MIL European Union Publishing Engine
Source: European Parliament
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Defence Industry Programme and a framework of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence products (‘EDIP’)
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Committee on Security and Defence
François-Xavier Bellamy, Raphaël Glucksmann
Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP
Source: European Parliament
AMENDMENTS 014-023
REPORT
on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section III – Commission, executive agencies and the ninth, tenth and eleventh European Development Funds
(2024/2019(DEC))
Committee on Budgetary Control
Rapporteur: Niclas Herbst
Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP
Source: European Parliament 2
AMENDMENTS 002-005
REPORT
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 as regards the role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season
(COM(2025)0099 – C10-0041/2025 – 2025/0051(COD))
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Rapporteur: Borys Budka
Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP
Source: European Parliament 2
AMENDMENTS 257-261
REPORT
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the screening of foreign investments in the Union and repealing Regulation (EU) 2019/452 of the European Parliament and of the Council
(COM(2024)0023 – C9-0011/2024 – 2024/0017(COD))
Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Raphaël Glucksmann
Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP
Source: Canton de Neuchatel Suisse
02.05.2025
La phase d’avant-projet de la ligne directe entre Neuchâtel et La Chaux-de-Fonds avance comme prévu. Les porteurs du projet – le Canton de Neuchâtel, l’Office fédéral des transports (OFT) et les CFF – ont désormais décidé que le tracé en tunnel sera creusé avec un seul front d’attaque depuis Neuchâtel pour des questions environnementales, sécuritaires et financières. La mise en exploitation de la ligne directe est dès lors planifiée pour 2041. Alors que le Conseil fédéral a lancé les évaluations dans le cadre de sa Stratégie Transports’45, le Conseil d’État neuchâtelois souligne l’importance que revêt à ses yeux la ligne directe, tant pour la mobilité dans l’Arc jurassien que pour le trafic ferroviaire est-ouest.
La nouvelle ligne ferroviaire vise à diviser par deux le temps de parcours entre Neuchâtel et La Chaux-de-Fonds (15 minutes contre 28 minutes actuellement) et à introduire une cadence au quart d’heure des trains entre Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds et Le Locle. Elle permettra de doubler la part modale des transports publics dans le canton de Neuchâtel. Ce projet majeur s’inscrit dans la stratégie de pleine complémentarité rail/route Neuchâtel Mobilité 2030 qui a été largement plébiscitée par la population neuchâteloise en 2016.
Nouveau jalon dans la planification de la ligne
Lors d’une conférence de presse vendredi 2 mai 2025 à Cernier, le conseiller d’État neuchâtelois Laurent Favre, le directeur régional des CFF pour la Suisse romande David Fattebert et le responsable suppléant de la Division Infrastructure de l’OFT Christophe Beuret ont fait le point sur l’avancement du projet. L’étude préliminaire terminée, la phase dite d’avant-projet a pu démarrer au printemps 2024. D’une durée estimée à deux ans au total, cette phase doit permettre d’étudier en détail le projet de nouvelle infrastructure et d’en affiner les contours. Le comité de pilotage a d’ores et déjà pris une décision importante, relative à la technique de creuse des deux tronçons en tunnel (tunnel du bas, entre Neuchâtel et Cernier sous Chaumont et tunnel du haut, entre Cernier et La Chaux-de-Fonds sous la Vue-des-Alpes).
La question était de savoir si les deux tunnels devaient être creusés simultanément ou l’un après l’autre, d’abord le tunnel du bas, suivi par celui du haut. Le comité de pilotage a décidé de privilégier cette seconde solution au vu des avantages que présentent les creuses successives. La solution d’un seul point d’attaque permet en particulier de réduire les désagréments pour les riverain-e-s et habitant-e-s du Val-de-Ruz : les zones de chantier prendront moins de place et le transport par camion dans les villages du Val-de-Ruz sera très fortement réduit de quelque 170’000 passages, ce qui a un impact très positif sur la densité de trafic, la sécurité et les émissions de CO2 par rapport à la variante des deux tunnels excavés en même temps.
Selon les estimations actuelles, la creuse échelonnée des deux tunnels coûterait environ 80 millions de francs de moins que l’excavation simultanée. C’est aussi un aspect important, sachant que la maîtrise des coûts demeure un défi. Le projet de ligne directe est devisé à ce stade à un peu plus de 1,3 milliard de francs.
Par la méthode de creuse choisie, la durée des travaux de réalisation de la ligne directe, estimée en automne 2023 entre 7 à 10 ans, est désormais fixée à environ 10 ans. Dès lors, il est possible aujourd’hui d’articuler un horizon de mise en service de la ligne directe à 2041 selon les estimations actuelles. Le Canton de Neuchâtel, l’OFT et les CFF jugent cette adaptation du calendrier de réalisation acceptable car elle est contrebalancée par les avantages escomptés aux niveaux financier, sécuritaire et environnemental.
Poursuite de la phase d’avant-projet
La phase d’avant-projet va se poursuivre jusqu’au printemps 2026. Parmi les points à préciser d’ici là figurent la gestion des matériaux de chantier, ainsi que les mesures nécessaires en lien avec le concept de sauvetage et d’évacuation en cas d’événement sur cette nouvelle ligne ferroviaire. Cette phase sera suivie par le projet de construction et les études d’impact, auxquels succédera la mise à l’enquête publique, prévue pour la fin de cette décennie. Une fois l’autorisation de construire obtenue, les travaux pourront alors débuter. Les communes concernées sont étroitement impliquées et associées dans la suite du processus.
L’aménagement de la nouvelle gare de Cernier, cofinancé par le canton de Neuchâtel, servira de pôle multimodal train-bus pour toute la région. Le canton a lancé un mandat d’étude parallèle pour élaborer une planification directrice pour le pôle de gare de Cernier. Le projet et le nom de l’équipe lauréate seront dévoilés le 19 mai 2025 à 12h sur le site Evologia à Cernier.
Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
Wer kennt das nicht in Duisburg: Anzeige aufgeben, jede Menge E-Mails beantworten, Besichtigungstermine für den Gebrauchtwagen machen – und der Interessent kommt gar nicht erst oder sagt auf den letzten Drücker ab. Oder Sie machen zehn Termine aus, erledigen mit jedem möglichen Käufer eine Probefahrt – und keiner möchte Ihr Auto kaufen oder drückt den Preis extrem nach unten. Wir von Autoankauf-live in Duisburg können diese negativen Erfahrungen vermeiden und stehen Ihnen mit unserer Professionalität, unserer Hilfe und unserem großen Servicepaket zur Verfügung. Und: Wir kaufen jedes Auto.
Großes Gebrauchtwagen-Netzwerk im Ausland
Bislang waren Sie zögerlich, da Ihr Auto längst nicht mehr fahrtüchtig ist, denn nach deutschen Gesetzen ist es nicht mehr verkehrstauglich. Das mag sein, denn in Deutschland und damit auch in Duisburg gelten strenge Gesetze und damit bestimmte Anforderungen, um Ihr Kraftfahrzeug wieder auf die Straße zu bringen. Deshalb trauen Sie sich auch nicht, das Auto zum Verkauf anzubieten, denn es bringt ja doch keinen anständigen Verkaufspreis. Sprechen Sie mit uns von Autoankauf-live Duisburg, denn wir bringen einen großen Vorteil mit: Unser Netzwerk auch außerhalb Deutschlands ist groß genug, um einen Gebrauchtwagen in ein anderes Land zu exportieren, in dem die Gesetze für eine Fahrtauglichkeit weniger streng sind. Ihr Auto ist folglich in anderen Ländern immer noch gut genug für die Straße.
