTL survey. READ »

Rich call for higher taxes

Business & Money: 31 Aug 11
Wealthy Germans are joining what is becoming a European trend: Ultra rich people saying they are willing to carry a higher tax burden in order to help the continent’s economies struggling with crushing levels of debt. READ »

Leadership troika helps SPD recover support

Politics: 3 Aug 11
Germany's centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) appears to be pulling itself out of the political doldrums with a new three-man leadership troika, according to a poll published on Wednesday. READ »

Speculation mounts for Steinbrück comeback

Politics: 17 Jul 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has apparently returned to leadership discussions in the Social Democratic Party, heating speculation that he could be the party's chancellor candidate in the 2013 election. READ »

Merkel to stand for chancellor in 2013

Politics: 9 Jul 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel intends to run for a third mandate in 2013 elections, she said on television on Saturday. READ »

Only half of Germans want tax cuts

Business & Money: 8 Jul 11
In a sign of Germans’ financial priorities, just half of voters favour tax cuts right now and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble – a noted tax cut sceptic – has rocketed to become the most popular politician in the country. READ »

SPD's Steinmeier won't rule out early elections

Politics: 2 Jul 11
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentary leader and former chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier says he is no longer ruling out early elections in Germany. READ »

Steinbrück signals chancellorship ambitions

Politics: 14 May 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has signalled his willingness to be a chancellor candidate for his Social Democratic Party, in an interview to be broadcast this weekend. READ »

Boring Steinmeier charms his way back into Germany's heart

Politics: 8 Apr 11
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the owlish Social Democrat deemed too boring to be chancellor when he ran against Angela Merkel in 2009, is now the most popular politician in the country, a poll revealed Friday. READ »

Steinbrück slaps down candidacy for ECB job

Politics: 13 Feb 11
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has rejected his Social Democratic colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s suggestion that he stand for the position of head of the European Central Bank. READ »

Poll places Steinbrück as possible Chancellor

Politics: 27 Sep 10
Former Finance Minister and Social Democratic heavyweight Peer Steinbrück has warned his party against lurching to the left in a speech that could position him as the party’s next candidate for Chancellor. READ »

Steinbrück chastises the 'excesses' of Germany's rich

Business & Money: 17 Sep 10
Former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück condemned the “excesses” of Germany’s privileged classes on Friday, blaming tax dodgers for helping to perpetuate social problems. READ »

Doubts emerge within SPD as decision on Sarrazin expulsion looms

Politics: 13 Sep 10
Doubts are reportedly growing among Germany's centre-left Social Democrats about whether to expel outgoing Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin from the party following his comments about race and immigration. READ »

MPs earning thousands from moonlighting

Politics: 2 Mar 10
Moonlighting members of the German parliament are earning thousands of euros from outside jobs, with MPs from the ruling centre-right coalition far outstripping those in the opposition parties, a report released late Monday revealed. READ »

Social parasites with Swiss bank accounts

Analysis & Opinion: 2 Feb 10
The German government should have no qualms about buying stolen Swiss information on rich tax dodgers, argues Ludwig Greven from Zeit Online. READ »

Informant offers to sell names of tax dodgers

National: 30 Jan 10
A secret informant has offered to sell the German taxman the names of 1,500 Germans who have funds hidden in Switzerland, a newspaper reported Saturday. READ »

New SPD leaders flag fresh tax approach

Politics: 15 Nov 09
The centre-left Social Democrats will rebuild their reputation as a Volkspartei – or “people’s party” – new chairman Sigmar Gabriel announced Sunday, wrapping up an SPD conference with a clear signal that a new generation is in charge. READ »

Jockeying for Finance Ministry heats up

Politics: 4 Oct 09
The biggest sticking point in forming a new government may be in deciding who takes the reins at the Finance Ministry. All three parties in the new coalition are reportedly offering their own candidates for the high-profile job. READ »

The Local's live coverage of the 2009 election

Politics: 27 Sep 09
Join The Local for live coverage from the election headquarters of Germany's five main political parties in Berlin. We'll have interviews and insights all evening long. READ »

Steinbrück calls for global financial transaction tax at G20

Business & Money: 25 Sep 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück called Friday for a global tax on financial transactions as the Group of 20 developed and developing economies met in Pittsburgh. READ »

