Feminismus: J. Hensel und E. Raether »Neue deutsche Mädchen« | ZEIT online
Abrechnung mit Alice
Von Stefanie Flamm | © DIE ZEIT, 30.04.2008 Nr. 19
Schlagworte: Feminismus Sachbuch Literatur Kultur
Der Feminismus à la Schwarzer ist tot, behaupten Jana Hensel und Elisabeth Raether, es leben: »Neue deutsche Mädchen«! Wen sie damit meinen, bleibt ihr Geheimnis
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Germany risks crisis, says chief of Bosch
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Germany risks crisis, says chief of Bosch
Germany risks crisis, says chief of BoschBy Richard Milne in Frankfurt
Published: April 28 2008 03:00 | Last updated: April 28 2008 03:00
Germany risks falling into crisis because of government indecision over economic reform and loud demands from trade unions for higher pay and less flexibility, Franz Fehrenbach, chief executive of Bosch, has warned.
Mr Fehrenbach told the Financial Times that the "very dangerous mixture" of electioneering by politicians, higher wage deals and a push for a minimum wage came at the worst possible time as "the risks for 2009 grow every day" for the continent's companies.
"This mixture, I fear, could lead us into the next crisis. And that at the same moment when we face all the other problems in the economy," he said.
The starkest warning over reform so far by a German chief executive reflects unease across its business community over how little the government is doing to help at a time when growth prospects are under threat.
Mr Fehrenbach viewed Berlin's decision to raise pension payments as particularly controversial (he spoke of "electoral presents") and comes as unions become increasingly vocal, not just about pay - several deals have been above inflation - but also on flexibility measures such as temporary workers. Another chief executive of a leading German company said: "Germany is facing a perfect storm."
Bosch, which had revenues of about €40bn last year and is the world's largest car-parts supplier, is already feeling, in the US and Japan, the effects of the credit crunch, Mr Fehrenbach said, but "the rest is practically not affected". He expected world growth to be 3 per cent this year, one point lower than last year.
He warned that the focus on the euro/dollar exchange rate overlooked the yen, a more important currency for much of industry because of competitors in Japan. "The weakness of the yen is much more important [than the dollar] - especially for the European automotive industry," he said.
Desire to compete, Page 18
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Germany risks crisis, says chief of BoschBy Richard Milne in Frankfurt
Published: April 28 2008 03:00 | Last updated: April 28 2008 03:00
Germany risks falling into crisis because of government indecision over economic reform and loud demands from trade unions for higher pay and less flexibility, Franz Fehrenbach, chief executive of Bosch, has warned.
Mr Fehrenbach told the Financial Times that the "very dangerous mixture" of electioneering by politicians, higher wage deals and a push for a minimum wage came at the worst possible time as "the risks for 2009 grow every day" for the continent's companies.
"This mixture, I fear, could lead us into the next crisis. And that at the same moment when we face all the other problems in the economy," he said.
The starkest warning over reform so far by a German chief executive reflects unease across its business community over how little the government is doing to help at a time when growth prospects are under threat.
Mr Fehrenbach viewed Berlin's decision to raise pension payments as particularly controversial (he spoke of "electoral presents") and comes as unions become increasingly vocal, not just about pay - several deals have been above inflation - but also on flexibility measures such as temporary workers. Another chief executive of a leading German company said: "Germany is facing a perfect storm."
Bosch, which had revenues of about €40bn last year and is the world's largest car-parts supplier, is already feeling, in the US and Japan, the effects of the credit crunch, Mr Fehrenbach said, but "the rest is practically not affected". He expected world growth to be 3 per cent this year, one point lower than last year.
He warned that the focus on the euro/dollar exchange rate overlooked the yen, a more important currency for much of industry because of competitors in Japan. "The weakness of the yen is much more important [than the dollar] - especially for the European automotive industry," he said.
Desire to compete, Page 18
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Liechtenstein-Affäre ''Wer verschleiert hat, bekommt sehr viel Ärger'' - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de
Liechtenstein-Affäre ''Wer verschleiert hat, bekommt sehr viel Ärger'' - Wirtschaft - sueddeutsche.de
Liechtenstein-Affäre
"Wer verschleiert hat, bekommt sehr viel Ärger"
Steuersünder haben den Behörden bisher 500 Millionen Euro aus Geldanlagen in Liechtenstein zurückgezahlt - aber längst nicht alles gemeldet.