Kontaktformular ausfüllen und an uns senden
Was haben Sie zu tun, um Ihren Gebrauchtwagen, der schon lange die Garage hütet, schnell und unproblematisch zu veräußern? Sie setzen sich zuerst einmal über unsere Webseite https://autoankauf-live.de/autoankauf-duisburg/ per E-Mail oder per Telefon mit uns in Verbindung. Auf der Seite finden Sie unter „Ihre Anfrage“ ein übersichtliches Kontaktformular, das die angeforderten Daten abfragt. Mit einem Klick beim Button „Absenden“ kommt Ihre Anfrage zu uns. Warum sollten Sie das Formular ausfüllen? Ganz einfach: Mit den von Ihnen übermittelten Daten und Ihrer Preisvorstellung kommen wir besser ins Gespräch und klären mit Ihnen, wie realistisch der von Ihnen gewünschte Kaufpreis ist.
Ihre Daten im Kontaktformular
Natürlich müssen wir wissen, um welches Fahrzeug es sich handelt, wenn sie es uns zum Ankauf anbieten. Deshalb werden in dem Formular, das sehr übersichtlich gestaltet ist, verschiedene Daten abgefragt. Dazu gehört neben dem Namen des Verkäufers und seiner Telefonnummer auch alles, was es über das Auto zu sagen gibt: Marke, Modell, Baujahr, Kilometerstand und die Art des Verbrennungsmotors. Natürlich ist es hilfreich, uns mitzuteilen, ob es sich um ein Unfallfahrzeug handelt, es noch für den Straßenverkehr geeignet und zugelassen ist. Auch Zubehör wie Gepäckträger und Winter- oder Sommerreifen können Sie uns nennen.
Wir setzen uns mit Ihnen zeitnah in Verbindung und vereinbaren einen Termin mit Ihnen und Ihrem Auto. Dabei gehen wir natürlich gerne auf Ihre bevorzugte Uhrzeit ein und kommen auch an Ihren Wunschstandort. Schritt 2 ist damit schon erledigt.
Kaufvertrag ohne Sachmängelhaftung
Herrscht Einigkeit beim Kaufpreis, füllen wir in Schritt 3 den Kaufvertrag aus, der übrigens eine Sachmängelhaftung ausschließt. Damit sind Sie auf der sicheren Seite, sollten sich später Mängel zeigen, die beim Kauf nicht sichtbar waren. Sie unterschreiben den Kaufvertrag – und wir nehmen Ihr ehemaliges Auto gleich mit. Auf Wunsch erledigen wir die Formalitäten wie die Abmeldung beim Straßenverkehrsamt und lassen Ihnen die Papiere natürlich zeitnah zukommen.
Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
Die Gesundheitsversorgung in Deutschland verliert an Substanz – strukturell, digital und politisch. In Berlin schließen Apotheken, während Hacker Sicherheitslücken im Herzstück der digitalen Patientenakte aufdecken. Gleichzeitig setzt sich die Reformblockade im Bundesministerium fort. Mutige Apothekerinnen und Apotheker auf dem Land kämpfen gegen den Trend und sichern die Grundversorgung eigeninitiativ. Doch auch Diebstähle, Medikamentenmangel und IT-Ausfälle zeigen, wie verletzlich das System geworden ist. Wer das Gesundheitssystem stabilisieren will, muss jetzt handeln – bevor das Vertrauen endgültig schwindet.
Die Apothekenlandschaft in Deutschland verändert sich grundlegend – und nicht zum Besseren. Besonders deutlich zeigt sich diese Entwicklung in der Hauptstadt Berlin. Dort ist die Zahl der Apotheken im vergangenen Jahr um 31 Betriebsstätten gesunken. Nur noch 687 Apotheken versorgen derzeit eine Bevölkerung von rund 3,8 Millionen Menschen. Das entspricht einer Apothekendichte von lediglich 19 pro 100.000 Einwohner und liegt deutlich unter dem bundesweiten Durchschnitt von 21. Besonders gravierend ist die Situation in Bezirken wie Lichtenberg, wo bereits mehr als 7000 Menschen auf eine einzige Apotheke angewiesen sind. Die Folgen sind längere Wege, Wartezeiten, eingeschränkte Beratungsmöglichkeiten und eine schleichende Entkopplung der Bevölkerung von wohnortnaher Arzneimittelversorgung.
Was sich in Berlin zeigt, ist kein Einzelfall, sondern Ausdruck einer flächendeckenden Verschiebung in der Versorgungsstruktur. Die Ursachen sind vielfältig: wirtschaftlicher Druck, steigende Betriebskosten, stagnierende Honorare, fehlender Nachwuchs und politische Reformstaus. Der Rückzug aus der Fläche trifft vor allem ältere Menschen, pflegebedürftige Patienten und Familien mit Betreuungsaufwand – also genau jene Gruppen, die auf die Apotheke als niedrigschwellige Anlaufstelle angewiesen sind.
Gleichzeitig wächst der digitale Risikodruck. Die elektronische Patientenakte, lange als Symbol für den Fortschritt gefeiert, hat sich in der Startphase als Sicherheitsrisiko erwiesen. Wie nun bekannt wurde, konnten ethische Hacker des Chaos Computer Clubs zentrale Sicherheitsmechanismen umgehen und potenziell auf sensible Gesundheitsdaten zugreifen. Die zuständige Agentur Gematik reagierte mit einer Notfallabschaltung und Prüfmaßnahmen. Bundesgesundheitsminister Karl Lauterbach bestätigte den Vorfall öffentlich. Der Vertrauensschaden ist beträchtlich. Dabei geraten auch Apotheken zunehmend in den Fokus: Als Schnittstelle zwischen Patient, Arzt und System sind sie Teil der digitalen Versorgungskette – doch viele von ihnen sind nicht ausreichend gegen Cyberrisiken abgesichert. Der Abschluss spezieller Cyber- und Vertrauensschadenversicherungen ist bisher keine Selbstverständlichkeit, obwohl die Risiken offensichtlich zunehmen.
Politisch setzt das Gesundheitsministerium derweil auf personelle Stabilisierung. Zwei erfahrene Verwaltungsfachleute haben die operative Leitung im Haus übernommen, um inmitten wachsender Kritik, angespannter Haushaltslage und stockender Reformprozesse Handlungsfähigkeit zu demonstrieren. Doch das politische Klima ist vergiftet. Am Abend des 1. Mai wurde Bundesgesundheitsminister Karl Lauterbach nach einem privaten Kinobesuch in Berlin-Kreuzberg Ziel massiver Anfeindungen. Als er das Kino verließ, geriet er in die Nähe einer linksgerichteten Demonstration, wurde erkannt, beschimpft und als „Faschistenschwein“ tituliert. Videoaufnahmen zeigen, wie Lauterbach nur unter Polizeischutz durch die Menge geführt werden konnte. Der Vorfall verdeutlicht, wie tief die Polarisierung rund um Gesundheitsthemen inzwischen reicht – nicht nur in den Fachdebatten, sondern in der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung insgesamt.
In ländlichen Regionen reagiert man auf die strukturellen Lücken mit pragmatischen Lösungen. So haben sich etwa in Treffurt und Lengenfeld unterm Stein neue Gesundheitsmärkte etabliert. In Zusammenarbeit mit externen Apotheken übernehmen sie zentrale Aufgaben der Arzneimittelversorgung. Sie gelten als Modellprojekte, die zwar keine klassische Apotheke ersetzen, aber eine elementare Grundversorgung sichern können – vor allem dort, wo sich reguläre Apotheken wirtschaftlich nicht mehr halten. In Lengenfeld unterm Stein betreibt die Apothekerin Jessyca Martin seit Jahresbeginn einen solchen Gesundheitsmarkt, der neben der Abgabe von Medikamenten auch Beratung und soziale Nähe bietet. Es ist ein Engagement, das auf Eigeninitiative beruht – nicht auf politischem Plan.
