Today we are dealing with the attacks of the US government against the World Trade Organization, with an important meeting of the SPD parliamentary group and with the change of power in Finland.
Trump's attack on the WTO
Sarah Silbiger / POOL / EPA-EFE / REX
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Issue 50/2019
Burned out
Who still needs the SPD? Psychogram of a disturbed partyDigital Edition | Printed Edition | Apps | SUBSCRIPTION
It is a complicated topic, but its importance for Germany is hard to underestimate : the fight for the future of arbitration proceedings at the World Trade Organization (WTO) threatens to escalate . Today at 23:59, the mandate of two of the three remaining Appeals Judges ends. The US administration of Donald Trump continues to block the appointment of new judges, and the appellate court may become incapacitated because three judges are needed for each trial.
Specifically, this may mean that the painstaking rules over decades to settle trade disputes are no longer enforceable. Chaos and the law of the strongest are threatening in international trade. It is the world of Donald Trump : states can punish each other with punitive tariffs, new trade wars would result. An entity that respects compliance with common rules will no longer exist. Among them, Germany as a large export nation could suffer considerably.
Apparently, Trump still believes that his country will benefit from such wild west conditions. However, history teaches something else: Trade wars do not know winners, only losers.
- World Trade Organization: How Donald Trump Disempowered the WTO - and Harmes America
The others in the SPD are still there
Michael Kappeler / DPA
Everybody can tolerate a bit of encouragement after a defeat, even Olaf Scholz. The vice-chancellor and inferior candidate in the race for the SPD party presidency may have taken with some satisfaction the result of a representative survey of the online opinion research institute Civey for the SPIEGEL noted. More than 60 percent of SPD supporters are therefore clearly or rather of the opinion that the North German should continue to play an important role in the party.
Also for the new top duo Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken such numbers contain a message: The others in the SPD are still there. So all alone and with too wide elbows, the party leaders are unlikely to bring the store back to the front. There are different wings, different characters and above all different power centers in the SPD , which they have to integrate if they want to have a chance.
In addition to ministers such as Olaf Scholz, these are above all the members of the Bundestag faction: Today they meet for the first time since the election of the new head in Berlin. There are many defenders of the Grand Coalition in the faction, so it will be interesting to see how the MEPs are feeling. Like the party, the faction is unpredictable , many feelings are possible between euphoria and skepticism.
- SPD in the existential crisis: Interior views of a disturbed party
Strike nightmare in France
Christophe Petit Tesson / EPA-EFE / REX
The people of Paris are struggling at the moment : the strikes and protests against the pension plans of President Emmanuel Macron's government have been stalling traffic in France's capital for days. Several subway lines do not operate, on the streets in the greater metropolitan area congestion with a total length of more than 600 kilometers were measured on Monday alone at rush hour traffic. Many long-distance train lines are also affected, driving only 15 to 20 percent of all trains. For today, the unions have again called for a nationwide mass strike, which should make matters worse again.
Meanwhile, the government is sticking to its plans. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe wants to present the controversial pension reform on Wednesday for the first time in detail. "If we do not undertake a deep, serious and progressive reform today, tomorrow someone else will enforce a much tougher one," predicts the head of government. Whether the hardliners in the French unions on such arguments, however, may be doubted. Rather, the Seine flows backwards.
- France: Is President Macron shaking?
Winners of the day ...
KIMMO BRANDT / EPA-EFE / REX
... are the Finns . In her country, the 34-year-old Social Democrat Sanna Marin will probably be elected as new Prime Minister this week. Thus, the government is practically in the hands of women: All four coalition partners of the Social Democrat have female party leaders. Although many Finns do not agree politically with the leftist government, they are proud of this signal. The country is suddenly in the headlines worldwide. Even former Conservative PM Alexander Stubb is enthusiastic: "My party is not in government, but I'm glad that the leaders of the five parties are women," he writes on Twitter. "It shows that Finland is a modern and progressive country."
The compact news overview in the morning: current and opinionated. Every morning (weekdays) at 6 o'clock. Order directly here:
The latest news from the night
- At the Ukraine summit in Paris, participants took concrete steps to resolve the Ukraine conflict . These include a partial withdrawal of troops, a prisoner exchange - and a full implementation of the ceasefire by the end of the year
- US prevent UN meeting on the situation in North Korea : A representative of the Kim regime had previously threatened with anger - that has apparently made an impression in the White House
- Sydney sinks in the smoke : Temperatures rise up to 40 degrees, strong winds continue to increase the bushfires in the region. Life in Australia's largest city is becoming increasingly dangerous
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I wish you a nice start to the day.
Your Roland Nelles