Merkel to demand new financial rules at G20

National: 24 Sep 09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel headed to the G20 summit in the United States on Thursday determined to demand stricter regulations for the global financial markets. READ »

Steinbrück accuses UK of 'having problems' with financial reform

Business & Money: 23 Sep 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück says Britain wants to hamper financial system reform proposals to be discussed at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh later this week. READ »

Money ministers warn of hard times to come

Business & Money: 21 Sep 09
Just one week ahead of national elections, both Germany’s finance and economy ministers warned of hard times to come after the vote on a Sunday night political talk show. READ »

GM expected to reach Opel decision today

Business & Money: 9 Sep 09
General Motors is expected to reach a decision by Wednesday on the fate of European subsidiary Opel after weeks of procrastinating, which drew the ire of the German government and unions. READ »

Steinbrück says bankers should pay for crisis

Business & Money: 31 Aug 09
Bankers should stump up for the consequences of the global financial crisis, Germany's finance minister said to his G20 counterparts in an letter obtained by AFP on Monday. READ »

A political primer for Germany's election on September 27

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Aug 09
With just over a month left until Germans head to the polls, Dr. Jackson Janes from the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies offers a primer of what’s at stake for Angela Merkel and her challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier. READ »

Steinbrück mulling state loans to combat credit crunch

Business & Money: 26 Aug 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück said on Wednesday he was considering giving low-interest state loans to cash-strapped firms in order to prevent a credit crunch hampering a recovery in Europe's biggest economy. READ »

Business confidence rises for fifth consecutive month

Business & Money: 26 Aug 09
German firms are at their most confident since the spectacular collapse of US banking giant Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and the subsequent global recession, a survey showed Wednesday. READ »

Politicians irked by more car scrapping premium fraud

National: 6 Aug 09
Politicians are calling for tighter controls after further reports of criminal misuse of Germany’s "cash for clunkers" car scrapping premium emerged this week. READ »

Steinmeier unveils his campaign war team

Politics: 30 Jul 09
Hoping to shake off the recent scandal over Health Minister Ulla Schmidt’s stolen limousine, SPD candidate for chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday unveiled his election team, in which women outnumber men. READ »

Pensions promise provokes SPD disagreement

Society: 11 Jul 09
Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has questioned a new law that guarantees pensions will not be reduced even if wage levels go down, saying the younger generation needs help more. READ »

Germans sceptical of tax cuts

Business & Money: 4 Jul 09
Most German voters don’t think they will actually get a tax cut, despite promises by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, according to a new poll published in the latest issue of the weekly Wirtschaftswoche. READ »

Steinbrück warns of ‘mammoth’ debt

National: 24 Jun 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück warned on Wednesday that the next government after September’s general election would have to contend with a “mammoth” problem of mounting debt. READ »

German debt set to balloon

Business & Money: 18 Jun 09
Germany could have to take on another €312 billion in debt by 2013, according to finance ministry documents cited on the website of the magazine Der Spiegel. READ »

Qatar close to buying Porsche stake

National: 13 Jun 09
The Gulf emirate of Qatar is close to buying at least a 25 percent stake in struggling automaker Porsche, according to German media reports Saturday. READ »

Germany torpedoes Arcandor's aid request

Business & Money: 8 Jun 09
The German government rejected a plea Monday by troubled retail group Arcandor for emergency loans and guarantees, as the leading shareholder in travel agency Thomas Cook lurched towards insolvency. READ »

Berlin rejects loan guarantees for Arcandor

Business & Money: 8 Jun 09
The German government on Monday rejected emergency guarantees for Arcandor, putting the troubled retail group one step closer to insolvency. The company's shares plunged in early trading. READ »

Merkel hails Opel deal but warns of rough ride

Politics: 30 May 09
The deal struck with a Canadian firm and its Russian backers to rescue US giant General Motors' Opel unit was a "test for the transatlantic relationship," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday. READ »

Berlin picks Magna to buy Opel

Business & Money: 30 May 09
Germany has selected a bid by Canadian auto parts maker Magna to take over General Motors' Opel unit, an offer backed by Russia's Sberbank and Russian automaker GAZ, officials said Saturday. READ »