In Othfresen im Landkreis Goslar zeigen zwei junge Apotheker, dass antizyklisches Unternehmertum möglich ist. Bedran Ceylan und Kateryna Bernyk haben die örtliche Berg-Apotheke übernommen und führen sie nun als offene Handelsgesellschaft. Beide kennen sich seit dem Pharmaziestudium, bringen unterschiedliche berufliche Erfahrungen mit – und den Mut, sich in einem schwierigen Marktumfeld selbstständig zu machen. Ihr Schritt steht exemplarisch für eine neue Generation, die trotz widriger Bedingungen Verantwortung übernimmt.
Doch auch aus dem Ausland erreichen Deutschland Signale struktureller Verwundbarkeit. In den Vereinigten Staaten hat ein massiver IT-Ausfall das Kliniksystem empfindlich getroffen. Bei einem Wartungsvorgang der Oracle-Infrastruktur wurde versehentlich eine zentrale Datenbank gelöscht, wodurch 45 Krankenhäuser des Verbunds Community Health Systems gezwungen waren, tagelang auf Papierdokumentation umzusteigen. Die digitale Verwaltung war außer Kraft gesetzt, Abläufe mussten improvisiert werden. Der Vorfall zeigt, dass nicht nur das Design von Software, sondern auch ihre Pflege zur systemrelevanten Aufgabe geworden ist – eine Lehre, die auch deutsche Einrichtungen dringend beherzigen sollten.
Auch im Alltag deutscher Apotheken wächst der Druck. In einer Easy-Apotheke in Bayreuth wurde kürzlich ein professioneller Diebstahlsversuch vereitelt. Zwei Täter hatten es gezielt auf Produkte wie Schwangerschaftstests und Haarwuchsmittel abgesehen, arbeiteten arbeitsteilig und setzten auf Ablenkung. Das Apothekenpersonal reagierte entschlossen und konnte den Schaden verhindern. Der Fall steht exemplarisch für eine zunehmende Bedrohung im Einzelhandel, insbesondere in frei zugänglichen Apotheken mit Selbstbedienungszonen.
Auf der medizinisch-pharmazeutischen Seite rückt eine oft unterschätzte Wechselwirkung in den Fokus: Die langfristige Einnahme von niedrig dosierter Acetylsalicylsäure – bekannt als ASS – kann zu einem Mangel an Vitamin B12 führen. Während der Zusammenhang zwischen Vitamin-B12-Defizit und Medikamenten wie Metformin oder Protonenpumpenhemmern schon länger bekannt ist, zeigt sich nun auch bei ASS ein möglicher Einfluss. Die Substanz wirkt über eine irreversible Hemmung der Cyclooxygenase, wodurch sie die Bildung von Thromboxan A2 unterdrückt – ein Effekt, der bei Patienten mit hohem kardiovaskulärem Risiko therapeutisch erwünscht ist. Doch die dauerhafte Einnahme scheint zugleich die Magenschleimhaut zu beeinträchtigen und die Resorption von Vitamin B12 zu behindern – mit potenziell weitreichenden Folgen, etwa für das Nervensystem älterer Patienten.
Während sich also die strukturellen, digitalen und pharmakologischen Belastungen im Gesundheitswesen verdichten, zeigt sich eine zentrale Erkenntnis: Der bestehende Rahmen trägt nicht mehr. Einzelne Initiativen und persönlicher Einsatz können den Mangel verzögern, aber nicht kompensieren. Ohne einen politischen Kurswechsel droht ein Versorgungsversagen in mehreren Dimensionen zugleich.
Kommentar:
Die deutsche Gesundheitsversorgung steht an einem Kipppunkt, der sich nicht mehr übersehen lässt. Der Rückzug der Apotheken aus der Fläche ist kein schleichender Trend mehr, sondern ein beschleunigter Strukturbruch. Was sich in Berlin verdichtet, gilt längst auch in vielen anderen urbanen und ländlichen Räumen: Apotheken schließen, Versorgungslücken wachsen, und das staatliche System verliert spürbar an Halt. Wenn im Hauptstadtbezirk Lichtenberg über 7000 Menschen auf eine einzige Apotheke angewiesen sind, liegt ein eklatanter Missstand vor, der nicht durch Marktmechanismen kompensiert werden kann. Der viel beschworene Wettbewerb ist in solchen Fällen nicht lösungsfähig, sondern Teil des Problems – weil er kein Interesse an Präsenz in unrentablen Regionen hat.
Parallel zum strukturellen Rückzug offenbart sich eine zweite, ebenso gefährliche Entwicklung: die digitale Verletzlichkeit des Systems. Die kürzlich aufgedeckte Schwachstelle in der elektronischen Patientenakte ist kein Einzelfall, sondern Symptom eines Systems, das digitalisiert wurde, ohne belastbare Sicherheitsinfrastrukturen zu schaffen. Dass ethische Hacker zentrale Schutzmechanismen umgehen konnten, zeigt nicht nur technische, sondern konzeptionelle Defizite. Wer Digitalisierung allein als Prozessoptimierung begreift, verkennt ihre Risiken – gerade in einem hochsensiblen Bereich wie der Gesundheitsversorgung. Die Tatsache, dass Apotheken oft ohne systematische Cyber- und Vertrauensschadenversicherungen operieren, macht die Sache noch brisanter. Es ist eine politische Unterlassung, wenn gerade dort, wo Patientendaten verarbeitet und Arzneimittelrisiken gemanagt werden, kein verpflichtender Schutzstandard etabliert ist.
Die politische Reaktion wirkt hilflos. Im Bundesgesundheitsministerium werden Posten neu besetzt, als ließe sich durch Führungswechsel ein gestörtes System stabilisieren. Doch das eigentliche Problem liegt tiefer: Es ist das systematisch erodierte Vertrauen zwischen Berufsgruppen wie Apothekern und einer Politik, die jahrelang Ankündigungen machte, aber keine nachhaltige Strukturpolitik betrieb. Die aggressive Stimmung auf Demonstrationen, in deren Folge selbst ein Minister wie Karl Lauterbach zur Zielscheibe wird, ist kein legitimer Protest, aber sie verweist auf ein Klima wachsender Entfremdung.
In den ländlichen Regionen reagieren manche Akteure mit bemerkenswerter Eigeninitiative. Gesundheitsmärkte wie in Treffurt oder Lengenfeld unterm Stein sowie antizyklische Apothekengründungen wie in Othfresen zeigen, dass es Engagement gibt – gegen alle Widrigkeiten. Doch es bleibt die Ausnahme. Diese lokalen Rettungsaktionen sind Ausdruck von Verantwortungsbewusstsein, aber keine strukturelle Antwort auf ein Systemversagen. Wer den politischen Kurs allein durch individuelle Lösungen auffängt, überlastet genau jene, die schon jetzt am Limit arbeiten.
Hinzu kommen äußere Störungen, die das System zusätzlich destabilisieren. Professionelle Diebstähle in Apotheken, IT-Ausfälle in Krankenhäusern und langfristige Medikationsprobleme – wie etwa die durch ASS verursachte Beeinträchtigung der Vitamin-B12-Aufnahme – zeigen, wie fragil die Schnittstellen zwischen Versorgungssicherheit, digitaler Infrastruktur und pharmazeutischer Verantwortung geworden sind. Es entsteht der Eindruck eines Systems, das nicht koordiniert gesteuert, sondern fragmentarisch verwaltet wird.
