German Culture and Politics


Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Siemens crisis deepens as Kleinfeld quits (FT)

Siemens crisis deepens as Kleinfeld quits
By Richard Milne in London

Published: April 25 2007 16:42 | Last updated: April 25 2007 20:39

Siemens was thrown deeper into turmoil on Wednesday after Klaus Kleinfeld said he would resign as chief executive of Europe’s largest engineering group before the end of the summer.

The move means the German industrial group has lost its two top officials within days amid the biggest corporate corruption scandal in Germany.

A successor to Mr Kleinfeld has not yet been chosen, but people close to the supervisory board said several external candidates were being approached.

“It is extremely disappointing. The fact is that [Mr] Kleinfeld has done nothing wrong; he has tripled the share price, doubled operating margins and he is leaving for an unspecified reason,” said Ben Uglow, an analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Mr Kleinfeld’s decision to step down at the end of his contract in September is the worst outcome for many Siemens investors. It follows the resignation of Heinrich von Pierer as chairman with effect from Wednesday.

Investors expressed incredulity as neither man has been accused or charged and both have denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of any of the alleged acts.

Siemens’ shares traded down 3.4 per cent in after-hours trading on Wednesday. They had earlier surged 2 per cent, after Mr Kleinfeld pre-released late on Tuesday better-than-expected second-quarter profits, in an apparent attempt to fight off the move to remove him.

Supervisory board members, led by new chairman, Gerhard Cromme, and deputy chairman and Deutsche Bank head, Josef Ackermann, had pushed the issue of Mr Kleinfeld’s future to the top of the agenda. “The company needs a new start,” said a person close to the board.

But analysts said the move was likely to destroy Siemens’ carefully cultivated relationship with the capital markets. It also raises questions on Germany’s corporate governance as supervisory board members, rather than shareholders, ejected him.

“If the person who built up the credibility with investors goes, then the shareholder representatives on the board should go too. There should be a total overhaul. Maybe the whole of the supervisory board should be changed so there would be a real new beginning,” said one of the company’s top five investors.

Investors said an outside candidate could fill the role, but expressed concern that Siemens’ restructuring would slow down.

Mr Uglow said: “The board says it wants a new start, but markets wanted continuity.”

Wolfgang Reitzle, head of industrial gases group Linde, was approached over the job, but declined.

Advisers to Siemens’ supervisory board admit a solution needs to be reached swiftly. They said it was unclear whether any successor could be brought in quickly.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Kleinfeld comes out fighting at Siemens (FT)

Kleinfeld comes out fighting at Siemens
By Ivar Simensen in Frankfurt and Richard Milne in London

Published: April 25 2007 10:51 | Last updated: April 25 2007 10:51

Klaus Kleinfeld, chief executive of Siemens, came out fighting for his job on Wednesday as the German industrial conglomerate announced second-quarter results that beat market expectations.

The early release of strong results added pressure on Mr Kleinfeld’s supervisory board, which is meeting later on Wednesday to decide on his future at the company.

“He wants to show the [supervisory] board that he has been successful in raising returns. The figures were expected to be good and they clearly are,” said James Stettler, Siemens analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort.

Siemens late on Tuesday reported a 10 per cent rise in revenues to €20.63bn ($28bn) and a 49 per cent rise in group operating profits to €1.96bn. Earnings before interest and tax were about 14 per cent ahead of consensus estimates, said Dresdner Kleinwort.

Siemens was originally scheduled to report second quarter earnings on Thursday, the day after the supervisory board meeting.

The news sent shares in Siemens up 1.4 per cent to €90.45, reversing some of Tuesday’s losses when investors fretted about the future of Siemens if it lost its chief executive, who has been the driving force behind the company’s restructuring.

“A lot of shareholders have waited so long for this company to start to perform. If job security in Germany again becomes priority number one, it is potentially disastrous,” said Mr Stettler, adding: “If Kleinfeld is clean, he should stay in his job.”

Mr Kleinfeld has come under severe pressure after several supervisory board members, including its incoming chairman, advocated a ”clean start” at the company, which has been rattled by two corruption scandals.

Heinrich von Pierer, Mr Kleinfeld’s long-running predecessor as chief executive, last week resigned as chairman.

Investors on Tuesday expressed concern that ejecting Mr Kleinfeld could signal the end of the restructuring at the group.

“This would be the investors’ worst nightmare,” said Ben Uglow, analyst at Morgan Stanley, on Tuesday, when shares in Siemens fell nearly 3 per cent. “This would be it for Siemens and the capital market,” said Mr Uglow.

Analysts spoke of several big shareholders thinking about selling large positions.

Henning Gebhardt, head of German equities at DWS, Germany’s largest fund manager, said: “This concerns us a lot. We would not be happy about this.”

Mr Kleinfeld’s contract expires in September, and he was widely expected to have it renewed for another five years at today’s supervisory board meeting.

But a person close to the supervisory board said a ”handful” of members, including Gerhard Cromme, who takes over as chairman today, and Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank and a Siemens non-executive, were discussing whether Siemens needed a new chief executive.

Mr Ackermann and Mr Cromme, who wants to remain chairman after his new interim contract expires in January, were said to be looking for allies on the board.

The powerful IG Metall union, which is strongly represented on the board and has recently clashed with Mr Kleinfeld over the sale of the group’s failing mobile handsets division to Taiwan’s BenQ and the upcoming spin-off of automotive business VDO, has not backed the chief executive.

However, one official noted that “any new guy would be unlikely to act any differently” when it comes to restructuring the group.

People close to Siemens’ supervisory board said it could still decide to postpone the decision over renewing Mr Kleinfeld’s contract or make it a short-term contract. ”The board wants to have a clear picture of what has happened before making a decision on extending the contract,” said one.

However, either a delay or a shorter contract would be seen as very damaging to Mr Kleinfeld’s position. German press reports on Wednesday suggested Mr Kleinfeld would resign if the board offered him anything but a new five-year contract.

Wolfgang Reitzle, chief executive of Linde, the industrial gases group, has been touted as a possible successor to Mr Kleinfeld.

However, a Linde spokesman said on Tuesday: ”You can be certain that Reitzle will remain CEO of Linde.”

Additional reporting by Gerrit Wiesmann in Frankfurt

Background

German police raided a number of Siemens’ offices in November as prosecutors suspected employees used fake consulting contracts to divert company funds in order to bribe potential clients abroad. A month later, Siemens said it had uncovered suspicious payments totalling €426m ($580m) that stretched back into the 1990s. In March, the company was rocked by another probe into payments to an employer-friendly labour representative. Chief executive Klaus Kleinfeld and chairman Heinrich von Pierer denied any wrongdoing in both cases and instigated measures to investigate and fight misconduct. But Mr von Pierer’s tenure as chief executive from 1992 to 2005 spanned the years in which the alleged bribery took place. Under pressure from fellow non-executives, he resigned as chairman of Siemens supervisory board last Thursday.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Building blocks of recovery rise over Germany (FT)

Building blocks of recovery rise over Germany
By Hugh Williamson

Published: April 24 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 24 2007 03:00

A sharp recovery in Germany's construction sector is gathering pace, with industry turnover expanding by 20 per cent to €8.5bn ($11.5bn, £5.8bn) in the first two months of this year, according to official data published yesterday.

