The Local Germany

Merkel fires minister after election disaster

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:17:00 +0200

Chancellor Angela Merkel fired her environment minister on Wednesday afternoon, kicking out Norbert Röttgen who led her conservative party to a historic loss in the country’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday.

State election hails rise of 'Merkel in Red'

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:01:00 +0200

Chancellor Angela Merkel's party suffered a major defeat on Sunday in a pivotal German state. The Local’s media roundup looks at how newspapers are interpreting the result, weighing up candidates for Germany's next chancellor.

Merkel's party slammed in biggest state election

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:37:00 +0200

Chancellor Angela Merkel's party suffered a severe defeat Sunday in a pivotal German state vote likely to award her main rivals a major boost in their bid to soften her austerity drive in Europe.

Time slipping away for Durban climate deal

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 12:15:00 +0100

Time is fast running out for a deal at the UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa, the German environment minister warned on Saturday as the conference went deep into an unscheduled 13th day.

Seven old reactors set to be mothballed

Fri, 27 May 2011 09:27:00 +0200

Germany’s seven oldest atomic reactors are likely to be switched off permanently after federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen struck an agreement with state counterparts on a final shutdown.

Breakthrough unlikely at Cancún climate summit, Röttgen says

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:01:00 +0100

German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen said Monday he does not expect any breakthroughs at the ongoing UN climate change summit in Cancún, Mexico. Instead leaders should focus on implementing small steps, he said.

Röttgen to lead North Rhine-Westphalia CDU

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:39:00 +0100

German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen was elected leader of the conservative Christian Democrats in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, a victory party members expect will increase his standing in Berlin too.

Green energy surcharges to spike next year

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:32:00 +0200

The development of Germany’s renewable energy sources will mean record green electricity surcharges for consumers in 2011, increasing power bills by up to €112 per year, according to industry experts.

Conflict over nuclear power rages on

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:47:00 +0200

The internal government conflict over extending the lifespan of Germany's nuclear power stations has sharpened, with a broad alliance calling for a longer extension than the one favoured by Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen.

Government split over nuclear power extension

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:01:00 +0200

The government coalition parties Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) are attempting to force their own environment minister to extend the lifespans of nuclear power stations.

Germany's first offshore wind farm joins power grid

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:23:00 +0200

Germany’s first offshore wind farm officially starts up on Tuesday in the North Sea. The €250-million pilot project is meant to spearhead several other coastal power plants in the coming years.

Germany to be nuclear-power-free by 2030

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0100

Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen predicted on Saturday that Germany would be free of nuclear power by 2030, eight years later than originally planned.

Environment minister condemns USA and China

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:21:00 +0100

German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen on Saturday had harsh words for the USA and China over the failure of this month's Copenhagen climate conference.