Die eigentliche Leerstelle liegt in der politischen Prioritätensetzung. Es fehlt nicht an Erkenntnissen, sondern an Umsetzung. Versorgungssicherheit darf nicht als Standortdebatte geführt werden, sondern ist zentrale Daseinsvorsorge. Die Digitalisierung muss mit robusten Schutzsystemen verknüpft werden, nicht mit blindem Fortschrittsglauben. Und der Dialog mit den Heilberufen darf nicht als PR-Format behandelt werden, sondern muss auf Augenhöhe und mit ernsthaftem Interesse geführt werden.
Wenn diese Prioritäten nicht neu gesetzt werden, droht das Gesundheitswesen von innen auszuhöhlen. Apotheken sind dabei nur der erste Indikator. Kliniken, Arztpraxen, Pflegeeinrichtungen und digitale Plattformen stehen vor denselben Fragen: Wer trägt die Verantwortung, wenn Strukturen versagen? Wenn die Politik weiter zögert, wird sie nicht nur das Vertrauen der Betroffenen verspielen – sie riskiert, das gesamte System unkontrolliert in die Defensive zu treiben.
Von Engin Günder, Fachjournalist
Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
In Zeiten wachsender wirtschaftlicher Unsicherheiten suchen immer mehr Menschen nach verlässlichen Werten. Physische Edelmetalle stehen dabei hoch im Kurs – insbesondere Silber als oft unterschätzter “kleiner Bruder” von Gold. „Ein Kilo ist immer ein Kilo“, so beschreibt Benedikt Hausler die Besonderheit physischer Edelmetalle. Silber bietet Anlegern nicht nur Schutz vor Inflation, sondern auch ein erhebliches Wertsteigerungspotenzial.
In der vergangenen Ausgabe der Goldshow sprachen Benedikt Hausler und der Schweizer Bankier Rüdiger Götz über die dramatischen Entwicklungen am Silbermarkt und gaben einen exklusiven Einblick in die neuesten Zahlen der renommierten World Silver Survey.
Vier Jahre Defizit – das Pulverfass füllt sich
Der Silbermarkt steht an einem kritischen Wendepunkt. Bereits das vierte Jahr in Folge übersteigt die Nachfrage das Angebot – das Defizit für 2024 liegt bei über 210 Millionen Unzen. Trotz der massiven Unterdeckung zeigt sich der Silberpreis bisher erstaunlich ruhig – ein Zustand, der kaum noch lange stabil bleiben kann.
„Wenn die Lager leer sind, wird der Markt reagieren – und zwar gewaltig“, so der Schweizer Bankier Rüdiger Götz.
Silber – Mehr als nur ein Investment
Silber bietet Anlegern eine seltene Kombination aus Wertspeicher und Wertschöpfungspotenzial. Besonders wichtig für viele: echte physische Werte, keine Papieransprüche. „1 Kilo bleibt 1 Kilo – egal, was auf einem Papier steht“, betont Hausler. Großbanken wie JP Morgan, die für Marktmanipulationen im Bereich Silber bereits hohe Strafzahlungen akzeptiert haben, unterstreichen die Wichtigkeit der Unabhängigkeit physischer Anlagen.
„Wer heute noch auf Papierprodukte setzt, vertraut blind einem System, das längst seine Schwächen offenbart hat“, ergänzt Hausler.
Industrie & Inflation – der doppelte Druck
Silber ist nicht nur ein Edelmetall, sondern ein unverzichtbarer Rohstoff. Besonders der boomende Sektor der Solarenergie fordert jährlich mehr Silber, derzeit etwa 11% der weltweiten Silbernachfrage. Gleichzeitig nagt die Inflation weiter an den Papierwährungen.
„Wer seine Kaufkraft wirklich schützen will, muss jetzt handeln – nicht irgendwann“, mahnt Götz. Silber ist aktuell noch vergleichsweise günstig zu haben, bietet aber ein enormes Aufholpotenzial.
Preisdruck durch Angebotsengpässe
Hinzu kommt: Silber ist in der Primärproduktion oft ein Nebenprodukt der Kupferförderung. Sinkt der Kupferpreis oder werden Minen stillgelegt, sinkt automatisch auch das Silberangebot. Recycling kann diesen Engpass nicht vollständig kompensieren.
„Wenn erst einmal klar wird, dass Silber nicht beliebig vermehrbar ist, werden die Preise durch die Decke gehen“, prognostiziert Hausler.
Die Stunde der Entscheidung naht
Die Fakten sind eindeutig: eine massive Unterdeckung, rückläufige Lagerbestände, steigende industrielle Nachfrage und anhaltender Inflationsdruck. Alles spricht für eine bevorstehende drastische Preisbewegung bei Silber.
„Silber ist wie ein gespanntes Gummiband – je länger es gedehnt wird, desto heftiger der Ausschlag“, beschreibt Götz die aktuelle Marktsituation bildhaft.
Wer jetzt handelt und sich physisches Silber sichert, könnte zu den großen Gewinnern der kommenden Jahre gehören. Denn eines steht fest: Die Uhr tickt.
Kontakt:
Benedikt Hausler – Edelmetallexperte und Partner der Auvesta Edelmetalle AG
Webseite: www.benedikt-hausler.de
E-Mail: service@benedikt-hausler.de
Telefon: +49 8941614979
Weiterführende Informationen und detaillierte Analysen:
Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
Frederick Kempe: Good afternoon to those joining us in our headquarters, our relatively new global headquarters here in Washington today. Good evening to those watching online from Europe and the globe, to everyone joining us from throughout the world. My name is Frederick Kempe. I’m President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, and I’m delighted to welcome you to Atlantic Council Front Days. This is our premier platform for global leaders. And it’s an honor to host today the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Jean-Noël Barrot. Today’s discussion turns our attention to one of the most enduring and consequential bilateral relationships in U.S. history.
In the nearly two and a half centuries since France became the first country to formalize diplomatic relations with the newly born United States. Next year, Mr. Minister, is the anniversary of the revolution here. France became the first country to formalize diplomatic relations with the newly born United States. Since that time, this pillar of the transatlantic relationship has seen moments of triumph and moments of trial. From Lafayette and Washington to the beaches of Normandy, the United States, and France have forged partnership unlike any other based on common values in history. However, this relationship goes beyond just sentiment. At each major inflection point in recent history, our countries have stood together, not just because of friendship, but because of shared interests. And now, facing a war on European soil, basing an unfolding trade war, potentially rapidly evolving technological disruptions, and more, the United States and France must consider how to recalibrate and perhaps how to reinvent its partnership and the broader Atlantic alliance with it in order to achieve our common goals of security, prosperity, and freedom.
As we think through how best to address these challenges, we are delighted to welcome Minister Barrot for today’s event and on the occasion of his first visit to the United States in his current role. The Minister has held numerous positions in the French government, including most recently Minister Delegate for Europe and then Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs, making him well-placed to share the French perspective on the political dynamics at the EU level as well as critical issues of digital and tech policy, and it may help in these times also to be a policy. Minister, welcome to the Atlantic Council. Before we begin let me just say to our audience that we will be taking questions. First, the Minister will make some opening comments Then I will join him on the stage and ask a few questions and then turn to the audience for questions. For those in person, we’ll have a microphone to pass around. For those online, please go to askac.org, askac.org to send your question in virtually. Minister Barrot, it’s always a pleasure to have someone speak at the end of meetings in Washington instead of the beginning of the meetings in Washington. So we look very much forward to your attention.
