Even though an important provider of machinery, with merely 4.1% of the world’s wind turbine installations itself, Germany is only a small player on the global market. Continue →

After the catastrophic events in the wake of Fukushima’s nuclear disaster, which shook Germany’s anti-atomic movement to new heights, RWE remains content on its energy strategy.

When the headlines of Japan’s nuclear accident hit Germany’s newsstands just over a month ago, the previously considerably diminished anti-nuclear movement immediately recovered to the full scale protest it was during the years following the Chernobyl disaster. With a now clear majority opposing nuclear power as an energy source, the government decided to issue an immediate shut down of a number of nuclear power plants – amongst them several owned by energy-giant RWE. While most energy suppliers complied politely, RWE decided to take a stand and is currently in the process of appealing the governmental decision on the grounds that it is not based on factual evidence, which would be the requirement set in the current laws regulating nuclear power.

Gaining most of it’s energy supply from coal and nuclear energy, RWE is in for hard times. In the light of the public opinion regarding nuclear fission power plants, the appeal was a controversial move at best – politicians criticized RWE’s decision as “clinging to antiquated technologies like coal power and nuclear energy”, while protesters gathered outside the recent shareholders’ meeting.

The current situation therefore requires further thought as to why RWE is taking the stance that it is: The company is Europe’s biggest producer of CO2, stemming from their continued use of coal power plants. Beginning in 2013, energy producers have to purchase CO2 certificates for their emissions – which will lead to RWE’s profits being reduced by around 1.5 billion €. Almost 50% of the company’s emission free production was based in the now deactivated nuclear power plants. As it stands now, the company has little choice but appeal the decision, lest it wants its profits to diminish considerably.

Meanwhile, RWE is facing massive protests even in its own ranks – at today’s shareholders’ meeting, several shareholders have announced that they will take a stand against nuclear power while still remaining with the company. It remains to be seen how the majority shareholders will decided the company’s future – at least when it comes to PR, RWE will doubtlessly have to be creative to solve their current crisis: Simply yielding to the government’s decision will lead to huge losses for the company, whereas being regarded as a “nuclear dinosaur” may prove just as bad.

A curious case stirs the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht): A Muslim employee refuses to stack beer – referencing religious freedom. The court agrees in its recent decision. The proceeding now goes into a new round.

According to the court, people of Muslim faith may refuse to handle liquor and other alcoholic beverages on grounds of their religious beliefs. This refusal may not be the reason to release the worker. Instead, the employer must take all reasonable steps to provide suitable alternative work within the company. Continue →

Defense Minister Karl-Theordor zu Guttenberg is facing allegations of plagiarism for his dissertation. According to German magazine “Der Spiegel”, Guttenberg commissioned a study on the relation of god to the American constitution at the academic council of the German parilament (Bundestag) and then proceeded to include the resulting paper almost entirely in his dissertation - even though members of parliament are only allowed to use the academic council for their official functions. On friday, the former minister of economic affairs admitted having made mistakes in regards to the plagiarism allegations and apologized in a public statement. Guttenberg has chosen to not use his PhD until the investigations by his former university have concluded.

Meanwhile, chancelor Angela Merkel has stuck to her defense minister: “She has full confidence in the defense minister”, said government speaker Steffen Seibert at a press conference on monday. He also extended this trust on behalf of the entire cabinet. Meanwhile, several members of the cabinet have expressed the notion that Guttenberg is indeed a fine defense minister, and that these allegations do not make him any less suitable for the job.

In a guest commentary in German trade newspaper “Handelsblatt” published on January 28th., German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth; Kristina Schröder has announced a plan for more women in leading positions in business.

The core of this multi step plan is to be constituted by a provisional obligation for self-regulation which would force enterprises over a certain threshold of employees to implement a woman’s quota in their business and publish the numbers of this quota. Continue →

At it’s annual stockholders meeting on January 25th, Siemens stockholders decided to cut the bonuses for board members and keep their pay on a fixed level. According to the evaluation of the chairman of the advisory board, Gerhard Cromme, this would facilitate a more independant board, and grant a further improvement of the checks and balances system. He further pointed out that the amount of work and the risk of legal liability for board members has increased tremendously over the last decade. Continue →

Germany may just be on its way to a devestating blow in agricultural exports. After toxic dioxin had been found in eggs and other chicken products just a few weeks ago, the repercussions may be dire. The state attorneys office is currently investigating several bird feed producers under the suspicion that the toxic substances had not, as theorized earlier, contaminated the food supplies by accident, but rather by a planned Continue →

More than 23.500 tax evaders have voluntarily disclosed having evaded taxes to the fiscal authorities over the course of the last year.

On December, 24th 2010 newspaper „Die Welt“ quoted a poll with the Ministry of Finance and the regional tax offices of the federal states indicating that Baden-Württemberg alone received an impressive number of 7.409 self-reportings. Continue →

Companies operating in more than one Member State in the European Union still have to face various tax obstacles.

The European Commission believes that these obstacles can only be overcome in a systematic way by providing companies with a consolidated corporate tax base for their EU-wide activities.

Amongst others, the Commission´s Directorate-General responsible for Taxation and the Customs Union is currently working on the common consolidated tax base (CCCTB) Continue →

The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany (Bundesverfassungsgericht, BVerfG) decreed with its November 9th Decision which was published on November 30th that the initial moment of suspicion needed for a search warrant could be provided on the basis of data sold to the Federal Republic of Germany by a Liechtenstein informer.

The constitutional complaint is against the issuing of a search warrant in the preliminary proceedings of a tax evasion case. The appellants were being investigated under the suspicion of tax evasion in the assessment periods 2002-2006.
The district court of Bochum issued the search warrant in question. Continue →