The recovery of the industry after a decade in the doldrums is a visible symptom of Germany's economic boom that can be gauged on building sites across Berlin. After a sharp downturn in the mid-1990s, builders are overwhelmed with work.

Alexander Harnisch, whose company Harnisch & Partners renovates old residential buildings in Berlin, says his new headache is painters and plasterers who "say yes to every project, but are then overworked and can't finish on time".

He says such contractors are "still living in the bad years, the decade from the mid-1990s onwards, when work was scarce and every contract was precious".

As a result, he has recently recruited 10 extra tradespeople to ensure projects are completed on time. "That is 10 jobs that did not exist six months ago," he says.

The sector is expected to grow 3.5 per cent this year, according to HDB, the building industry federation.

"After these difficult years it is great to be more positive again," says Heiko Stiepelmann, HDB deputy director, adding that "long-term prospects are also good". Both business-related and public sector construction work is in strong demand, reflecting the broad upturn in the national economy.

Michael Glos, economics minister, is expected tomorrow to revise upwards to2.4 per cent the government's growth forecast for this year, after the country's top five economic think-tanks issued a similar forecast last week.

The think-tanks said investment in energy-efficient building projects was the fastest-growing segment of the industry.

Mr Harnisch says the rush towards energy efficiency - sparked by environmental awareness and government subsidies - has meant shortages of, for instance, insulation materials.

The think-tanks' report predicts that the building industry will help Germany's recovery, with investment in the sector expected to grow 2.7 per cent in 2007 and 2008. In contrast, the sector's shrinkage shaved at least 1 percentage point off German growth between 2000 and 2005.

Mr Stiepelmann stresses that, despite the bright prospects, the sector's problems are not over. The use of thousands of non-registered building workers, usually from eastern Europe, damages the sector's reputation.

The industry's east-west divide also remains problematic. The sector expanded particularly rapidly in eastern Germany after reunification in 1990, as generous subsidies and overly optimistic demand forecasts led to huge over-supply.

The problems in the east remain acute. But things are improving. Construction employment has this year recovered more quickly in eastern compared with western Germany, the HDB says.

"In a couple of years' time we will have a shortage of construction engineers, because over the years fewer and fewer people have trained in this profession," Mr Stiepelmann says.

On the way up

Following Germany's post-unification building boom, the sector contracted sharply, with new investment shrinking 25 per cent between 1994-2005. Employment was halved to about 711,000, as jobless building workers swelled the unemployment queues. The current economic upswing presents a long-term basis for the sector's recovery, say industry executives.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

FT.com / Comment & analysis - Observer: From all sides

FT.com / Comment & analysis - Observer: From all sides

Observer: From all sides
Published: April 24 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 24 2007 03:00

The German chancellor Angela Merkel is a great multi-tasker, but her preparations for the G8 summit of industrial nations in June are taking on extreme proportions.

This week top business associations from the G8 countries are in town to lobby her to promote globalisation, while in early May the rich world's trade union leaders are coming to lobby in the opposite direction.

Helping Africa is another area where she is being bombarded. Last week the rock star/activist Bono was in Berlin shmoozing for more aid.

Bono is the secular pope of Africa's development, and now it turns out the real Pope has been getting in on the lobby-Merkel act. Pope Benedict XVI and Merkel have been exchanging letters (in German, Observer presumes), it emerged yesterday.

The Pope is pushing for greater trade opportunities for poor countries; Merkel replied that she'd do her best to oblige.

Now let's wait to see if the Pope pops up in the final communiqué at the June summit.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

FT.com / Companies / Basic industries - Building blocks of recovery rise over Germany

FT.com / Companies / Basic industries - Building blocks of recovery rise over Germany

Building blocks of recovery rise over Germany
By Hugh Williamson

Published: April 24 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 24 2007 03:00

A sharp recovery in Germany's construction sector is gathering pace, with industry turnover expanding by 20 per cent to €8.5bn ($11.5bn, £5.8bn) in the first two months of this year, according to official data published yesterday.

The recovery of the industry after a decade in the doldrums is a visible symptom of Germany's economic boom that can be gauged on building sites across Berlin. After a sharp downturn in the mid-1990s, builders are overwhelmed with work.

Alexander Harnisch, whose company Harnisch & Partners renovates old residential buildings in Berlin, says his new headache is painters and plasterers who "say yes to every project, but are then overworked and can't finish on time".

He says such contractors are "still living in the bad years, the decade from the mid-1990s onwards, when work was scarce and every contract was precious".

As a result, he has recently recruited 10 extra tradespeople to ensure projects are completed on time. "That is 10 jobs that did not exist six months ago," he says.

The sector is expected to grow 3.5 per cent this year, according to HDB, the building industry federation.

"After these difficult years it is great to be more positive again," says Heiko Stiepelmann, HDB deputy director, adding that "long-term prospects are also good". Both business-related and public sector construction work is in strong demand, reflecting the broad upturn in the national economy.

Michael Glos, economics minister, is expected tomorrow to revise upwards to2.4 per cent the government's growth forecast for this year, after the country's top five economic think-tanks issued a similar forecast last week.

The think-tanks said investment in energy-efficient building projects was the fastest-growing segment of the industry.

Mr Harnisch says the rush towards energy efficiency - sparked by environmental awareness and government subsidies - has meant shortages of, for instance, insulation materials.

The think-tanks' report predicts that the building industry will help Germany's recovery, with investment in the sector expected to grow 2.7 per cent in 2007 and 2008. In contrast, the sector's shrinkage shaved at least 1 percentage point off German growth between 2000 and 2005.

Mr Stiepelmann stresses that, despite the bright prospects, the sector's problems are not over. The use of thousands of non-registered building workers, usually from eastern Europe, damages the sector's reputation.

The industry's east-west divide also remains problematic. The sector expanded particularly rapidly in eastern Germany after reunification in 1990, as generous subsidies and overly optimistic demand forecasts led to huge over-supply.

The problems in the east remain acute. But things are improving. Construction employment has this year recovered more quickly in eastern compared with western Germany, the HDB says.

"In a couple of years' time we will have a shortage of construction engineers, because over the years fewer and fewer people have trained in this profession," Mr Stiepelmann says.