Jean-Noël Barrot : Thank you very much, Mr. President. Hello, everyone. One week from now, on May 8th, we mark an important anniversary, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. This was the starting point of an extraordinary endeavor, a formidable building, a building of rule-based international order, a building of multilateralism. Who was the architect of this formidable building? Well, the architect of this building were the United States of America. They did not do this out of charity. They did this as out of enlightened self-interest. They collected substantial dividends from multilateralism throughout the eight decades that have just passed by. The dividends of multilateralism. Think about security. Thanks to the nonproliferation treaty, we collectively have avoided a raise to the nuclear bomb that would have caused so much instability and raised the cost of defense for all our countries.
NATO has allowed the US, alongside its European partners, to ensure security in the North Atlantic, but also to offer major investment opportunities for its defense industry. Think about trade. WTO has allowed the US economy to grow, has allowed US services to thrive, digital services, financial services around the world. Think about currency. The Bretton Woods framework has made the dollar a global reserve currency. What does it mean to be a global reserve currency? It means that everyone wants to hold it. So that the yields on your treasury bonds are the lowest on earth. And even more than that, when there is a crisis, even when there is a crisis in the US, people rush to buy your treasury bonds, and the cost of borrowing goes down. This exorbitant privilege, as a French president coined it, is part of the dividends of multilateralism that the US brought to the world and that they also benefited from.
This formidable building, the building of multilateralism, was designed 80 years ago for a unipolar world, where a benevolent hegemon, the United States of America, was the guarantor of rule-based international order. A world in which US leadership was unchallenged, untested. But eight years later, indeed, the world has changed. It has become multipolar, US leadership is challenged, And sometimes multilateralism seems powerless or unfit for power. And therefore, and gradually, a temptation arises for the US to perhaps let go of multilateralism, quit multilateralism, to pull back, to restrain it. This is our choice that belongs to the American people. But this would be a major shift, a major shift for the US, who would not be able to collect the dividends of multilateralism any longer, a major shift for the world, because the multilateralism will survive whether or not the US quits multilateralism. And so someone will fill the void starting with China, which was already getting ready to step up and to become the new hegemon of this new era of multilateralism, in the case where the US would decide to let them play this role.
Now there is another route, there is an alternative route. Rather than quitting multilateralism, reshaping it, adjusting it, making it fit for the 21st century. The first step, and this is a difficult step, is accepting to share the power. in order not to lose it altogether. This means reforming the UN and its Security Council, reforming the financial infrastructure to make space for big emerging countries and share the burden with them, but also hold them responsible because they have part of the burden to share in handling the global issues and challenges. The second step when building multilateral for a multipolar world is to be ready to build coalitions of the willing to overcome obstruction in multilateral forum like the UN Security Council when they arise. It’s not because something won’t happen at the UN, at the IMF, or the World Bank, that you cannot design a coalition of the willing with willing and able countries in order to overcome this obstruction. This is the new era of multilateralism. This is the route that Europe is willing to take and that Europe is hoping to take alongside the United States of America.
One week from now, we’ll celebrate another anniversary, not on May 8th, but on May 9th, the 75th anniversary of the birth of Europe. On May 9th of 1950, my distant predecessor, Robert Schuman, woke up in a country, France, that was five years past World War II, where tensions were rising with the neighbor and rival, Germany. Germany was recovering from the war faster than France was. And so what was the tendency in Paris on that day, in that year? Well, the tendency was protectionism, was raising tariffs, raising barriers to prevent Germans from thriving and fully recovered. And so Robert Schuman, as he was heading to the Council of Ministers, he had this crazy idea in mind to put in common steel and coal across France and Germany, swimming against the tide to favor cooperation over confrontation. At the Council of Ministers, he barely mentioned his initiative for his prime minister not to prevent him from announcing it. And at 6 p.m., in a one-minute and 30-second speech, he made this unilateral offer to create the European steel and coal community and make the foundation of a multilateral, cooperative European Union. So you see, when times are hard, and when the tendency is to restrain, pull back, raise barriers, Those visionary men that brought us prosperity and that brought us peace in the European continent, they swung against the tide and offered innovative models for cooperation. So let us find inspiration in the great work of these visionary people. Thank you very much.
Frederick Kempe : I feel that was a very important statement and I’m gonna start with that. You see by the audience and standing room only that there was a lot of interest in this conversation and what you had to say : 75th anniversary of the birth of Europe, the 80th anniversary of the E.A., all next weekend, we’re calling attention to that. And it seemed really to be a call to your American allies and to the current administration to stay the course on multilateralism and transatlantic engagement, et cetera. So, A, do you intend to do that? And it’s no accident that no one in this audience who’s following the news, everyone knows that there are doubts right now in the transatlantic stream. Not all of them do I share, but I just wonder if you could give us a little bit more of the context of your statement.
Jean-Noël Barrot : Well, we deeply care about the world-based international model of multilateralism. So I spent two days in New York at the Security Council as we were wrapping up our presence. You know, 15 members of the Security Council, they get one month’s presidency every 15 months. And so we try and make the most of your months-long presence. And to give you a sense of what our commitment is, I am, we are very committed to the three fundamental missions of the United Nations, peace and security, human rights, sustainable development. That’s why we had three bottom security meetings, Ukraine, Middle East, but also non-proliferation, in a closed-door Security Council meeting that was on proliferation. that was first convened in 15 years, or last convened in 15 years, 15 years ago. On human rights, we brought together, mentioning coalitions of the wing, international humanitarian law is under attack, let’s say. And we brought together countries from all around the world, east, south, west, and north, in a coalition of the willing to support politically and better implement in practice the rules of international humanitarian law. And then third, on sustainable development, we took this opportunity to bring together the countries that are the most committed, like we are, to the preservation of oceans, 40 days ahead of the third United Nations Conference on Oceans that will take place in Nice, south of France, and that is aimed to be the equivalent for ocean as what the Paris Accord has been for carbon emissions. So we’re very ambitious with this event as many countries as possible to rally some of the key deliverables of these countries. And so I decided I would spend some time at the UN talking about that.
So we think this is the right way to go, adjusting multilateralism to make it more efficient in the multi-border world that we’re living in. And I hear that the new leadership in the US is considering what its course of action is going to be. And I think amongst friends that are actually oldest friends, we owe each other an honest discussion on what we see our common interest to be. And I think that was the sense of my introductory remarks. Thank you so much.
Frederick Kempe : And I think you’ve seen a signal of commitment today, I think, toward the United Nations with the nomination of National Security Advisor Mike Walz to be the UN ambassador, so also an interesting piece of news. Speaking of news, you have had meetings here. We do have media, French, US, other here, and I wonder whether you could tell us your perspective on what do you take away from the conversations, Secretary Rubio, others, anything specific that we can take away from that? And then in that context, as you’re looking at what your greatest challenges are, what were the priorities in your conversations with U.S. leadership?