Von Hans Leyendecker und Johannes Nitschmann
Liechtenstein-Affäre
"Wer verschleiert hat, bekommt sehr viel Ärger"
Steuersünder haben den Behörden bisher 500 Millionen Euro aus Geldanlagen in Liechtenstein zurückgezahlt - aber längst nicht alles gemeldet.
Von Hans Leyendecker und Johannes Nitschmann
Deutsche Bank Lebenszeichen vom Kreditmarkt - Finanzen - sueddeutsche.de
Deutsche Bank Lebenszeichen vom Kreditmarkt - Finanzen - sueddeutsche.de
Deutsche Bank
Lebenszeichen vom Kreditmarkt
Die Deutsche Bank und andere Institute finden Käufer für milliardenschwere Darlehen. Dennoch dürfte die Deutsche Bank demnächst einen Verlust melden.
Von Martin Hesse
Deutsche Bank
Lebenszeichen vom Kreditmarkt
Die Deutsche Bank und andere Institute finden Käufer für milliardenschwere Darlehen. Dennoch dürfte die Deutsche Bank demnächst einen Verlust melden.
Von Martin Hesse
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Germany's engineering groups shrug off financial crisis
FT.com / Home UK / UK - Germany's engineering groups shrug off financial crisis
Germany's engineering groups shrug off financial crisis
By Richard Milne in Hanover
Published: April 23 2008 03:00 | Last updated: April 23 2008 03:00
German engineering companies are enjoying their biggest boom in 40 years despite the credit crunch and the strong euro, according to industry executives.
Renowned for their -conservative outlook, the family-owned Mittelstand - small and medium-sized -concerns - are in the unusual position of being one of the most optimistic sectors about growth prospects in the financial crisis.
"The subprime crisis is not noticeable to us at all. Despite all the negative things, we are in the biggest boom since the end of the 1960s," said Manfred Wittenstein, chief executive of the motor maker Wittenstein and head of the VDMA engineering association. "The underlying conditions are positive for us, with a good global presence and demand for products that are energy efficient."
Other heads of Mittelstand companies - which form the backbone of the economy - at the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial trade fair, agreed.
"I have no angst at all when I look at the future because the world still needs German machines," said Thomas Kaeser, head of -Kaeser Kompressoren, the world's largest air compressor company. In line with other German specialist manufacturers his company is benefiting from growing demand for more energy -efficient products.
The VDMA predicts a 5 per cent rise in production this year after double-digit growth both last year and in the first two months of 2008. Companies expect a slowing of growth from the end of this year but all remain optimistic for growth in 2009.
With large listed German groups such as Siemens and BMW cutting thousands of jobs in anticipation of a downturn, the Mittelstand are striking in that they are hiring large numbers of workers. The VDMA this week lifted its forecast for the number of jobs to be created this year in the sector from 10,000 to 30,000.
Eberhard Veit, chief executive of Festo, one of the world's largest makers of automation products, predicted 7-8 per cent growth in revenues this year after 9 per cent in 2007."People don't want cheap technology because a stop in production costs €10,000 a minute. So they are buying high-quality, highly reliable products from us - that come at a cost."
Erhard Tellbüscher, chief executive of Lenze, a maker of drives for conveyors and other machines, tempered the positive mood somewhat. "We are optimistic but we have become less optimistic," he said. "We are seeing some big projects being postponed. So we see 2-3 percentage points less growth but we will still grow in the high single digits this year."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Germany's engineering groups shrug off financial crisis
By Richard Milne in Hanover
Published: April 23 2008 03:00 | Last updated: April 23 2008 03:00
German engineering companies are enjoying their biggest boom in 40 years despite the credit crunch and the strong euro, according to industry executives.
Renowned for their -conservative outlook, the family-owned Mittelstand - small and medium-sized -concerns - are in the unusual position of being one of the most optimistic sectors about growth prospects in the financial crisis.
"The subprime crisis is not noticeable to us at all. Despite all the negative things, we are in the biggest boom since the end of the 1960s," said Manfred Wittenstein, chief executive of the motor maker Wittenstein and head of the VDMA engineering association. "The underlying conditions are positive for us, with a good global presence and demand for products that are energy efficient."
Other heads of Mittelstand companies - which form the backbone of the economy - at the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial trade fair, agreed.
"I have no angst at all when I look at the future because the world still needs German machines," said Thomas Kaeser, head of -Kaeser Kompressoren, the world's largest air compressor company. In line with other German specialist manufacturers his company is benefiting from growing demand for more energy -efficient products.
The VDMA predicts a 5 per cent rise in production this year after double-digit growth both last year and in the first two months of 2008. Companies expect a slowing of growth from the end of this year but all remain optimistic for growth in 2009.