On the way up

Following Germany's post-unification building boom, the sector contracted sharply, with new investment shrinking 25 per cent between 1994-2005. Employment was halved to about 711,000, as jobless building workers swelled the unemployment queues. The current economic upswing presents a long-term basis for the sector's recovery, say industry executives.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Monday, April 23, 2007

The McKinsey Quarterly: Leading change: An interview with the CEO of Barclays Bank

The McKinsey Quarterly: Leading change: An interview with the CEO of Barclays Bank

Banken, Private Equity & Dienstleistungen - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Barclays schluckt ABN Amro: Turbulenzen auf Europas Bankenmarkt

Banken, Private Equity & Dienstleistungen - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Barclays schluckt ABN Amro: Turbulenzen auf Europas Bankenmarkt

23. April 2007 In den europäischen Bankenmarkt kommt Bewegung. Die britische Barclays Bank will mit der holländischen ABN Amro fusionieren; gleichzeitig kursieren Gerüchte über eine Annäherung zwischen dem italienischen Unicredit und der französischen Societe Generale. Ob die beiden Deals zustande kommen, ist offen. Neben Barclays könnten sich noch andere Großbanken für ABN Amro interessieren, und eine Ehe zwischen einer italienischen und einer französischen Großbank, in der die Franzosen nicht den Ton angeben, dürfte auf erhebliche Vorbehalte im Elysee-Palast stoßen - unabhängig davon, ob der neue Hausherr nun Sarkozy oder Royal heißen wird.

FTD.de - Finanzdienstleister - Nachrichten - Barclays-Rivalen lassen Gespräch platzen

FTD.de - Finanzdienstleister - Nachrichten - Barclays-Rivalen lassen Gespräch platzen

Barclays hat gewonnen - vorerst jedenfalls. Nach der Einigung der Briten mit ABN Amro hat ein konkurrierendes Konsortium sein Gespräch mit den Niederländern abgesagt. Den endgültigen Sieg bedeutet das aber noch nicht.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - RAF-Opfer wollen Klars Begnadigung verhindern

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - RAF-Opfer wollen Klars Begnadigung verhindern

Bundespräsident Horst Köhler hat in den vergangenen Wochen offenbar mehrere Briefe von RAF-Opfern oder ihren Angehörigen bekommen. Sie sprechen sich vehement gegen eine Begnadigung Christian Klars aus.

Nachrichten - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Fusion von ABN Amro und Barclays: Analysten rechnen mit Gegenangebot

Nachrichten - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Fusion von ABN Amro und Barclays: Analysten rechnen mit Gegenangebot

Bund - Politik - FAZ.NET - RAF-Mord an Buback: Merkel warnt vor „vorschnellen Schlüssen“

Bund - Politik - FAZ.NET - RAF-Mord an Buback: Merkel warnt vor „vorschnellen Schlüssen“

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Umstrittener Regierungsberater Merkels Einsatz für Pierer wird suspekt - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Umstrittener Regierungsberater Merkels Einsatz für Pierer wird suspekt - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Aufsichtsrat Pierer tritt zurück. Wohl, weil er von vielen dubiosen Praktiken bei Siemens hätte wissen müssen. Trotzdem soll er auf Wunsch der Kanzlerin Regierungsberater bleiben. Anti-Korruptionskämpfer und Liberale finden das unerhört.

Im Strudel der Affären Der Mann, der Mr. Siemens war - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Im Strudel der Affären Der Mann, der Mr. Siemens war - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Beinahe-Bundespräsident, Schröder-Freund, CSU-Mitglied, Symbol der deutschen Industriegeschichte. Heinrich von Pierer ist ein Urgestein. 15 Jahre lang hat er Siemens geprägt, verändert und verkörpert - doch am Ende hat er sich verrechnet.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Die RAF: Wer noch in Haft sitzt#a0

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Die RAF: Wer noch in Haft sitzt#a0

Nach der Entlassung von Brigitte Mohnhaupt verbüßen nur noch drei von ehemals 26 inhaftierten Ex-RAF-Terroristen Haftstrafen: Christian Klar, Eva Sybille Haule und Birgit Hogefeld.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Fall Buback soll neu aufgerollt werden

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Fall Buback soll neu aufgerollt werden

Der Mord der Roten Armee Fraktion (RAF) an Generalbundesanwalt Siegfried Buback vor 30 Jahren muss nach Ansicht mehrerer Politiker neu aufgerollt werden. Zuvor hatte es neue Erkenntnisse gegeben.

FTD.de - Industrie - Bilderserie - Aufstieg und Ende von Mr. Siemens

FTD.de - Industrie - Bilderserie - Aufstieg und Ende von Mr. Siemens

Heinrich von Pierers Rücktritt als Siemens-Aufsichtsratschef markiert den vorläufigen Höhepunkt der Schmiergeldaffäre. Mehr als ein Jahrzehnt lang war von Pierer einer der angesehensten Vertreter der Deutschland AG und wurde auch von der Politik umschmeichelt. Ein Rückblick in Bildern.

FT.com / Companies / Europe - The man who engineered the restructuring of Siemens

FT.com / Companies / Europe - The man who engineered the restructuring of Siemens

The man who engineered the restructuring of Siemens
By Richard Milne

Published: April 21 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 21 2007 03:00

"A pragmatic capitalist and social romantic" - that Financial Times headline from seven years ago was Heinrich von Pierer's favourite description of himself.

His big fear as he prepares to resign on Wednesday as Siemens' chairman is that the reverberations from two scandals will damage that legacy perhaps irreparably.

Mr von Pierer was one of his generation's leading businessmen, helping keep the German industrial conglomerate together in spite of outside pressure, while hobnobbing with the great and good on boards from Deutsche Bank to Volks-wagen. Once a serious contender for German president, he was also a tennis partner of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and an adviser on innovation to Angela Merkel, the current chancellor.

His service to both Social Democrat and Christian Democrat chancellors says much about him - he was interested in being in powerful positions and happy to act pragmatically to get there (he was a Christian Democrat councillor in the 1970s). Similarly, while at VW he complained vociferously about corporate governance in private, yet remained in his post as a non-executive director while others resigned in disgust.

His contrasts continued at Siemens and led to his love of that FT headline. His pragmatic capitalism was underlined by his introducing the words "shareholder value" into the Siemens lexicon. He span off divisions and forced through heavy restructuring. But he also resisted calls to split up the sprawling conglomerate. Proudly German, he disliked attempts to undermine institutions such as the co-determination system under which workers help run companies.

Even today, one of his proudest memories is to recall his naming as an honorary member of the works council at Siemens' Erfurt plant. He delighted in telling visitors about wearing - and being photographed in - a red jacket belonging to the IG Metall union, a fairly hardline outfit in the engineering industry.

He sometimes bemoaned that his successor as chief executive, Klaus Kleinfeld, failed to spend time being a "social romantic". A former colleague of Mr von Pierer's on the management board says: "Say what you like about Pierer, he always acted in the interests ofSiemens."

He had a particular interest in Asia, and Siemens' stellar growth there in recent years is largely because of him. Coming from lunch with him a year ago, a visitor saw him run over and hug some Chinese customers looking roundSiemens' Munich headquarters. "He is Siemens to us," one of the Chinese delegation said, beaming at Mr von Pierer's attentions.