Berlin miffed at US as Opel talks collapse

Business & Money: 28 May 09
Talks aimed at saving General Motors Europe's Opel unit broke down amid acrimony between Germany and the United States on Thursday as fears mounted for tens of thousands of jobs across Europe. READ »

Toasting times for Germany's leftists

Analysis & Opinion: 26 May 09
Roger Boyes, the Berlin correspondent of British daily The Times, explains why Germany’s leftists should raise a glass of bubbly to the global economic crisis. READ »

Guttenberg moots trust to save Opel

Business & Money: 14 May 09
German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Thursday said he could imagine using a government-backed trust to help save embattled carmaker Opel. READ »

Steinbrück compares Switzerland to Burkina Faso in tax row

Business & Money: 5 May 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück made a new jibe on Tuesday against Switzerland and other European finance centres, likening them to the poor African nation of Burkina Faso, in a row over tax havens. READ »

Steinbrück: tax dodgers threaten society

Business & Money: 4 May 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück warned on Monday that tax evasion was a crime serious enough to threaten the country's social cohesion. READ »

New car inducement scheme only works for one in four

Business & Money: 3 May 09
The cash for clunkers scheme to encourage people in Germany to buy new cars is having a far smaller impact than is widely believed, according to a study conducted for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. READ »

Steinbrück warns of massive debt

National: 26 Apr 09
Germany will take on a record €50 billion of new debt, due to the financial crisis and the world’s deepest recession in over 60 years, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück warned Sunday, in an interview with Bild am Sonntag. READ »

German business sentiment surprises with big rise

Business & Money: 24 Apr 09
Business confidence in Germany has risen from record lows, a key index showed Friday, offering a small ray of hope following a week of dire forecasts for Europe's biggest economy. READ »

Germany facing worst slump since WWII

National: 23 Apr 09
Germany's economy is poised to shrink by a record six percent this year – the worst recession since World War II – a group of top economic institutes said on Thursday. READ »

Germany plunges into deep recession

Business & Money: 22 Apr 09
Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted an economic summit at the Chancellery on Wednesday, as the goverment admitted Europe's largest economy shrank dramatically in the first three months of the year. READ »

Berlin hammers out 'bad bank' plan

Business & Money: 21 Apr 09
Germany has struck a broad agreement on a plan to clean up toxic assets from banks' balance sheets, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück said Tuesday after a crunch meeting with key government leaders. READ »

German cabinet extends car scrapping bonus

National: 8 Apr 09
The German cabinet extended the popular car-scrapping bonus Wednesday morning, earmarking a further €3.5 billion for the scheme. The €2,500 bonus will be valid until the end of the year, government sources said. READ »

New Deutsche Bahn leader nominated

National: 2 Apr 09
The German government said Thursday it would nominate Rüdiger Grube as head of the national rail operator Deutsche Bahn after its former boss resigned amid a staff spy scandal. READ »

Steinbrück says crisis will take years to overcome

National: 1 Apr 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück fears that the country will take years to recover from the financial crisis, German weekly magazine Stern reported today. READ »

Swiss defence minister ditches Mercedes over Steinbrück

Politics: 23 Mar 09
The squabble between Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück and Switzerland continues after the Swiss defence minister returned his Mercedes limousine to protest controversial comments against the Alpine nation on tax evasion. READ »

Commerzbank predicts massive recession

Business & Money: 23 Mar 09
Economists at Germany’s second largest bank, Commerzbank, said on Monday the country would experience the worst recession in modern memory this year, as the economy contracts up to 7 percent. READ »

Merkel defends Berlin’s crisis management

Politics: 19 Mar 09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday defended her government’s handling of the global economic crisis amid ongoing criticism from abroad, at home and even within her own coalition. READ »

Swiss MP compares Steinbrück to Nazis

Politics: 18 Mar 09
Angered over German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück's push to stamp out international tax havens, the normally staid Swiss have dubbed him the most hated man in Switzerland and even even compared him to the Nazis. READ »

Germany puts brakes on more stimulus

Business & Money: 15 Mar 09
The German government has told other G20 members it will work together to restore economic confidence, but is putting the brakes on further stimulus measures. READ »

Economist guru Krugman says Germany failing in financial crisis

National: 12 Mar 09
Nobel laureate for economics Paul Krugman has slammed the German government for what he says is a far too conservative response to the world economic crisis. READ »