With large listed German groups such as Siemens and BMW cutting thousands of jobs in anticipation of a downturn, the Mittelstand are striking in that they are hiring large numbers of workers. The VDMA this week lifted its forecast for the number of jobs to be created this year in the sector from 10,000 to 30,000.
Eberhard Veit, chief executive of Festo, one of the world's largest makers of automation products, predicted 7-8 per cent growth in revenues this year after 9 per cent in 2007."People don't want cheap technology because a stop in production costs €10,000 a minute. So they are buying high-quality, highly reliable products from us - that come at a cost."
Erhard Tellbüscher, chief executive of Lenze, a maker of drives for conveyors and other machines, tempered the positive mood somewhat. "We are optimistic but we have become less optimistic," he said. "We are seeing some big projects being postponed. So we see 2-3 percentage points less growth but we will still grow in the high single digits this year."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
FT.com / World - Germany agrees partial sale of Deutsche Bahn
FT.com / World - Germany agrees partial sale of Deutsche Bahn
Germany agrees partial sale of Deutsche Bahn
By Hugh Williamson
Published: April 15 2008 03:41 | Last updated: April 15 2008 03:41
Germany is set to launch the privatisation of Deutsche Bahn, one of the world’s biggest transport groups, after political leaders in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition on Monday agreed terms on the partial sell-off.
The political breakthrough on the landmark privatisation move – first conceived 14 years ago – came after pro-reform and leftwing factions in the Social Democratic party (SPD), the junior coalition partner, reached a compromise allowing the sale to go ahead, possibly later this year.
Under the plan, also agreed in outline by Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Deutsche Bahn – Europe’s largest rail and logistics group – would become a holding company, controlling 75.1 per cent of passenger and freight transport and all of the entity running stations and the rail network. The 24.9 per cent stake in the transport arm would be sold in the flotation.
The sale is expected to raise €3bn-€5bn ($4.8bn-$7.9bn, £2.4bn-£4bn), experts said on Monday. Most of this would flow to the government, but some would be used to fund Deutsche Bahn’s investment plans in Germany, other European countries and elsewhere.
The company declined to comment, but Kurt Beck, who chairs the SPD, said Hartmut Mehdorn, Deutsche Bahn chief executive, welcomed the move. The company has been lobbying for years for a sell-off to raise necessary funds to expand services, especially ahead of 2010, when the European Union will open its borders to competition for rail passenger services.
Monday’s agreement on one of Germany’s largest remaining state assets will come as a relief to Ms Merkel. The partial sell-off is one of her government’s key remaining agenda items before elections in September 2009. The coalition is expected to agree the deal on April 28.
The pact is also important for Mr Beck, who has been under political attack for months for his handling of a political crisis within the SPD. Leftwing opposition to Bahn privatisation at an SPD congress last October appeared to have halted the project, and the left also influenced Monday’s deal, reducing the size of the privatisation stake from 49.9 per cent in earlier plans to 24.9 per cent.
That cap meant private investors would not have rights to seats on the holding company’s supervisory board, Mr Beck said, assuaging SPD and public fears that the entry of investors will lead to poorer services.
In spite of these limits, transport experts and CDU politicians welcomed the compromise as an important first step that might be followed after next year’s election by a second privatisation tranche. Ronald Pofalla, CDU general secretary, said the SPD proposal was “a good basis for negotiations”.
The company has 80 subsidiaries – including sea, trucking and air freight operations.
Freight transport accounts for 50 per cent of its sales, up from 20 per cent in 2000. Its subsidiaries include Schenker, Railon and Stinnes.
www.ft.com/viewfromeurope
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Germany agrees partial sale of Deutsche Bahn
By Hugh Williamson
Published: April 15 2008 03:41 | Last updated: April 15 2008 03:41
Germany is set to launch the privatisation of Deutsche Bahn, one of the world’s biggest transport groups, after political leaders in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition on Monday agreed terms on the partial sell-off.
The political breakthrough on the landmark privatisation move – first conceived 14 years ago – came after pro-reform and leftwing factions in the Social Democratic party (SPD), the junior coalition partner, reached a compromise allowing the sale to go ahead, possibly later this year.
Under the plan, also agreed in outline by Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Deutsche Bahn – Europe’s largest rail and logistics group – would become a holding company, controlling 75.1 per cent of passenger and freight transport and all of the entity running stations and the rail network. The 24.9 per cent stake in the transport arm would be sold in the flotation.