But the list of Mr von Pierer's achievements have been severely tarnished in the eyes of many by the twin scandals engulfing Siemens. Mr von Pierer denies any wrongdoing or knowledge of either scandal. But most of the events in a €426m ($580m) bribery affair and an investigation into whether Siemens financially supported a rival to its main trade union took place during his 13-year term as chief executive, which ended in 2005.

Questions arose not just about the competence of management and the company's controls but also as to Siemens' culture.

Mr von Pierer always denied a personal responsibility, arguing that business could not have a definition of the term like in politics. Instead he justified his resignation by hoping that it would allow the company to sail back to "calmer waters" and said he had always put Siemens and its 475,000 workers above personal considerations. Many praised his decision as selfless.

But there is no doubt that this was a wrenching decision for him to take. Just days ago he was telling friends still that we was "kampfbereit" - ready to fight. But private talks with several prominent directors from the labour side and shareholder bank - including Gerhard Cromme, the chairman of steelmaker ThyssenKrupp and his temporary successor - convinced him to go.

Many people close to Mr Kleinfeld felt frustrated about having his predecessor in the supervisory board watching over him and potentially blocking his ideas. But others are worried that there is no counterweight to Mr Kleinfeld now. "With von Pierer gone, who will check him? German companies are just not made for one person to have so much power," a former management board member at Siemens said.

Mr von Pierer said he would continue with his other mandates including being the innovation adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel and board seats at Volks-wagen and Deutsche Bank. "I'm coming from a 60-hour week to one of perhaps 30-35 hours. As a pensioner I think that is enough."

Merkel says she wants to keep former Siemens chief as her senior business adviser

By Hugh Williamson

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said yesterday that she would retain Heinrich von Pierer as her senior business adviser in spite of his resignation from Siemens' supervisory board, Hugh Williamson reports from Berlin.

Ms Merkel argued that Mr von Pierer "embodied" the positive values associated with the German engineering giant.

Other reactions were more negative, with Berthold Huber, deputy chairman of the IG Metall engineering union, arguing that the resignation was "long overdue". He added: "Now Siemens has a chance for a new beginning."

Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank and deputy chairman of Siemens' supervisory board, expressed "huge regret" over Mr von Pierer's resignation, saying there remained "absolutely no doubt" about the former chairman's "personal integrity".

Mr von Pierer himself yesterday expressed bitterness over how he felt he had been treated by the media and by prosecutors investigating Siemens' corruption scandals. He used an e-mail to staff to attack the "sweeping judgments" about him that were "often not based on any facts".

Ms Merkel's spokesman said she "respected" Mr von Pierer's decision to step down but hoped that he would continue as chairman of the chancellor's "innovation council" of business leaders.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Friday, April 20, 2007

Siemens-Affäre Chronik einer Krise - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Siemens-Affäre Chronik einer Krise - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Es geht um Millionen Euro: Schmiergeldvorwürfe, Finanzen für zweifelhafte Arbeitnehmer-Vertreter und Kartellstrafen.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Frühjahrsgutachten Der Aufschwung geht weiter - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Frühjahrsgutachten Der Aufschwung geht weiter - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Die führenden Wirtschaftsforschungsinstitute erwarten in ihrem Frühjahrsgutachten für 2007 und 2008 ein stolzes Wachstum von jeweils 2,4 Prozent. Doch die Industrie ist besorgt über die Stärke des Euro.

Auto, Industrie & Handel - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Siemens-Aufsichtsrat: Rücktritt von Pierers kündigt sich an

Auto, Industrie & Handel - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Siemens-Aufsichtsrat: Rücktritt von Pierers kündigt sich an

19. April 2007
Heinrich von Pierer, der Aufsichtsratsvorsitzende des Münchner Siemens-Konzerns, steht offenbar unmittelbar vor seinem Rücktritt. Nach Informationen der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung und anderer Medien ist ein entsprechender Beschluss am Donnerstagabend gefallen. Ziel ist ein personeller Neuanfang in dem seit Monaten von einem Korruptionsskandal belasteten Unternehmen.

Wirtschaftspolitik - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Öffentliche Finanzen: Steinbrück: 2010 ausgeglichener Staatshaushalt

Wirtschaftspolitik - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - Öffentliche Finanzen: Steinbrück: 2010 ausgeglichener Staatshaushalt

Bund - Politik - FAZ.NET - Staatsanwalt vermittelte RAF-Kontakt: „Klar würde als normaler Mörder nicht begnadigt“

Bund - Politik - FAZ.NET - Staatsanwalt vermittelte RAF-Kontakt: „Klar würde als normaler Mörder nicht begnadigt“

Der Stuttgarter Generalstaatsanwalt Klaus Pflieger hat den Kontakt aus Kreisen der einstigen RAF zu Michael Buback hergestellt. Es bleibe offen, ob die jüngsten Informationen auf das Gnadengesuch des früheren Terroristen Klars Einfluss hätten.

VW-Hauptversammlung Piëch erneut in VW-Aufsichtsrat gewählt - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

VW-Hauptversammlung Piëch erneut in VW-Aufsichtsrat gewählt - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Energie, Umwelt & Verkehr - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - CO2-Emissionshandel: Neue Regeln für bessere Luft

Energie, Umwelt & Verkehr - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET - CO2-Emissionshandel: Neue Regeln für bessere Luft

Pannenstatistik 2006 Deutsche Wertarbeit - Auto & Mobil - sueddeutsche.de

Pannenstatistik 2006 Deutsche Wertarbeit - Auto & Mobil - sueddeutsche.de

Das gab's schon lange nicht mehr: Aus Deutschland, so das Ergebnis der aktuellen ADAC-Pannenstatistik, kommen die zuverlässigsten Autos - sie liegen in sieben von acht Fahrzeugklassen an der Spitze.

Die deutschen Automobilhersteller bauen die pannensichersten Autos. Dies ist das Ergebnis der aktuellen ADAC-Pannenstatistik, für die 1,95 Millionen Pannen ausgewertet wurden, die die Gelben Engel des ADAC im vergangenen Jahr bewältigen mussten. Damit hat sich ein Trend bestätigt, der sich bereits in den letzten beiden Jahren abgezeichnet hatte. Mit Ausnahme der Minivan-Klasse, in der Mazda und Mitsubishi gemeinsam führen, kommen die restlichen sieben Klassensieger von Audi, Mercedes, BMW und Volkswagen.
Die Pannenquellen

Pannenquelle Nummer eins (460.876 Fälle) war wieder einmal die Batterie. Reifenpannen waren 135.645-mal der Grund, den ADAC zu Hilfe zu rufen. Bezogen auf Baugruppen entfielen über die Hälfte der Pannen auf Zündung und Elektrik. Es folgen Probleme mit dem Motor (7,9 Prozent), Rädern und Reifen (6,7 Prozent), Einspritzanlagen (6,6 Prozent), Kühlung und Heizung (6,0 Prozent) und dem Kraftstoffsystem (5,9 Prozent).

