Table.Briefings

Feature

Hongkong Wahlen Patrioten

Only 'patriots' left in the Hong Kong election

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's head of government, fears a low voter turnout in the upcoming elections and is promoting free bus transport to the ballot box. At the same time, she wants to bolster police security.

By Marcel Grzanna

Skeptical forecast for supply chains

Not only Covid is to blame, when goods are missing. By setting trade barriers, politics had no small part in the current trade disruptions. IfW Kiel highlights the reasons for the current supply chain problems – and gives a somewhat pessimistic forecast for 2022.

By

Energy policy: deep trenches

The heads of state and government fail to bridge their differences of opinion. Emissions trading and taxonomy in particular are causing controversy.

By Timo Landenberger

Building efficiency: EU Commission wants mandatory refurbishment

With the revision of the buildings directive, the EU Commission wants to finally put the energy-intensive sector on the path to climate neutrality. On Wednesday, the authority presented its plans. The planned renovation obligation, in particular, is causing controversy.

By Timo Landenberger

Long Covid: Wuhan patients still suffer

Long-term data on ground-zero Covid patients show: About half of the COVID-19 patients from the Wuhan outbreak are still suffering from health problems. Some symptoms even become more severe after six months.

By Frank Sieren

RCEP: launch of the world's largest free trade area

In January, a huge economic free-trading area will be established with the RCEP. What was intended to be a free trade agreement of the Southeast Asian confederation ASEAN, now mainly benefits China, Japan and South Korea. In this way, the People's Republic is becoming part of a regional free trade agreement for the first time.

By Christiane Kuehl

Scholz's first EU summit

The chancellor is traveling to his first appearance in the circle of heads of state and government. Strong new impulses are hardly to be expected from Olaf Scholz.

By Till Hoppe

EU gas package: more regression than progress?

The European Commission will officially present its new gas package today. With it, the authority wants to create a legal framework for hydrogen and other low-carbon gases. But environmentalists warn that the drafts contradict the EU's climate goals. In particular the plan to use hydrogen to heat buildings has drawn criticism.

By Timo Landenberger