Jean-Noël Barrot : Well, I mentioned the 9th of May and 75th anniversary of this declaration by Robert Truman. This year will be Ukraine, because I think a very important, significant chunk of our future, and I’m not talking about the future of Europeans only, depends on how this war of aggression is going to end. So we’ll be with my fellow European ministers of foreign affairs there to express our support to Ukraine and our willingness for this war to end in accordance with the UN Charter international rule. So that was clearly an important topic that I discussed with the US leadership at the State Department as well as Capitol Hill. But we also discussed Middle East, where France and the US have been leading the efforts to put an end to the war that was basically destroying Lebanon eight months ago. We managed to broker a ceasefire five months ago to monitor the ceasefire through a joint mechanism. We managed to bring the conditions for the end of the political crisis with the election of President Joseph Aoun. that then appointed the government, that is now at work trying to implement reforms that are long due in Lebanon. And we want to do the same thing, same food for cooperation in Syria, where this, after overturning the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, there is an opportunity to build a strong sovereign country that will be a source of stability rather than instability for the region. I cannot let aside Gaza and the Israel-Palestinian conflict, where again, we converge on the necessity to bring back stability and peace to the region. We have praised the Arab accord logic, and we’re working in the same direction, bringing peace to the region. Muslim and Arabic countries in the region and Israel towards security architecture that would ensure the security of all peace and stability. We also discussed Africa, where the U.S. made a breakthrough in handling or in sort of moving towards a cessation of hostilities in the Great Lakes regions in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the second worst humanitarian crisis is happening right now. This is good. And after they were received or they were hosted by the Department of State, a few days ago, the DRC and Rwanda gathered in Qatar with France and with the United States. So as you can see, some of the major, major issues, major crises. France and the U.S. are working together in order to find the right solution. Sometimes it isn’t we. Sometimes we don’t start from the same point, but look at Lebanon. It’s because of our complementarity, because of different history in the region, because of the different nature of our partnership, relationship, friendship with the stakeholders of that crisis that we were able.
Frederick Kempe : Thank you for that answer. Let’s start with Ukraine. News yesterday about critical minerals deal with Ukraine almost more interested in the political side of this than the economic side of this. Talking to Ukrainian officials over the last few months, they’ve been concerned that the U.S. gone more from being an actual partner of Ukraine in trying to counter Russian threat and the Russian attack, and more of an arbitrator, more of a moderator. This critical mineral deal, if you read the language of it, suggests a little bit of a change of direction. And I just wonder, and that is an area where France and the U.S. have not always been entirely singing from the same song sheet. What did you hear during your trip there? How do you assess this new agreement and its political meaning?
Jean-Noël Barrot : Well, I think it’s a very good agreement. I think it’s a very good agreement for Ukraine and also for the U.S. But I also think that it tells us something very important about what’s happening right now. Let’s go back to the Oval Office when President Zelensky was there. What was the expectation by President Trump with respect to Ukraine? Well, actually, there were two expectations. Ceasefire and sign of a new deal. Since then, on March 9, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine accepted a comprehensive ceasefire. And yesterday night, they agreed to a mineral deal with the United States of America. They’ve done their part of the job. They’ve walked their part of the talk. But in the meantime, we haven’t seen Vladimir Putin send any signal, any sign of his willingness to comply with the requests of President Trump, to the very contrary. So let’s face it, right now, the main obstacle to peace is Vladimir Putin. So what I found very interesting in my meetings here in Washington is the efforts, the commendable efforts by Senator Lindsey Graham, who put together a massive package of sanctions that he collected bipartisan support for, with almost 70 senators now signing the bill which is aimed at threatening Russia into accepting a ceasefire, or else those sanctions will apply. And here again, we agree that we will try to coordinate because we, Europeans, are in the process of putting together the 17th sanction package that we are going to try, on substance and timing, to coordinate with Senator Graham’s own package. That was, perhaps, a bit of a long answer. But in summary, it’s good news that this deal was struck. It’s good news that the US, and I heard Secretary Besant express what he had in mind, the US was considering deep economic cooperation with Ukraine. It goes in the right direction. It’s the right course that they should, that should be taken.
Frederick Kempe : And Secretary Bessent also said this is meant to be a signal to Putin. You see this as well.
Jean-Noël Barrot : Yeah, put together this deal. The package by Lindsey Graham, who last time I checked is not a political adversary of President Trump, as well as the pressure that Europe is building up on Russia. And you get, the sense of the variant, it’s now basically Putin’s fault if we don’t yet have a ceasefire in the world.
Frederick Kempe : So in recent discussions with US envoy Steve Witkoff, what divergences existed between France and the United States? And how do you hope to close those divergences? I guess part of this has to do with European troops, American backstop, but it also gets to the conditions behind a peace deal.
Jean-Noël Barrot : If Ukraine was to capitulate, this would have long-lasting, wide-ranging consequences for the entire world. because it would basically replace rule-based international order by the law of the strongest. It would create massive incentives for countries around the world that that have border issues with their neighbors to consider that they can invade, that they can use military threats or force to obtain territorial concessions. This would be major, and this would be very costly for all of us, at least for responsible powers like the US and France that tend to get involved when there are issues around the world. When we would see issues exploding all around, it would be a major threat. In addition to that, should Ukraine capitulate after Ukraine has agreed to let go of its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees. This will send the signal that the only ultimate security guarantee is the possession of nuclear weapons. And there we have a nuclear proliferation crisis, which again raises global instability at levels that we haven’t seen for the past 80 years, and will increase the cost massively of security in the US, security in Europe. And I think this view is shared between the U.S. and France. But of course, there is one difference between the perspective of the U.S. and the European perspective of this crisis, which is that our own security is at stake because we are neighbors of Russia or because we don’t want to be neighbors of this Russia that is now spending 40% of its budget on its military spending, 10% of its GDP, that just conscribed 160,000 additional soldiers, the largest conscription in 14 years. I’ve heard many, many times Russia say that they don’t want NATO at their borders. Well, we don’t want this Russia at our borders either. And that’s why we are so serious about what’s happening and about how the war will end. And that’s why we’ve been insisting so much about the security guarantees. And I think our message went through. And I think the US are counting on us to build the security arrangements such that when the peace deal is struck, that we can provide those security arrangements in order for the peace to be lasting and durable. But I think it’s well understood, and I’ve heard President Trump, but also officials from the US, clearly saying that of course they want this peace to be lasting, and of course this means that there is security guarantee.
Frederick Kempe : And can it work without an American backstop where you’re getting closer to a conversation about that? Or, alternatively, is this critical minerals deal a security guarantee in a different form?
Jean-Noël Barrot : So you should put things in two perspectives. We have been supporters of the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. Namely, we said that we were open to extend an invitation, a NATO invitation to Ukraine. We understand that NATO members, not all NATO members, agree with our view, so we have to find an alternative path. The sense of this coalition of the able of the willing that France and the UK has been putting together in order to design those security arrangements. This is ongoing work. This starts with making the Ukrainian army strong enough to be able to deter any further aggression by Russia, but it also very likely means some form of military capacity as a second layer of sanction or guarantee. When those detailed discussions will have been wrapped up, they’re currently ongoing, it will appear whether or not and how much any contribution or backstop by the US is needed. It’s possible that it is needed. Why? Well, because as far as Europeans are concerned, we’ve been working. We’ve been working and planning for our defense. It’s a little bit different for France, the UK, and Poland. But for the rest of European armies, we’ve been working within NATO. So if you’re going to work on a security arrangement outside of NATO framework, then at some point, you might need some kind of NATO-like enablers or make items that are going to make sure that the security arrangements are robust. But that being said, in the same way, do we understand that the US have decided that they will likely reduce their commitment to. We also understand that they are counting on us to bear the burden of providing the security arrangements. But we also need to be honest with them once we’ve done our homework. If there are pieces of these security arrangements that cannot be found outside of US contribution, we’ll just be honest.
Frederick Kempe : Thank you so much. The one thing you didn’t mention in your opening comments is you didn’t talk about tariffs. You knew I was going to say that. And I wondered if it came up at all in your discussions. And also, I wonder if you could talk a little bit about what this 90-day pause gives a potential for an agreement. What sort of agreement can you imagine, or what is the direction of agreement with the European Union and the United States? How concerned are you about the tariffs driving a more lasting wedge across the Atlantic?
