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German News Report for: Friday, April 7th

Based on the daily monitoring of:

Daily national newspapers:
Handelsblatt, Der Tagesspiegel, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, S?ddeutsche Zeitung, Financial-Times-Deutschland

Weekly national newspapers:
Die Zeit, VDI Nachrichten, Welt am Sonntag

Weekly magazines:
Capital, Der Spiegel, Focus, Manager Magazin, Stern, Wirtschaftswoche, Industrieanzeiger

On special occasions and specific topics, the news-report may also refer to other media not listed above.

Newspaper Tagesspiegel
Title: Der Krieger seines Herrn / The warrior of the Lord
Author: Hans-Hagen Bremer
Content/ Tonality: Article about Minister Dominique de Villepin and his reform.
The author reports on Minister Villepin’s contemporary situation and his future plans. His major objective is to withstand the current crisis and furthermore find a way out. The article accounts in a very detailed way giving various background information on the CPE, the unions and the crisis? development.
Comment: Political information

Newspaper Handelsblatt
Title: Liberté / Liberty
Author: Holger Alich
Content/ Tonality: Large-scale profile article about Thales-CEO Denis Ranque.
The author reports that Mr. Ranque is fighting for Thales’ autonomy and thus is not interested in EADS.
Thales has recently had a merger with Alcatel and their satellite branch. Alcatel brought in their satellite branch and in return received Thales shares.
Denis Ranque who is frequently asked why he didn’t accept EADS’ offer, replies that there is no EADS-offer and adds Europe offers several other partners besides EADS. According to senior employee information, Ranque used his political contacts to defend Thales autonomy (from EADS).
Comment: Economical and political information

Newspaper Handelsblatt
Title: Geordneter Rueckzug / Controlled withdrawal
Author: Holger Alich
Content/ Tonality: Comment-like article about Minister Villepin and his CPE decision.
The author reports on Villepin’s decision regarding his initial statement to not take back the CPE. According to the author Villepin has finally realised that his labour market reform is simply not enforceable.
By doing so he slowly clears the way for France to find their way out this long lasting social crisis. Alich writes very pictorially and uses many metaphors:
e.g. he accounts that Minister Villepin’s follower’s support is melting away like snow in the springtime sun.
Furthermore he tells that Villepin tries to rescue whatever is left to rescue: his head.
Comment: Political information

Newspaper FAZ
Title: Villepin: Dialog ohne Tabus / Villepin: Dialog without taboos
Author: Michaela Wiegel
Content/ Tonality: Article about minister Villepin and his current situation.
According to reports Villepin is changing his initial direction and now tries solve the conflict caused by his CPE. Opposed to his statements several days ago he now does no longer refuse to retract the labour market reform.
He is quoted ‘The dialog has started and will be lead without taboos’.
While this can be seen as a crisis’ milestone the protests and strikes continue nationwide.
In Toulouse several students blocked an Airbus A380 component transport.
The motor-way A55 was also blocked by protesters causing traffic jams.
Additionally there were numerous regional street blockades.
Villepin called out for the students to continue studying and not to put their exams at risk.

Comment: Political and societal information

German News Report for: Tuesday, April 4th

Based on the daily monitoring of:
Daily national newspapers:
Handelsblatt, Der Tagesspiegel, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, S’ddeutsche Zeitung, Financial-Times-Deutschland

Weekly national newspapers:
Die Zeit, VDI Nachrichten, Welt am Sonntag

Weekly magazines:
Capital, Der Spiegel, Focus, Manager Magazin, Stern, Wirtschaftswoche, Industrieanzeiger

On special occasions and specific topics, the news-report may also refer to other media not listed above.

Newspaper: Handelsblatt
Title: Frankreichs Firmen leiden unter Reformstreit/ France’s businesses suffer from reform conflict
Author: Tanja Kuchenbecker
Content/ Tonality: Business associations are stirred up because of the confusion the government brought into the CPE reform. Economists call the law a dead birth. The employees worry about the dampened job market reforms and don’t expect much from the CPE proceedings. The legal certainty is to low and the insecurity is to high for the entrepreneurs. ‘France’s employment market reform is blocked and in danger. That is a step backwards.’, Nicolas Bouzou from the research institute Xerfi said. France is risking its competitiveness because other European countries achieved more flexibility on their job market. The reasons for the concerns are the reduction of probation and mainly the dismissal justification. Therewith the law is deformed and makes no sense. The new contract differs barely from a normal labour agreement.
Comment: Political/ Economical

Newspaper Die Welt
Title: Frankreich liberalisiert Bahn-G’terverkehr / France liberalises the railway and freight transportation
Author: Gesche W’pper
Content/ Tonality: Article about the liberalisation of the French railway freight transpoirtation market. W’pper reports that the national railway company SNCF lost its monopoly concerning the inner French freight transportation. Seven possible business rivals, among these is the German company Rail4chem (an affiliate company of BASF) and Veolia Cargo are mentioned in the article. As the article explains, SNCF’s competitors are waiting for the results of ten proposals before being in the position to begin with their activities.
Comment: Economical information

Newspaper FAZ
Title: L’hne steigen in Frankreich st’rker / Salaries increase highly in France
Author: Patrick Welter
Content/ Tonality: Welter reports that monthly wages have been annually increasing by 2.5 per cent since 2005. Compared to Germany this is showing that the wage-gap between Germany and France has widened. As the author points out, the different developments concerning the wage growth in those two countries have often been used to explain the positive consumption growth in France and the reluctant consumption attitude of Germany. Following the author, the French wage rates have negative effects on the competitiveness of the French economy.
Comment: Economical information

Newspaper FAZ
Title: Sarkozy bem’ht sich um Verhandlungen / Sarkozy is making an effort to negotiate
Author: Michaela Wiegel
Content/ Tonality: While unions, students, school organisations and the left wing party prepare themselves for strikes and demonstrations this Tuesday the interior minister Mr. Sarkozy tries to initiate negotiations with his social partners.
The parliament has set a date to discuss the new law this year in May
Comment: Political information

Newspaper: Handelsblatt
Title: Franz’sische Konzerne Alcatel und Thales ‘ffnen die T’r f’r EADS / French companies Alcatel and Thales open their doors for EADS
Author: Tanja Kuchenbecker
Content/ Tonality: The French armament company Thales intends to collaborate with the European EADS. Alcatel is interested in Thales and wants to interchange its satellite branch with Thales shares. ‘Les Echos’ reports: ‘The satellite activities of EADS and Alcatel shall be bundled under Thales. Both could get holdings of about 20 percent of the armament company.’ France’s President Jacques Chirac pronounced himself in favour for the EADS participation.
Comment: Economical