Auf der nächsten Seite finden Sie die Top Drei jeder Fahrzeugklasse und die große Ergebnistabelle

Kleine Klasse
Auf den ersten beiden Plätzen keine Veränderung zum Vorjahr: Der Audi A2 führt vor dem BMW Mini. Auffallend der Qualitätssprung bei Renault: Der Modus landet auf Platz drei.

Untere Mittelklasse
Klassenbester ist hier der 1er BMW vor dem Vorjahressieger Mazda 323 und dem Audi A3.

Mittelklasse
Das Siegertrio hat die Plätze getauscht. Audi A4, Mercedes C-Klasse und BMW 3er heißt die Reihenfolge 2006.

Obere Mittel-/Oberklasse
Audi A6 vor Mercedes E-Klasse und BMW 5er.

Sportwagen/Cabrios
In diesem nur vier Fahrzeuge kleinen Feld führt der Mercedes CLK. Es folgen BMW 3er-Cabrio, Mercedes SLK und der Peugeot 206 CC.

Geländewagen
BMW X3 und Mercedes ML haben den RAV4 von Toyota auf Platz drei verdrängt.

Vans/Minivans
Der besseren Vergleichbarkeit halber wurde diese Klasse in Vans und Minivans unterteilt. Die Minivans Mazda Premacy und Mitsubishi Space Star, beide nicht mehr im Verkaufsprogramm, liegen hier vor dem VW Touran, dessen größerer Bruder, der Sharan bei den Vans Platz eins belegt.

In die Wertung für die ADAC-Pannenstatistik kommen ein- bis sechsjährige Autos, die mindestens drei Jahre lang im Wesentlichen unverändert gebaut wurden und in einem Jahr 10.000 Neuzulassungen erreichten.

Uni-Test Germanisten scheitern an Grammatik - Job & Karriere - sueddeutsche.de

Uni-Test Germanisten scheitern an Grammatik - Job & Karriere - sueddeutsche.de

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Buback-Mord wird neu untersucht

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Buback-Mord wird neu untersucht

Die Bundesanwaltschaft will den neuen Hinweisen zur Aufklärung des Mordes an Generalbundesanwalt Siegfried Buback durch die RAF im Jahr 1977 nachgehen. Nach FTD-Informationen soll Ex-Terrorist Jürgen Boock vernommen werden.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Institute erwarten für 2007 und 2008 Wachstum von 2,4 Prozent

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Institute erwarten für 2007 und 2008 Wachstum von 2,4 Prozent

Die fünf führenden Wirtschaftsforschungsinstitute rechnen mit einem ungebrochen starken Wirtschaftswachstum in Deutschland. In den Jahren 2007 und 2008 wird das Bruttoinlandsprodukt nach ihren Berechnungen jeweils um 2,4 Prozent zunehmen.

Das geht aus dem Gutachten hervor, das die Ökonomen am Donnerstag vorstellen wollen und das der FTD bereits vorliegt. Im Herbst 2006 hatten die Forscher noch einen Zuwachs der Wirtschaftskraft um 1,4 Prozent für 2007 erwartet. Die Zahl der Menschen ohne Arbeit soll nach den Annahmen in den beiden Jahren deutlich abnehmen. Die Arbeitslosenquote werde zunächst auf 8,7 Prozent und dann 2008 auf 8,0 Prozent sinken, die Verbraucherpreise sollten dagegen sowohl im laufenden als auch im kommenden Jahr um 1,8 Prozent steigen.

Nach den Erwartungen der Forscher wird Deutschland 2008 erstmals seit Jahrzehnten ohne neue Schulden auskommen. Die Experten der Institute erwarten für 2008 eine Defizitquote von 0 Prozent, 2007 werde sie noch bei 0,6 Prozent liegen.

Tempo lässt nach

"Der konjunkturelle Aufschwung in Deutschland hat sich nach der Jahreswende 2006/2007 fortgesetzt. Allerdings hat sich das Tempo etwas vermindert", urteilen die Forscher in ihrem Bericht. Offnbar sei die Dynamik der Konjunktur hoch genug, um die dämpfenden fiskalischen Effekte durch die gestiegene Mehrwertsteuer zu überspielen.

Die Institute legen ihren Prognosen im Gutachten mehrere Annahmen zugrunde. So rechnen sie damit, dass sich der Ölpreis bis Ende 2008 bei einem Wert von rund 65 $ hält, der Welthandel um rund 7,5 Prozent ansteigt und der Euro rund 1,32 $ kosten wird.

Die Europäische Zentralbank wird nach ihrer Einschätzung den Leitzins Mitte 2007 um 25 Basispunkte auf dann vier Prozent anheben und ihn im kommenden Jahr unverändert lassen. Wie es in dem Gutachten weiter heißt, rechnen die Ökonomen damit, dass die tariflichen Stundenlöhne im laufenden Jahr im gesamtwirtschaftlichen Durchschnitt um zwei und im kommenden Jahr um 2,8 Prozent steigen.

Die Unternehmen zögen 2007 zudem Investitionen in Höhe von etwa 2,5 Mrd. Euro vor, um die noch bis zum Jahresende geltenden Regelungen zur degressiven Abschreibung noch mitzunehmen.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Die RAF für Kino und Wohnzimmer Martina Gedeck soll Ulrike Meinhof werden - Kultur - sueddeutsche.de

Die RAF für Kino und Wohnzimmer Martina Gedeck soll Ulrike Meinhof werden - Kultur - sueddeutsche.de

Bernd Eichinger plant, die Erfolgscrew seiner "Elementarteilchen" nun für eine Verfilmung der RAF-Geschichte zu gewinnen. Neben der Oscar-erfahrenen Gedeck sollen Moritz Bleibtreu und Nina Hoss in die Rollen von Terroristen schlüpfen.

FT.com / Columnists / European View - Worst job in Germany – Deutsche Telekom chief

FT.com / Columnists / European View - Worst job in Germany – Deutsche Telekom chief

Worst job in Germany – Deutsche Telekom chief
Published: April 16 2007 19:12 | Last updated: April 16 2007 19:12

All the economic indicators are showing that Germany is booming again. Even the Germans are starting to believe that the recovery is for real.

Yet this is probably the worst macroeconomic scenario for any German chief executive wanting to cut labour costs. And this is the challenge facing René Obermann at Deutsche Telekom.

The German telecoms incumbent has been crippled by costs. This is both a genetic problem and one of its own making. Genetic, because it has been tied too closely to the government’s hip with its mass of highly paid – many would say overpaid – civil servants. Worse, the government continues to be the group’s biggest shareholder, and, as such, would like to see an improvement in the dismal performance of the company’s shares, but is reluctant to endorse too radical a restructuring of its bloated German cost base.