Jean-Noël Barrot : Well, the good thing when you’re a foreign minister or an FF minister from France is that you’re not in France working tariffs. That being said, you’re allowed to have your own view on things. And indeed, as an economist, I have to say, otherwise I would be a traitor to my profession, that tariffs are not a good idea. President Trump wants to bring jobs back to America, and this is a perfectly legitimate ambition. In fact, we have the same in Europe. We want to bring jobs back to Europe. But tariffs are probably not the best way to achieve this objective. Tariffs are a tax on our economy. It’s a tax on the middle class. And it will make us Europeans, as well as Americans, poor. We do have research on what happened during the last trade war, the 2018 trade war. What happened? Well, the effect on the economy on this side of the Atlantic was limited. It’s basically a $7 billion loss, $7 billion loss on the economy. That’s not big. But it led to a massive transfer from the US consumer, middle class, of $50 billion. So the loss for the US consumer of $50 billion transferred to producers, $9 billion, to the government, $35 billion. And the rest is what’s lost for the US economy. So it’s a mild loss. But it’s a massive transfer from the US consumers to the US government. That’s what happened last time around. And those numbers are small because the trade war at the time was very big. Multiply this by 10. And you’ll get the kind of effects that you’re going to see on European economies, U.S. economies, and so on. So our hope is to reach the same type of outcome that we got the last time around. The U.S. retaliated, we retaliated, and then at some point we suspended those who lifted those tariffs. It was not the same administration that did it, but still, those tariffs were lifted. And I really hope that we get to this objective because, again, we’re very closely intertwined economies, so we have a lot to lose, but we have major rivals, adversaries, competitors that are going to benefit massively from this framework if we sort of choose confrontation over cooperation.
Frederick Kempe : So let me ask one more follow-up there, and then I’ll go to the audience. On the tariffs, didn’t you raise this issue when you were here, when you are the foreign minister, but it is a political as well as an economic issue. And did you get any indications of what direction ?
Jean-Noël Barrot : Well, the good thing about being Marco Rubio is that you’re not in charge of terrorists either. But when we met in NATO, I told him that if there was only one positive aspect of those tariffs, is that by lowering GDPs, it would allow us to reach our NATO targets.
First question from an author and journalist : We see re-entering a phase, a new intensive phase of big power rivalry with the United States retreating from security commitments in Europe, Russian military militarizing its society and having designs on other neighbors besides Ukraine and China seeking economic domination of the world. President Macron has spoken often about the need for Europe to achieve greater strategic autonomy. Do you think Europe should seek to constitute a fourth bloc, even at the risk of putting greater space with its principal ally, the United States? And a quick follow-up, you spoke about the need to share power in a multilateral context. In terms of UN Security Council reform, is France prepared to fold its seat into the European Union presence, or would you also agree to the idea of expanding the Security Council to have 10 to 12 nations? Thank you.
Jean-Noël Barrot : So you mentioned Russia. You mentioned the four months. That was your first question. I wouldn’t go Russia a block. Russia has a GDP that is 20 times smaller than the EU. I wouldn’t call that a block. Russia is a big country geographically. It is one of the winning nations of the Second World War. So, there are a number of consequences coming with that, including the permanent seat of the Security Council. But I wouldn’t call Russia a block. And we don’t see ourselves, when we speak about strategic autonomy, we don’t see ourselves as entering into a logic of blocks or spheres of influence and stuff like that. We remain committed to multilateralism, rule-based international world order, balance. The only thing is that in a more brutal world, if you want to be heard and be respected, when you’re upholding the values that Europe and the EU upholding, freedom, democracy, free speech and so on, you’re going to need to be much stronger, much less dependent on other regions. And so we see our strategic autonomy as a way to defend the model, which is an open model, which is a balanced model, which is a multilateral model of governance for the world. And we see a lot of appetite for this approach, because since those trade wars started, we cannot count the number of countries that are knocking at EU’s door to strike a trade deal or even to become a candidate. And it’s not only Iceland and Norway that seem to be interested. I heard that on this side of the Atlantic, there are people considering. And you know that there is one geographical criteria. But I just want to mention that even though it’s a very, very, very, very tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, no one lives there. I think it’s like 20 meters long. But this island is split between Canada and Denmark, which gives Canada an actual border with the European Union. And the second question is about… I went quickly because I was told that we should not be long in the introduction of those conversations, but I really think that if we want to adjust those institutions, Security Council and so on, To the new era, we need to accept that others have grown over the past 18 years and they need to be represented, but they also need to take their responsibility. Some of them are no longer developing countries. They are actual major economies, major powers. So they should have a seat at the table, but they should also behave as major powers. So what’s our position? Our position is a permanent seat of the Security Council for India, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and two African countries with all associated priorities. This is what we want for the reform of the Security Council. But we also want the same kind of thing to happen with international financial institutions. And this is the spirit of what President Macron has called the Paris Act, or the Act for the People and the Planet, where the ideal is reform. No country in the south should have to choose between fighting against poverty and fighting against climate change. So it should be more balanced, more equal, equitable funding for southern countries. But those emerging countries from the South that are now developed economies should also bear their responsibilities with respect to the least developed countries, the poorest countries. Because right now, some of them are sort of bunching with the least advanced countries sort of take their responsibility with respect to the poor countries. So that’s the spirit in which we’re pushing. And in fact, I had a meeting dedicated to security council reform on Monday in New York with some of the African countries that were working on it.
Frederick Kempe : Thank you for that good answer. While we’re open, we’ve got a lot of questions now. I saw this gentleman first. and then we’ll go, I’ll figure it out, we’ll figure it out. Anyone here that wants to, there we go, that’s what I’m gonna do next. There we go, please.
Second question : In context with President Macron’s call to Prime Minister Modi of India in solidarity after the terror attack in Palgakush, India, do you see a justifiable response by India against this attack as another roadblock to ensuring the India-Middle East Corridor gets off the ground. Of course, it was set back after the Israel-Hamas war. And did that conversation come up in your discussion with Secretary Rubio today? And if not, then what do we need to do collectively as the international community to make sure this gets off the ground?
Jean-Noël Barrot : Thank you, so President Macron has been in touch with Prime Minister Modi, I have been in touch two times with my fellow foreign minister from India. We expressed solidarity. We hope tensions not to escalate and I heard Secretary Rubio call Pakistan to formally recognize the terrorist nature of this attack and to condemn it in the strongest possible way. And I would happily join this call to Pakistan to recognize the terrorist nature of what happened. And we’ll keep in touch with Marco Rubio, but also with my fellow minister David Lamb from Great Britain, UK, and my Indian colleague, in order to ensure or to try and avoid procrastination in the region.
Third question : Good afternoon, journalist from the French newspaper Le Monde. I have two questions, the first one regarding security guarantees for Ukraine. For months, France supported the idea of the deployment of some international monitoring force in Ukraine, but with a very strong American security guarantees. The Trump administration doesn’t seem to see eye to eye on this. They’re not inclined to offer any sort of serious security guarantees, so what’s the plan B? Have you given up on this two-fold idea or not? And the second question regarding Iran, there are currently very important discussions between the Trump administration directly and indirect with the Iranian representatives. For a very long time, France was in favor of putting on the table as well with Iran the ballistic issue. It doesn’t seem the case at all right now. The Trump administration is basically considering a sort of GCPOA revisited or maybe an interim agreement. So what’s your view exactly on the current discussions? Thank you.