The sale is expected to raise €3bn-€5bn ($4.8bn-$7.9bn, £2.4bn-£4bn), experts said on Monday. Most of this would flow to the government, but some would be used to fund Deutsche Bahn’s investment plans in Germany, other European countries and elsewhere.
The company declined to comment, but Kurt Beck, who chairs the SPD, said Hartmut Mehdorn, Deutsche Bahn chief executive, welcomed the move. The company has been lobbying for years for a sell-off to raise necessary funds to expand services, especially ahead of 2010, when the European Union will open its borders to competition for rail passenger services.
Monday’s agreement on one of Germany’s largest remaining state assets will come as a relief to Ms Merkel. The partial sell-off is one of her government’s key remaining agenda items before elections in September 2009. The coalition is expected to agree the deal on April 28.
The pact is also important for Mr Beck, who has been under political attack for months for his handling of a political crisis within the SPD. Leftwing opposition to Bahn privatisation at an SPD congress last October appeared to have halted the project, and the left also influenced Monday’s deal, reducing the size of the privatisation stake from 49.9 per cent in earlier plans to 24.9 per cent.
That cap meant private investors would not have rights to seats on the holding company’s supervisory board, Mr Beck said, assuaging SPD and public fears that the entry of investors will lead to poorer services.
In spite of these limits, transport experts and CDU politicians welcomed the compromise as an important first step that might be followed after next year’s election by a second privatisation tranche. Ronald Pofalla, CDU general secretary, said the SPD proposal was “a good basis for negotiations”.
The company has 80 subsidiaries – including sea, trucking and air freight operations.
Freight transport accounts for 50 per cent of its sales, up from 20 per cent in 2000. Its subsidiaries include Schenker, Railon and Stinnes.
www.ft.com/viewfromeurope
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
FT.com / World - Germany set to replace Iron Cross
FT.com / World - Germany set to replace Iron Cross
Germany set to replace Iron Cross
By Hugh Williamson in Potsdam
Published: April 11 2008 19:24 | Last updated: April 12 2008 00:02
Sixty years after the defeat of Nazism led Germany to shun symbols of military heroism, Berlin is poised to bring back official honours for bravery, including a new medal for valour.
About 25 German soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001 but, unlike their counterparts, they can never receive anything like Britain’s Victoria Cross or France’s Legion of Honour as their country has allowed no such award since the end of the second world war.
Soldiers can be decorated for long service in the Bundeswehr, Germany’s military force, but the absence of awards for courage has led to calls for a return of the Iron Cross – a Prussian medal whose origins lie in the Napoleonic wars.
However, the medal’s association with Adolf Hitler, who awarded it to thousands during the second world war, makes such a revival unlikely.
Hans-Ulrich Wehler, a prominent historian, says the symbol is “too tarnished by Nazi history”. A military version of Germany’s top civilian honour would be more appropriate, he says.
However, there is wider backing for a new medal for bravery and President Horst Köhler is likely to support it – possibly this year. A separate defence ministry plan for a Berlin monument to fallen Bundeswehr soldiers has also gained favour.
Some still worry about how bravery should be defined but for Timmy Schwarz, a 25-year-old airman who led an early campaign for the honour within the Bundeswehr, it is clear.
“It makes a difference whether a soldier’s job in Afghanistan is to peel potatoes or to go on patrols against the Taliban. Courage involves going beyond the call of duty,” he told a German magazine. The public appears to have accepted the medal idea, although there is little support for it to take the form of the Iron Cross.
A new medal for valour would be notable in a country that has been steeped in pacifism for 60 years but, with 7,300 German troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo and nine other foreign operations, the move symbolises a shift in perceptions of the country’s military, which now faces criticism from abroad that it does too little.
Colonel Wolfgang Gäbelein, a senior commander in Potsdam, a town just outside Berlin steeped in Prussian military history and from which foreign operations are now co-ordinated, bristles at suggestions that the Bundeswehr is unwilling to fight the toughest battles.
“This is uncomfortable for us soldiers,” he says. “I think we have proved many times that we are not cowards [in our overseas deployments], that we are as strong as everyone else.”
At its root, the problem is not the troops but the politicians, he implies. “Don’t forget, we are a parliamentary army,” he insists. The message: We would willingly do more if we were allowed to by politicians, who – in voting on every mission – have to weigh public worries about more body-bags coming home.
Overseas missions are changing the Bundeswehr with Nato and United Nations peacekeeping operations becoming, as one senior officer notes, the “only Bundeswehr reality for many younger soldiers”, whose predecessors would have been confined to serving on German soil.
The proposed new medal, says Colonel Gäbelein, is “a logical result of us increasingly facing violent conflict”.