The company also has itself to blame. In better times, previous managements preferred to avoid addressing this all too obvious issue even when embarking on a big international acquisition binge in the late 1990s. The day of reckoning has finally come and Mr Obermann, the new chief executive, is trying to push through a cost-cutting programme that will probably not settle the problem altogether. But it could at least buy the company a couple of years to put together a further round of restructuring to resolve its domestic cost handicap.

Much will depend on union attitudes. So far, the powerful Verdi services and telecoms labour confederation is threatening a national strike if the group goes ahead with its plans to transfer some 50,000 German call centre employees to a new company where they will be paid 40-50 per cent less than at Deutsche Telekom. The move is designed to avoid job cuts and align these workers with the lower pay employees at competing German telecom companies receive.

Deutsche Telekom has a good argument. Why should the Verdi union oppose the salary cuts at Deutsche Telekom while endorsing the lower pay at competing companies? The union also risks another dilemma. If it does call a real strike – not the current well-orchestrated token protests that are part of the normal negotiating ritual in German labour relations – it would not only be a rare event but a disaster for Deutsche Telekom’s management and Mr Obermann.

This is unlikely to be in the union’s interest. A strike would probably force the company to issue yet another profit warning. After already issuing a warning in February, Mr Obermann would not be expected to survive a second. The government would then have to appoint a new management that would inevitably have to take a far more radical line to prevent the company sinking even lower.

Under the circumstances, the union is ultimately expected to reach a compromise with Mr Obermann. He deserves it for taking on the worst job in German industry.

Swiss resistance

Hostile takeovers in banking are rare. They are even less common in insurance, and all but unknown among reinsurers. So when one does suddenly occur in the normally gentlemanly world of reinsurance, it is hardly surprising that it should turn into a personal, below-the-belt affair.

All the more so when it involves two unloved companies that have only recently rebounded from a period of intense financial difficulties. Scor opened hostilities last month when the French reinsurer launched an unsolicited bid for its Swiss rival Converium. The French company had accumulated a 32.9 per cent stake, including buying a big Converium stake held by Swiss raider Martin Ebner.

That was a bad start, especially since Converium’s management thought Mr Ebner was an ally, considering the way he had earlier praised the group’s recovery. But while the two opposing camps probably consider that consolidation is the way forward for their businesses, the Swiss company’s management and board have been doing everything they can to frustrate the French and a bid they consider undervalues their group – one minute resisting, one moment looking for a white knight and the next saying they would prefer to remain independent.

The French are becoming increasingly frustrated since they believe – with their 32.9 per cent stake – they are in a strong position and it will only be a matter of time before they secure their Swiss prize. They also suspect the Swiss board has everything to gain from its delaying tactics because of the extra compensation board members will earn from the additional work in connection with the takeover offer. The longer this lasts, the more they will get.

Converium’s board and management do not want the French bid. That said, did board members really need to be granted extra compensation? They can claim this is not uncommon in Switzerland and that they are having to work longer hours. But when you take on a directorship, one of your main tasks is to look after the interests of all your shareholders in any situation – especially a takeover.

India outbound

Just as international investors are piling into India, the industrialists of the sub-continent are heading in the opposite direction.

Indian outbound deals this year reached $10.1bn as of last Friday, about four times higher than a year earlier, according to Thomson Financial – and this was before the announcement of the latest mega-deal, Essar Global’s C$1.8bn (US$1.6bn) offer for Canada’s Algoma Steel.

The deal means Essar Global, which controls India’s fourth largest steel maker, Essar Steel, has beaten rivals, such as Tata Steel and Jindal Steel, in the race to become the first Indian steelmaker to directly enter North America. Like its rivals, Essar is ramping up domestic output, with plans to double its capacity to 8.5m tonnes per annum by 2009. The Algoma deal will add another 2.4m tonnes.

A fully integrated producer with access to its own supplies of raw materials, such as iron ore, Essar will be hoping to use Algoma to channel much of its new Indian production to producers such as General Motors and Ford in North America.

By moving offshore, Essar will also be diversifying its India exposure.

But questions remain over the financing. At about 7 times earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation, Essar is getting Algoma for less than the nine times ebitda Tata Steel paid for Anglo-Dutch producer Corus.

But Essar Steel’s debt/equity is a high 5.7 times. Even more than Tata, Essar will be hoping the steel price cycle remains buoyant.

joseph.leahy@ftbombay.

Sir Fred joins the fray
Sir Fred Goodwin is ready to throw off his chastity belt and join Fortis and Santander in ravishing ABN Amro. As recently as a year ago, the prospect of Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief executive joining a complex consortium bid for a continental European rival would have worried investors.

But on the – admittedly early – evidence of morning trading on Monday, shareholders are unconcerned. There are three reasons for their sang-froid. One is relief. Far from trying to gobble up the whole of ABN, RBS is taking aim only at the Dutch company’s investment banking and US retail operations.

A second, more positive, reason for bidding up RBS stock is that the savings that Sir Fred should be able to squeeze from that combination are greater than those available to most rivals, including Barclays, which remains ABN’s preferred partner. Combining LaSalle, ABN’s US retail bank, with Charter One, the Scottish bank’s American network, is the sort of transaction that used to be meat and drink to Sir Fred before he took his vow of abstinence.

The RBS gambit is also tactically shrewd. ABN Amro was already under pressure to dismember itself. If the Barclays deal falls through, RBS has staked a claim to the investment banking and US retail divisions, even if the other members of the consortium are unable to complete their bits of the bargain (Fortis’s attempt to take on ABN’s Dutch retail operations may be problematic, for instance).

Of course, there are risks. Chief among them is that Sir Fred, his appetite encouraged by his near-two-year fast, will overpay. ABN’s share price was also up sharply on Monday morning. Panmure Gordon warned in a note that a price-to-tangible book multiple of near five times echoed the dilutive price paid for Charter One, and could jeopardise RBS’s improving returns. andrew.hill@ft.com

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Filbinger-Rede: Ärger über Oettingers Rechtfertigung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Filbinger-Rede: Ärger über Oettingers Rechtfertigung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Er bedauert "Missverständnisse", aber zu einer Entschuldigung reichte es nicht: Mit seinem offenen Brief hat Baden-Württembergs Ministerpräsident Günther Oettinger die Empörung über seine Filbinger-Rede noch verschärft. Die Rücktrittsforderungen werden nun immer massiver.

Friday, April 13, 2007

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Merkel rüffelt Oettinger per Telefon

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Merkel rüffelt Oettinger per Telefon

März-Schätzung: Experten rechnen mit sensationell hohen Steuereinnahmen - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

März-Schätzung: Experten rechnen mit sensationell hohen Steuereinnahmen - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Angedeutet hatte es sich schon, jetzt ist es quasi amtlich: Die Steuereinnahmen sind nach Informationen aus dem Finanzministerium im März um 16,4 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahresmonat gestiegen. Für Experten ein Zeichen, dass die Konjunktur "noch stärker brummt als gedacht".