Jean-Noël Barrot : So on the first question, let me just clarify, because I think it’s important that everyone gets this right. There are two things. First, there is a ceasefire, and a ceasefire needs to be monitored. And the coalition of the able and willing put together by France and the UK have been working on proposals so that at the minute the ceasefire is broken, that the US have in their hands, because there will be that sort of origins of the ceasefire, solutions for this ceasefire to be monitored. And this might involve some European capacity just to check what’s happening in the line of contact and to be able to attribute violations. So that’s one thing. But the ceasefire is only one step towards what’s our end goal, which is a full-fledged peace treaty or peace agreement. This peace agreement that the Ukrainians and Russians will be discussing, but that was President Trump’s intuition, this discussion cannot happen while the war is happening in Ukraine. That’s why he did a ceasefire for the discussion. It will end up with discussions on territories and a discussion on security. And with the same question of the coalition of willing, we’re working on this second piece, which is security guarantee. But security guarantee has nothing to do with monitoring the ceasefire. Security guarantee is deterrence against any further aggression. How do you do that? As I was saying earlier, the first layer is to porcupine the Ukrainian army for it to be deterrent enough for anyone to try and invade. But then you probably have other layers, so military capacity deployed in Ukraine or around Ukraine, and that’s what we’re working on, and when the moment is right, we get to the Americans and ask them or tell them what is it we need for this security guarantee. And we’re working on this, and we’re confident, and again, as I was saying, I’ve heard President Trump in several occasions speak in a way that shows that he understands the importance of the security terms. And then on Iran, a very important topic that I should have mentioned in response to your first question, Mr. President, because this is a topic in which we’ve been coordinating with Marco Rubio from day one. We are supporting, encouraging the discussion that the U.S. opened with Iran. Why? Because Iran is posing a major threat to our security interests. Because we France, Marseille are within reach. And because our partners, close partners, in the region are also within reach. So we are very serious about this question. But we believe that there is no other route, no other path, and a diplomatic path to solve this issue. That there is no military solution to this issue and that any form of military attempt to solve this issue will have very large costs that we would not like to bear. So, in order for this discussion to be as successful as possible, we’ve been coordinating with the US on a substance and timing. substance because our teams have been working for the last few months ahead from the expiration of the GCP area, the nuclear agreement that was struck 10 years ago and that is expiring in the fall. So we were getting ready for this expiration a clear idea of indeed what might be a robust and protected field for us, and this would include indeed some of the ballistic components, but also the regional activities components. And the substance is sort of at the disposal of U.S. negotiators because it’s for free and there is no copyright. But we’re also coordinated on timing because we will not hesitate to reapply all the sanctions that we lifted in 10 years ago when GCPOA was struck. In the case where the IAEA confirms that Iran has violated its obligations under GCPOA, and if it happens that by the summer we will have a protected frontier that is sufficiently protected of our security interests.
Frederick Kempe : So this has got to be the last question. I really apologize to others, but I saw that gentleman’s hand approach right through the middle. So, no, no. Yes, thank you. Yes. Thank you.
Last question from a student from Sciences Po : I’d like to know what’s your opinion what’s your take on how france will balance its relationship with the U.S. and at the same time with China in light of the fact that France needs new partners and also in light of the fact that President Trump openly asked European leaders to direct ties with the PRC. Thank you.
Frederick Kempe : And since this is the last question, let me add to it on the terror front because You know, in your conversations here, and you’ve spoken before about the relationship between the European Union and China on the trade front, does this terror policy drive Europe more into the hands of trade and economic relationships with China? And if you believe that, have you said that to your interlocutors here watching during your visit?
Jean-Noël Barrot : I mean, it’s obvious, no? Whether you want it or not, look at one and read economic research. The numbers I quoted earlier are from a paper in the Portal Reform of Economics called the Returns to Protection. It’s the last paper on the 2018 trade war, last economic paper, research paper. But anyway, I will tell you that what happened last time is that during the 2018 trade war, it’s not like suddenly factories moved from one country to another. It was a reshuffling of international trade. So you’re going to see a lot of reshuffling. You mentioned, or you recall what I said, on China and filling the void. Listen to Chinese officials’ speeches now. And again, we take all of this with lots of grains of salt, but my colleague, Wang Li, now in all his speeches, he’s saying how much he cares about multilateralism. And I’m sure… No, seriously. And he will, I mean, I’m pretty sure that they will consider filling the void at the World Health Organization. I’m pretty sure that they will, anytime they will see some pullback, they will try to step in. Because they have two, there are two possible strategies. Either the U.S. are there, filling the void, then they will try to build sort of formats outside of the established formats that we’ve seen them do or they will see U.S. pull back and they will try fill the void. Now, what’s our relationship with China? As far as Europe is concerned. Again, we’re lucid. We’re not blind. And so we think there can be a trade agenda with China. So that’s some of the issues that we’ve are sold, which is not quite the case now. We’ve also had our trade war with China these past few years, with us sanctioning Chinese EVs and then sanctioning European cognac and armagnac. So this is dear to our hearts. And of course, it’s going to be difficult to engage into a natural trade agenda until those sort of contentious issues are solved. Then we can. But of course, our discussion cannot only touch upon trade. And when China is supporting Russia’s war on Russia, when China is on the side of DPRK, on the side of Iran, proliferating countries that are threatening this non-proliferation treaty and sort of the global stability, it’s difficult to build trust. If China was to establish a sort of trusted relationship with European countries, it will have to show also that it takes our security interests into account. Otherwise, it might be challenging.
Frederick Kempe : Thank you. Do you have your answer? Yes, Fred, thank you. So, look, this, Minister Barrot, on behalf of the audience, on behalf of the Atlantic Council, thank you for three things. First of all, for your visit to the United States, a very timely visit, a very crucial moment. Second of all, for taking so much time with us at the Atlantic Council and talking so frankly and clearly in your opening statement and in this fascinating engagement, and then most of all for our enduring alliance. Thank you so much.
Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
Die Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) Ostwürttemberg spricht sich entschieden gegen eine Aufteilung der einheitlichen deutschen Stromgebotszone aus. Diese Maßnahme, die im Rahmen des aktuellen Bidding Zone Review (BZR) von europäischer Seite vorgeschlagen wird, könnte gravierende Folgen für die regionale Wirtschaft haben.
IHK-Hauptgeschäftsführer Thilo Rentschler erklärt: „Unsere Region ist geprägt von großen Industriebetrieben sowie gleichermaßen mittelständischen, exportorientierten Unternehmen, insbesondere im Maschinenbau, in der Automobilzulieferindustrie und der Metallverarbeitung. Alle diese Betriebe sind auf wettbewerbsfähige Energiepreise angewiesen. Eine Aufspaltung der Strompreiszone würde Investitionen gefährden, die internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit unserer Unternehmen schwächen und Produktionsverlagerungen ins Ausland begünstigen – mit langfristigen Folgen vor allem für die Industrie-Arbeitsplätze in der Region.“
Risiken einer Aufteilung der Stromgebotszone
Eine Aufteilung der Stromgebotszone würde zu steigenden Stromkosten führen, die die Unternehmen stark belasten würden. Dies hätte mehrere negative Auswirkungen:
Stabile Rahmenbedingungen für die Energiewende
Die Energiewende und die Transformation des Energiesystems benötigen stabile und planbare Rahmenbedingungen. Zusätzliche Unsicherheiten durch eine Aufteilung der Stromgebotszone würden diesen Prozess erheblich erschweren.
Die IHK Ostwürttemberg fordert den Erhalt der einheitlichen deutschen Strompreiszone und einen beschleunigten Netzausbau, um Strukturbrüche zu vermeiden.