Berlin rejects US criticism of Europe, Syrians in Germany celebrate one year after the fall of al-Assad, most electricity was wind and solar generated in the third quarter and more news on Tuesday, December 9th.
Tuesday’s top story: Berlin rejects US criticism of Europe
The German government reacted to the US national security strategy that was released Friday, rejecting its criticism of Europe and adding that Russia continues to be a serious threat to its security.
The document, which was released by the Trump Administration in the US, criticised Europe as having too many regulations, and also suggested that it was at risk of “civilisation erasure” due to immigration. It suggested that the US would be working toward resisting Europe’s current trajectory.
Germany’s Foreign Minister had been among the first voice to respond to saying that Germany does not need external advice.
German government spokesman Sebastian Hille added that Berlin rejected the “critical tone directed at the EU.”
“Political freedoms, including the right to freedom of expression, are among the fundamental values of the European Union,” he said.
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The US document also stated that it did not classify Russia as a threat.
“We do not share this assessment,” HIlle added.
Some experts from the US also saw the new strategy document as going sharply against the US’s former policy.
Evan Feigenbaum, a former advisor to two US secretaries of state said the document “feels inherently more confrontational and pits the US as decisively opposed to the whole European project…”
Syrians in Germany mark one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, after an 11 day offensive which ended a long civil war in the country.
It also marked the end of the al-Assad family’s 53-year-long rule in Syria.
In Germany many Syrian nationals, many of whom came to Europe as refugees since 2015 to flee the civil war and violence in their homeland, celebrated the day with demonstrations.
At Alexanderplatz in Berlin on Sunday, a large crowd of Syrians gathered to wave Syrian flags and chant “Freedom for Syria”.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 782,000 Syrians have returned to Syria from other countries over the past year.
Members of the Syrian community wave Syrian flags at a rally on December 8, 2024 in Berlin to celebrate the end of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s rule. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
However, many of the nearly one million Syrians living in Germany have integrated to life here, and German hospitals and other businesses would suffer a tremendous lack of workers if many of them were to suddenly leave.
READ ALSO: What will happen to Germany’s one million Syrians after Assad’s fall?
No turnaround expected in German company bankruptcies
Germany faces a surge in corporate insolvencies not seen since 2014, with no relief expected in 2026 despite economic hopes.
According to projections by the credit agency Creditreform, 23,900 firms are likely to failure by the end of 2025, up more than eight percent on 2024 and nearing the 2014 peak of 24,100.
Small and medium-sized enterprises appear to be bearing the brunt, burdened by high debt, scarce credit, soaring energy costs and bureaucracy – issues hitting micro-firms with up to ten employees hardest (80 percent of cases).
Sectors like manufacturing, retail and services (including gastronomy) lead the tally, with 14,000 service insolvencies. Retail saw 2,490 failures in the past year, echoing 2016 lows.
READ ALSO: German economy in ‘deepest crisis’ in 80 years, says industry group
Government investment in infrastructure and defence may eventually boost growth and slow the rise, but experts like Creditreform’s Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch warn that structural woes persist.
Germany sees record levels of renewable electricity generation
Two-thirds (64.1 percent) of the electricity generated in Germany came from renewable sources in the third quarter of 2025. According to Germany’s statistics office (Destatis), this was a record high for this period.
The most important energy source was wind power, which contributed more than a quarter (26.8 percent) to the slight increase in total production of 98.3 billion kilowatt hours.
Electricity generation from photovoltaics also increased and, at 24.1 percent, was the second most important energy source for domestic electricity generation in the third quarter.
The decisive factor for both energy sources reaching record values for a summer was the expansion of wind turbines and photovoltaic systems, Destatis added.
Yet in September the Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU) announced ten measures, including the abolition of the fixed feed-in tariff for new photovoltaic systems, which may be expected to slow down Germany’s energy transition.
READ ALSO: Why Berlin has the highest electricity prices among Europe’s capital cities
Coal is still the third most important energy source for German electricity production, and among the most polluting in terms of greenhouse gas emissions as well as particulate matter that is harmful to human health.
The party formerly known as Sahra Wagenknecht’s
Germany’s BSW political party, founded by Sahra Wagenknecht, has a new leadership team after Wagenknecht stepped down as chairwoman at the weekend.
Fabio De Masi and Amira Mohamed Ali now lead the party, which will remove Wagenknecht’s name from its official title by October 2026.
Despite the leadership change, Wagenknecht remains influential as head of the party’s core values commission and hinted she may continue to guide the party strategically.
READ ALSO: Why is Sahra Wagenknecht stepping down at her self-titled BSW party?
Peace appeared to be the main campaign focus at the party congress on December 6th and 7th as delegates voiced opposition to Germany’s increased military spending and involvement in the Ukraine war.
But internal conflicts persist, especially regarding the party’s role in government coalitions in Brandenburg and Thuringia, where BSW is a coalition partner.
Wagenknecht voiced frustration with regional BSW branches’ compromises with other parties and stressed staying true to voters’ interests.
Germany’s House of History reopens in Bonn
Germany’s House of History (Haus der Geschichte) reopened Monday after being closed for more than a year for refurbishment.
The museum in Bonn is Germany’s principal public institution for post-1945 history, renowned for its extensive collection of over one million objects that tell the country’s recent past.
The renovation cost €25 million in special funding and is being described as a fundamental rethink rather than a cosmetic update.
Relics of the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley (front) and posters by climate activists (back) on display at the Haus der Geschichte. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg
The revamped permanent exhibition is intended to offer a more accessible and contemporary narrative of German history, inviting visitors to engage interactively – for example, by voting on a simulated Bundestag decision.
It shifts the focus from viewing German history as a linear journey, which seemed to more or less end with the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s been updated to include objects such as remnants from climate protests to highlight contemporary challenges.
Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer celebrated the reopening as “a day of joy for all citizens of the Federal Republic.”
With reporting by DPA and Tom Pugh.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