A separate defence ministry plan for a Berlin monument to fallen Bundeswehr soldiers has also gained favour. Burkhart Franck, a retired colonel who served in Potsdam and helps run a project to rebuild the town’s famous Garnison Prussian military church, welcomes plans for both a medal and a monument.
“These are signs of Germany’s postwar normalisation. It’s just a pity that public opinion on the Bundeswehr’s overall role is hanging so far behind.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Germany set to replace Iron Cross
By Hugh Williamson in Potsdam
Published: April 11 2008 19:24 | Last updated: April 12 2008 00:02
Sixty years after the defeat of Nazism led Germany to shun symbols of military heroism, Berlin is poised to bring back official honours for bravery, including a new medal for valour.
About 25 German soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001 but, unlike their counterparts, they can never receive anything like Britain’s Victoria Cross or France’s Legion of Honour as their country has allowed no such award since the end of the second world war.
Soldiers can be decorated for long service in the Bundeswehr, Germany’s military force, but the absence of awards for courage has led to calls for a return of the Iron Cross – a Prussian medal whose origins lie in the Napoleonic wars.
However, the medal’s association with Adolf Hitler, who awarded it to thousands during the second world war, makes such a revival unlikely.
Hans-Ulrich Wehler, a prominent historian, says the symbol is “too tarnished by Nazi history”. A military version of Germany’s top civilian honour would be more appropriate, he says.
However, there is wider backing for a new medal for bravery and President Horst Köhler is likely to support it – possibly this year. A separate defence ministry plan for a Berlin monument to fallen Bundeswehr soldiers has also gained favour.
Some still worry about how bravery should be defined but for Timmy Schwarz, a 25-year-old airman who led an early campaign for the honour within the Bundeswehr, it is clear.
“It makes a difference whether a soldier’s job in Afghanistan is to peel potatoes or to go on patrols against the Taliban. Courage involves going beyond the call of duty,” he told a German magazine. The public appears to have accepted the medal idea, although there is little support for it to take the form of the Iron Cross.
A new medal for valour would be notable in a country that has been steeped in pacifism for 60 years but, with 7,300 German troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo and nine other foreign operations, the move symbolises a shift in perceptions of the country’s military, which now faces criticism from abroad that it does too little.
Colonel Wolfgang Gäbelein, a senior commander in Potsdam, a town just outside Berlin steeped in Prussian military history and from which foreign operations are now co-ordinated, bristles at suggestions that the Bundeswehr is unwilling to fight the toughest battles.
“This is uncomfortable for us soldiers,” he says. “I think we have proved many times that we are not cowards [in our overseas deployments], that we are as strong as everyone else.”
At its root, the problem is not the troops but the politicians, he implies. “Don’t forget, we are a parliamentary army,” he insists. The message: We would willingly do more if we were allowed to by politicians, who – in voting on every mission – have to weigh public worries about more body-bags coming home.
Overseas missions are changing the Bundeswehr with Nato and United Nations peacekeeping operations becoming, as one senior officer notes, the “only Bundeswehr reality for many younger soldiers”, whose predecessors would have been confined to serving on German soil.
The proposed new medal, says Colonel Gäbelein, is “a logical result of us increasingly facing violent conflict”.
A separate defence ministry plan for a Berlin monument to fallen Bundeswehr soldiers has also gained favour. Burkhart Franck, a retired colonel who served in Potsdam and helps run a project to rebuild the town’s famous Garnison Prussian military church, welcomes plans for both a medal and a monument.
“These are signs of Germany’s postwar normalisation. It’s just a pity that public opinion on the Bundeswehr’s overall role is hanging so far behind.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Mindestlöhne: Struck fordert Machtwort von Merkel | ZEIT online
Mindestlöhne: Struck fordert Machtwort von Merkel | ZEIT online
Struck fordert Machtwort
© ZEIT online, dpa, Reuters 2.4.2008 - 10:21 Uhr
Schlagworte: Wirtschaftspolitik Politik
SPD-Fraktionschef Struck geht im koalitionsinternen Streit über Mindestlöhne Kanzlerin Merkel an: Sie soll Wirtschaftsminister Glos auf Linie bringen
Struck fordert Machtwort
© ZEIT online, dpa, Reuters 2.4.2008 - 10:21 Uhr
Schlagworte: Wirtschaftspolitik Politik
SPD-Fraktionschef Struck geht im koalitionsinternen Streit über Mindestlöhne Kanzlerin Merkel an: Sie soll Wirtschaftsminister Glos auf Linie bringen
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