Filbinger-Verteidigung: Merkel und FDP rügen Oettingers Trauerrede - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Filbinger-Verteidigung: Merkel und FDP rügen Oettingers Trauerrede - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Erst die jüdische Gemeinde, dann die Opposition, jetzt die Kanzlerin und der Koalitionspartner FDP: Die Kritik an der Trauerrede von Ministerpräsident Oettinger für Amtsvorgänger Filbinger wird immer lauter. Das Simon-Wiesenthal-Zentrum fordert den Rücktritt des CDU-Politikers.

Günther Oettinger Gefährliche Ausflüge in die Historie - Deutschland - sueddeutsche.de

Günther Oettinger Gefährliche Ausflüge in die Historie - Deutschland - sueddeutsche.de

"Das Blöde ist, es kommt kein Krieg mehr": Baden-Württembergs Regierungschef erlangte schon häufiger Aufmerksamkeit mit seltsamen Sätzen.

Hintergründe - Feuilleton - FAZ.NET - Papst-Buch „Jesus von Nazareth“: Ratzingers dramatischer Befund

Hintergründe - Feuilleton - FAZ.NET - Papst-Buch „Jesus von Nazareth“: Ratzingers dramatischer Befund

13. April 2007
Der literarische Kunstgriff des Papstes besteht darin, ein Buch über „Jesus von Nazareth“ (Herder Verlag) gleichsam als Privatgelehrter verfasst zu haben, also nicht als Benedikt XVI., sondern als Joseph Ratzinger. Geht das überhaupt? Dem Autor scheint klar zu sein, dass das nur zur Hälfte geht. Sein Vorwort hat er jedenfalls vorsichtshalber mit beiden Namen unterschrieben, mit dem bürgerlichen und dem päpstlichen, in dieser Reihenfolge.

Länder - Politik - FAZ.NET - Hans Filbinger: In den Strömungen der Zeit

Länder - Politik - FAZ.NET - Hans Filbinger: In den Strömungen der Zeit

13. April 2007
Der „Fall Filbinger“ war die Folge eines Artikels von Rolf Hochhuth in der Hamburger Wochenzeitung „Die Zeit“. Am 17. Februar 1978 beschimpfte der durch das Theaterstück „Der Stellvertreter“ (1963) bekannt gewordene Autor den Ministerpräsidenten Baden-Württembergs als „Hitlers Marine-Richter, der sogar noch in britischer Kriegsgefangenschaft nach Hitlers Tod einen deutschen Matrosen mit Nazi-Gesetzen verfolgt“ habe. Filbinger sei ein „furchtbarer Jurist“ gewesen, vermutlich „auf freiem Fuß nur dank des Schweigens derer, die ihn kannten“.

FT.com / World - Germany in push to set G8 emissions target

FT.com / World - Germany in push to set G8 emissions target

Germany in push to set G8 emissions target
By Alan Beattie in London and Hugh Williamson in Berlin

Published: April 13 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 13 2007 03:00

Germany, this year's chair of the Group of Eight rich countries, has pushed the group to set a tough target for reducing carbon emissions, the first time it has been asked to commit to an explicit reduction.

But environmentalists said the World Bank, which the G8 has asked to finance the shift away from carbon use in the developing world, was continuing to ramp up lending for oil and gas.

A February draft of the final communiqué of the June heads of government meeting, obtained by the Financial Times, says: "Global warming caused largely by human activities is accelerating . . . beyond a temperature increase of 2 degrees C, risks from climate change will be largely unmanageable."

The draft said the G8 would "contribute our fair share" to limit global warming by ensuring global greenhouse gas emissions peaked in the next 10-15 years and then cutting them 50 per cent by 2050 from 1990 levels.

The US has dismissed calls for limits as "rhetoric". People in Berlin familiar with the German position said the 2°C limit to global warming remained in more recent drafts of the communiqué, but was facing "extremely strong opposition" from Washington, which was fighting its inclusion in the final draft.

The Germans and the British "would like to retain this language, but it will be very difficult", one person said.

The G8 has in the past called on the World Bank to fund greener energy generation in the developing world. Analysis of the bank's data for its lending in 2006 by the Bank Information Center, a Washington-based campaign group, showed lending to the fossil fuel industry rose by 93 per cent in 2006, compared with an increase of only 46 per cent in lending for renewable energy and conservation projects.

"There is a disconnect between what the G8 keeps saying and what the World Bank is doing," said Graham Saul, director of international programmes at the BIC. "Funding the expansion of the oil industry is a role the bank has played since the 1970s and it has been a great cash cow for them."

Jamal Saghir, director of energy for the World Bank, said the upward trend in the share of the bank's lending for control of carbon emissions was clear.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects had risen to 37 per cent of the World Bank Group's energy portfolio from just 14 per cent in 1994. "The bank is a world leader in lending for renewable energy and energy efficiency," he said. It had matched and beaten the target it had been set of increasing such lending by 20 per cent a year, Mr Saghir said.

The bank group as a whole includes its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, which has funded several controversial oil and gas pipelines in the developing world.

The G8 heads of government meet in June to discuss climate change, the world economy, trade and foreign policy. The communiqué also contains a strongly worded attack on "investment protectionism", which it says is imperilling the continued integration of the global economy.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Passfotos und Fingerabdrücke: Schäuble-Plan schockiert die Genossen - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Passfotos und Fingerabdrücke: Schäuble-Plan schockiert die Genossen - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Schäubles Sicherheitspläne entwickeln sich zu einem Sprengsatz für die Koalition: Der Innenminister will, dass die Polizei online auf Millionen Passfotos zugreifen darf, zudem sollen Fingerabdrücke aller Bürger gespeichert werden. Die SPD spricht von einer Provokation.

FTD.de - Industrie - Nachrichten - Porsche ist kein Einzelfall - wo in Deutschland Werke wachsen

FTD.de - Industrie - Nachrichten - Porsche ist kein Einzelfall - wo in Deutschland Werke wachsen

Mit seiner neuen Montagehalle in Leipzig steht Porsche nicht alleine da. Trotz der Abwanderungen nach Asien und Osteuropa werden nach wie vor Milliardensummen in deutsche Produktionsstätten gesteckt. Wo seit 2000 "Leuchttürme" entstanden - und was daraus geworden ist.

FT.com / In depth - Germany demands China signs oil pact

FT.com / In depth - Germany demands China signs oil pact

Germany demands China signs oil pact
By Hugh Williamson in Berlin

Published: April 12 2007 18:01 Last updated: April 12 2007 18:01

An international initiative to promote transparency in the oil industry’s often-murky finances will fail unless China participates, a German official said on Thursday.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, supported by more than 30 governments and 25 oil, gas and mining companies, will achieve a “level playing field” against corruption only if Beijing joins, said Bernd Pfaffenbach, envoy to the Group of Eight industrial states for Angela Merkel, German chancellor.

