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Rail cars loaded with steel sit at the ThyssenKrupp Schwelgern steel plant on May 30, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany. 

Economics

Politics

The European Union and the United States will increase efforts to deconflict their trade and climate policies ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential and EU parliamentary elections, but lingering disagreements will not allow for a complete respite of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.

EU-U.S. Steel and Aluminum Negotiations Make Limited Headway

Assessments

Foreigners wait outside the immigration office in Berlin, Germany, for assistance in regulating their legal residency status on Feb. 6, 2020.

Social Issues

Berlin’s bid to expand citizenship could help attract the foreign workers Germany needs to offset the fallout from its aging population. But it risks fueling the rise of far-right parties in the process.

Germany's Push to Plug Its Labor Shortages With Foreigners Risks Backfiring

German flags are seen waving in front of the country’s parliament building in Berlin, Germany.

While aimed at fostering greater competition, the government's proposed bill could inject more uncertainty into the business climate by fueling fears of bureaucratic overreach.

Germany Seeks To Give Its Antitrust Regulator More Power

China

Chinese shipping containers are seen at a seaport terminal in Duisburg, Germany, on July 13, 2023.

Military & Security

Berlin's long-awaited China strategy highlights growing operational, reputational and financial risks for German companies particularly exposed to the Asian giant.

Germany Sets Out on 'De-Risking' Its Relations With China

Media

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Podcasts

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

What Q3 security risks should companies expect and prepare for?

Essential Geopolitics: An Overview of RANE's Q3 Forecast

Brazil

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on May 23, 2023, in Beijing. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 18 will visit Beijing to meet with Gang.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Blinken Visits Beijing, China's Premier Goes to Germany

U.S.-China Relations

Saudi Arabia

National security adviser Jake Sullivan on June 2 in Washington. Sullivan on June 13 will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi ahead of Modi's June 22 visit to the United States.

The Weekly Rundown: Jake Sullivan Visits India, an Arab-China Business Conference

The Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, is seen at night.

Disputes over a new climate bill bode ill for the government's ability to negotiate a tight federal budget.

More Cracks Appear in Germany's Ruling Coalition

A photograph taken on March 16, 2023, shows Lake Serre-Poncon partially dry, near Embrun, in the French Alps. 

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Increasingly severe droughts and water shortages brought on by climate change will serve as a multiplier for Europe's energy, agricultural, industrial and socio-economic challenges. 

Europe's Scorching Summer and Warm Winter Portend a New Normal

A floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) is pictured behind a container painted with a map showing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, northeastern Germany, on Jan. 14, 2023. 

Reports that Ukrainians, not Russians, attacked the pipelines in September risk undermining Western support for Kyiv -- especially if Zelensky's government is directly implicated.

New Revelations About the Nord Stream Attacks Put Ukraine in Hot Water

South African President and ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa on Jan. 7, 2023, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's State of the Nation Speech, Biden and Lula Meet

Bolivia

Chilean President Gabriel Boric (right) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) pose after holding a joint press conference at the Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 29, 2023. 

To reduce its reliance on Chinese-made batteries, Germany is seeking to increase its presence in Latin America's ''Lithium Triangle.''

In Search of Lithium, Germany Eyes Partnerships With Chile and Argentina

The German government is drafting a new plan to impose further restrictions on telecommunication networks' use of Chinese equipment, Politico reported on Sept. 20, citing a government strategy paper.

Germany: Governments Plans to Phase Out Chinese Vendors From Telecom Networks

The French government announced that a new electric vehicle (EV) purchase subsidy scheme will be introduced in January 2024, Le Figaro reported Sept. 18. 

France: Paris Unveils New Emission-based Criteria for EV Purchase Subsidy Scheme

An internal paper for European leaders prepared by Spain warns the European Union could become as dependent on Chinese lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russian oil and natural gas before the Ukraine war, Reuters reported Sept. 17 after obtaining a draft of the paper.

EU: Report Warns European Union of Dependency on Chinese EV and Battery Tech by 2030 

The German government deleted a clause in a draft of the new budget financing law that would have legally committed the country to NATO's military spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, Reuters reported on Aug. 16.

Germany: Berlin Walks Back Commitment to NATO's Military Spending Target

Germany's Economy Ministry may redistribute network costs associated with the rollout of renewable energies to spread them more equally among the country's federal states, Reuters reported on Aug. 13.

Germany: Berlin to Address Diverging North-South Electricity Prices

Australia

Free trade talks between the European Union and Australia hit a roadblock as the two sides' trade representatives failed to resolve a dispute over quotas for access to Australian farm products such as lamb, sugar, dairy and especially beer into the EU market, the Financial Times reported July 11.

EU, Australia: Trade Talks Hit Another Roadblock Over Meat Quotas

The European Parliament voted in favor of the EU Nature Restoration Law, the European Commission's proposal to restore degraded land and biodiversity within the bloc, with supporters of the law narrowly defeating an attempt by conservative groups to sink it, Euractiv reported on July 12.

EU: European Parliament Backs EU Nature Restoration Law by Narrow Margin

France, Germany and Italy pledged to increase cooperation on the extraction, refining and recycling of critical raw materials during a meeting between the three countries' economy and industrial ministers in Berlin, Germany, Reuters reported on June 27.

EU: France, Germany, Italy to Increase Cooperation on Critical Raw Materials

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Armenia

Bahrain

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

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Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

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Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Burundi

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Comoros

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Japan

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Dominica

Kiribati

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Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Djibouti

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Marshall Islands

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

<p>Germany is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. The country has mountainous terrain in the south, dominated by the Alps, with a plateau and forests in the center and the north. The Rhine, the Danube and the Elbe rivers, combined with Germany&#39;s central location in Europe and its access to the North Sea, allowed the country to become a leading exporter and one of the most prosperous economies in Europe. Between the late 10th and early 19th centuries, the territories of today&#39;s Germany were the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, a collection of small kingdoms, principalities, duchies and city-states. This led to the development of multiple seats of political and economic power that achieved unity in 1871. While Berlin is Germany&#39;s capital and most populous city, the country also has several economic and political centers, including Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt. Germany&rsquo;s location in the heart of the North European Plain has led to constant conflicts with its neighbors like France and Russia. After World War II, Germany was divided between East Germany, in the Soviet orbit, and West Germany, integrated to the European Economic Community and NATO. The country achieved reunification in 1990. Germany&rsquo;s main geographic challenge is preserving its territorial unity and maintaining a political balance between regions within the country. It also seeks to maintain a political alliance with France and a balance of power in Europe to preserve peace and keep markets open for trade. Berlin&#39;s efforts to keep the European Union closely integrated amid the current economic crisis are in line with this strategy.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Germany: Governments Plans to Phase Out Chinese Vendors From Telecom Networks

France: Paris Unveils New Emission-based Criteria for EV Purchase Subsidy Scheme

EU: Report Warns European Union of Dependency on Chinese EV and Battery Tech by 2030

Germany: Berlin Walks Back Commitment to NATO's Military Spending Target

Germany: Berlin to Address Diverging North-South Electricity Prices

EU, Australia: Trade Talks Hit Another Roadblock Over Meat Quotas

EU: European Parliament Backs EU Nature Restoration Law by Narrow Margin

EU: France, Germany, Italy to Increase Cooperation on Critical Raw Materials

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