Opel dealers 'prepared to buy 20 percent stake'

Business & Money: 11 Mar 09
Desperate Opel dealers have suggested taking a stake in the struggling car company, by funnelling €225 million a year from sales profits into a holding company which would invest in the manufacturer. READ »

Steinbrück pooh-poohs US call for stimulus

Politics: 9 Mar 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück resisted on Monday a US call on governments worldwide to pump more taxpayer money into their faltering economies. READ »

Works council officials says Opel needs European aid to survive

Business & Money: 23 Feb 09
Opel, the German subsidiary of US car maker General Motors, will require European state aid to survive, the head of its works council said Monday. READ »

Merkel demands tighter leash for global markets

Politics: 21 Feb 09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called for tighter regulation of global financial markets ahead of a European Union summit in Berlin on the worldwide economic crisis. READ »

Germany passes historic stimulus plan

Politics: 20 Feb 09
Germany approved a record stimulus package Friday aimed at lifting Europe's biggest economy out of its worst recession since World War II. READ »

Steinbrück: Berlin will consider aid for Opel

Business & Money: 19 Feb 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück said on Thursday the government would not rule out state aid for Opel, the German unit of troubled US carmaker General Motors. READ »

Germany backs law to nationalise banks

Business & Money: 18 Feb 09
The German government has approved measures allowing it to temporarily nationalise troubled banks through the seizure of shares in order to shore up the country’s financial sector. READ »

Steinbrück warns against growing spectre of protectionism

Politics: 13 Feb 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück warned on Friday that the world must avoid a spiral of 1930s-style protectionism as senior G7 finance officials headed to Rome for talks on the economic crisis. READ »

Recession in Germany worse than expected

Business & Money: 13 Feb 09
The German economy shrivelled 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the worst decline since reunification and significantly more than expected, the Federal Statistics Office reported on Friday. READ »

Hypo Real Estate gets €10 bln in guarantees

Business & Money: 11 Feb 09
The fate of German bank Hypo Real Estate (HRE) remained in suspense on Wednesday even after it was granted €10 billion in new state guarantees aimed at helping it get past a financing hurdle later this year. READ »

Guttenberg named new economy minister

Politics: 9 Feb 09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel scrambled Monday to replace Economy Minister Michael Glos after his shock resignation with Germany in recession and a general election only seven months away. READ »

Economy minister Glos tries to resign

Politics: 7 Feb 09
Germany's ruling coalition appeared in disarray on Saturday after Economy Minister Michael Glos offered to resign only to be stopped by his own party leader in the midst of a crippling recession. READ »

Steinbrück aims to crack lottery jackpot as German debt balloons

Business & Money: 30 Jan 09
Desperate times call for desperate measures. As Germany looks set to rack up massive new debt this year, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has been spotted casting a hopeful eye at his lottery ticket. READ »

Steinbrück open to 'bad bank' to ease toxic investments

Business & Money: 29 Jan 09
Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück is open to the establishment of a controversial "bad bank" to help the country’s financial sector by taking over risky investments and loans, Berliner Zeitung reported on Thursday. READ »

Ex Deutsche Post boss Zumwinkel avoids jail

National: 26 Jan 09
Klaus Zumwinkel, the former head of German logistics giant Deutsche Post, received a suspended jail sentence of two years on Monday and was fined €1 million ($1.3 million) for tax evasion. READ »

Ex-Deutsche Post boss admits to tax evasion

National: 22 Jan 09
The ex-head of Germany's Deutsche Post admitted tax evasion on Thursday in a scandal that fuelled public anger about "fat-cat" excesses and won tiny Liechtenstein worldwide opprobrium. READ »

Merkel defends German stimulus package

Business & Money: 19 Jan 09
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended Germany's decision to join other European powers in launching a massive economic stimulus, but again warned against the danger of mounting debt. READ »

Government expects bad recession and big public deficit

Business & Money: 17 Jan 09
The German economy is set to suffer its deepest recession since World War II, with growth in Europe’s biggest economy to slump by as much as 2.5 percent this year, Economy Minister Michael Glos has confirmed. READ »

Merkel calls stimulus plan a 'difficult decision'

Politics: 14 Jan 09
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the decision to adopt the country's biggest postwar economic stimulus programme was her most difficult since taking office. READ »