The EITI will win full backing this year from the G8 and possibly from the United Nations, according to Mr Pfaffenbach and EITI officials. The envoys from all G8 countries had recently “expressed concern” over China’s booming investments in Africa’s energy sector, and Beijing should be “made to feel more responsible” for its development impact, said Mr Pfaffenbach.

He told members of the EITI board, meeting in Berlin, that while “open China-bashing” should be avoided, the operations of China’s state-run energy companies were problematic.

Beijing is not a signatory to the EITI, under which resource-rich states – mostly in Africa and central Asia – are meant to publish details of revenues received from energy companies. Such action should discourage the misuse or disappearance of revenues – a process said to have blighted economic development in countries such as Nigeria and Angola.

China is responsible for 40 per cent of the growth in oil demand since 2003, say EITI officials. Its recent energy investments in Angola and Sudan have been criticised as nontransparent and environmentally damaging.

Peter Eigen, EITI chairman, said China should do more, but predicted it would “catch up slowly. It is important to engage with, not demonise, the country.”

Mr Pfaffenbach welcomed the EITI’s rapid growth since its launch in 2002 by Tony Blair, the British prime minister, but said it needed an “independent validation process” to ensure signatory countries and companies were complying with the voluntary initiative.

An internal EITI report admits that 16 of the 26 resource-rich nations listed on its website as being committed to its principles “appear not to have met ... indicators” necessary for even starting the validation process. Only Nigeria and Azerbaijan are near to full compliance. Eight western governments are also members. Non-government organisations on the EITI board accused energy companies of using the board meeting to delay by six months implementation of validation steps to protect business interests. “This feet-dragging is unfortunate,” said Gavin Hayman, of the pressure group Global Witness.

Edward Bickham, vice-president of the mining group Anglo-American, said the EITI had to move cautiously. “African governments have welcomed China’s advance because [it] does less finger-wagging” than the west over governance standards, he said.

Mr Eigen said pressure was needed as some EITI countries such as the Republic of Congo were “behaving very badly”. Police there had repeatedly arrested an NGO activist on the EITI board.

The idea that China would lift governance standards in the near future was naive, said energy specialists. Mr Pfaffenbach said Beijing would be invited to a Berlin conference this year on energy sector transparency.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Monday, April 09, 2007

Roland-Berger-Studie Experten erwarten grünes Job-Wunder - Deutschland - sueddeutsche.de

Roland-Berger-Studie Experten erwarten grünes Job-Wunder - Deutschland - sueddeutsche.de

Die globale Klimaschutz-Debatte hat einer Studie zufolge äußerst positive Auswirkungen auf den deutschen Arbeitsmarkt. Im Jahr 2020 werde die Öko-Branche mehr Mitarbeiter ernähren als die Autoindustrie.

"Wie die Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung unter Berufung auf eine Studie der Unternehmensberatung Roland Berger berichtet, mausere sich die Öko-Industrie zu einem der größten Jobmotoren in Deutschland.

'Die Öko-Branche entwickelt sich zur Leitbranche in Deutschland. Ein Job-Motor ist sie schon heute', sagte Torsten Henzelmann von Roland Berger der Zeitung.
'Im Jahr 2020 wird die Umweltbranche mehr Mitarbeiter ernähren als der Maschinenbau oder die Autoindustrie“, so Henzelmann.

Im Bereich Umwelttechnik arbeiten demnach in Deutschland derzeit bereits eine Million Arbeitnehmer. Die Zahl werde parallel zu den explodierenden Umsätzen steigen. Schon heute klagten Unternehmen, dass sie nicht genügend qualifizierte Mitarbeiter fänden, sagte Henzelmann.

Die Unternehmensberatung erstellt im Auftrag von Umweltminister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) einen Öko-Atlas für Deutschland, der im Juni zum EU-Umweltgipfel offiziell veröffentlicht werden soll. „Im Jahr 2020 wird die Umweltbranche mehr Mitarbeiter ernähren als der Maschinenbau oder die Autoindustrie“, sagte Henzelmann."

Friday, April 06, 2007

Digitalisierung deutscher Bibliotheken: Öffentliche Konkurrenz für Google - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Digitalisierung deutscher Bibliotheken: Öffentliche Konkurrenz für Google - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft will für die Digitalisierung der Bestände wissenschaftlicher Bibliotheken 10 bis 20 Millionen Euro jährlich ausgeben. Ziel: Bücher in besserer Qualität digitalisieren als Google.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Ermordung Siegfried Bubacks: Tödliche Salve an der Ampel - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Ermordung Siegfried Bubacks: Tödliche Salve an der Ampel - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

Mit der Ermordung des Generalbundesanwalts Siegfried Buback startete die RAF vor 30 Jahren ihre "Offensive 77". Es war die erste spektakuläre Tat der zweiten Generation und der Auftakt für das blutigste Jahr des deutschen Terrors. Kanzler Schmidt sprach von Schüssen gegen den Rechtsstaat.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - SPD will Zeitarbeit einschränken

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - SPD will Zeitarbeit einschränken

Die SPD-Fraktion will die erst vor wenigen Jahren durchgesetzte Liberalisierung der Leiharbeitsbranche zurückdrehen. Nach einem von der Fraktion verabschiedeten Papier mit Kernthesen zum "Grünbuch Arbeitsrecht" der EU sollen neue Mindeststandards bei der Zeitarbeit eingeführt werden.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Großbaustelle Kindergarten

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Großbaustelle Kindergarten

Bundesfamilienministerin Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) hat einen Punktsieg errungen. Auf dem Familiengipfel hat sie sich die Rückendeckung der Länderminister und Kommunen für ihren Plan gesichert, bis 2013 das Betreuungsangebot für Kleinkinder auf 750.000 Plätze aufzustocken. Doch das Gezerre ist nicht zu Ende - ein Überblick.

Wird genug für Familien getan? - Debatte: Meinungsforum für Diskussionen

Wird genug für Familien getan? - Debatte: Meinungsforum für Diskussionen

FTD.de - Köpfe - Nachrichten - Siemens-Vorstand Feldmayer wieder frei

FTD.de - Köpfe - Nachrichten - Siemens-Vorstand Feldmayer wieder frei

Siemens-Zentralvorstand Johannes Feldmayer ist nach einer Woche Untersuchungshaft in Bamberg wieder auf freiem Fuß. Wie das Nürnberger Oberlandesgericht mitteilte, wurde der Haftbefehl "unter Auflagen" außer Vollzug gesetzt.

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Berliner Farbenspiele

FTD.de - Deutschland - Nachrichten - Berliner Farbenspiele

Die Große Koalition hat das Lagerdenken zwischen Rot-Grün und Schwarz-Gelb aufgelöst. Um nach der Bundestagswahl 2009 möglichst viele Optionen zu haben, sucht die SPD Kontakte zur FDP, und die Grünen nähern sich den Unionsparteien an.