German growth slowed sharply in 2008

Business & Money: 14 Jan 09
The German economy slowed sharply last year as exports were hit by the global slowdown and consumption failed to gain ground, the Federal Statistics office said on Wednesday. READ »

Critics assail German stimulus package

Politics: 13 Jan 09
Germany has thrashed out the biggest stimulus package in its post-war history, but critics dismissed it Tuesday as is too little, too late to shore up Europe's leading economy. READ »

Steinbrück calls for lower entry tax rate

Business & Money: 9 Jan 09
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück is mulling a cut in the base income tax rate to 12 percent from 15 percent to help pull Europe's biggest economy out of a deep recession, his spokesman said Friday. READ »

Merkel seeks unity in CDU on economic stimulus plans

Politics: 5 Jan 09
Germany's fractious coalition will squabble this week over a second boost for the ailing economy, but on Sunday Chancellor Angela Merkel first had to restore harmony among her own conservative allies. READ »

Germany mulls new shot in the arm for economy

National: 4 Jan 09
This Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel faces the first round of talks between the bickering parties of her coalition government to decide how best to mend the ailing German economy. It does not look like it will be fun. READ »

The Local's year in review

Society: 1 Jan 09
As 2009 kicks off, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention during our first year in Germany. READ »

Steinbrück warns against 'growth bubble'

Business & Money: 31 Dec 08
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has warned that cutting interest rates too low in an effort to counter the global recession could create a what he called dangerous "growth bubble." READ »

Steinbrück: Germany can overcome crisis

National: 29 Dec 08
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück said on Monday there were signs Europe’s largest economy could come through the global financial crisis largely unscathed. READ »

German states asked to decide on projects for new stimulus package

Business & Money: 23 Dec 08
German state officials agreed on Tuesday to have concrete proposals ready in early January for a new economic stimulus package. The plan, which could total up to €40 billion, will target infrastructure projects. READ »

CSU threatens to torpedo stimulus plan

Politics: 18 Dec 08
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Bavarian allies have threatened to torpedo any new stimulus package to boost the flagging economy unless it includes tax cuts. READ »

German deficit seen ballooning to €30 billion

Business & Money: 17 Dec 08
Germany will reportedly be forced to borrow at least €30 billion in 2009, more than double the amount this year, due to the weakening economy. READ »

Nobel economist slams German crisis plans

National: 13 Dec 08
Nobel laureate for economics Paul Krugman has slammed the German government’s handing of the economic crisis, saying Chancellor Merkel and Finance Minister Steinbrück have failed to understand the situation. READ »

Merkel says 'Oui' to EU stimulus, climate deals

Politics: 12 Dec 08
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday hailed an EU deal to combat climate change while backing measures to help Europe's flagging economy recover from the global financial crisis. READ »

Merkel backs EU stimulus measures

Politics: 11 Dec 08
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday backed a €200-billion EU economic stimulus target as Berlin faced pressure to contribute more to the package at a summit in Brussels. READ »

Steinbrück slams 'crass' UK stimulus plan

Business & Money: 11 Dec 08
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück has launched a highly unusual attack on Britain's economic stimulus package, saying it will not fend off recession but will leave the next generation saddled with debt. READ »

Court orders €3-billion payout for commuters

Business & Money: 9 Dec 08
Germany will reimburse €3.0 billion ($3.9 billion) to taxpayers in coming months following a ruling by the country's highest court deeming a trimmed tax break for commuters unconstitutional. READ »

EU denies split as Merkel left out

Politics: 8 Dec 08
Top European leaders denied there was a split with Germany on Monday after Chancellor Angela Merkel was left out of a meeting on how to rescue the continent's ailing economies from the global financial crisis. READ »

Deutsche Bank warns of massive 2009 recession

Business & Money: 5 Dec 08
Deutsche Bank's chief economist Norbert Walter on Friday warned Germany could be in for a dire 2009 with Europe's largest economy possibly shrinking a massive four percent. READ »

The incredible shrinking chancellor

Analysis & Opinion: 2 Dec 08
Obama wants to jump-start America's economy, UK Prime Minister Brown has slashed taxes and French President Sarkozy is pushing for an EU stimulus package. So why is Chancellor Merkel sitting on the sidelines? READ »

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