Germany's top court weighs whether parliament needs a legislative 'speed limit', the Foreign Minister seeks new trade ties in Nigeria, a controversial French-Russian nuclear project is approved in Lower Saxony and more news on Thursday, July 23rd.
Thursday's top story: Does the Bundestag need a legislative 'speed limit'?
The Federal Constitutional Court is set to rule on a case on Thursday which could determine if Germany's parliament should be limited in how quickly its allowed to push forward draft legislation for a vote.
The case was originally brought in 2023 by former MP Thomas Heilmann of the Christian Democrats in response to the Building Energy Act (often referred to as the Heating Act), the controversial law which aimed to make newly installed home heating systems powered mainly by renewable energy.
Heilmann said his rights as a parliamentarian were violated by the hasty legislative procedure around the act at that time. He argued it was about, "the right of all members of parliament to sufficient time to deliberate."
In the Bundestag members of parliament are sometimes presented with hundreds of pages of extensive changes to draft laws on the eve of a vote.
As summarised by presiding judge of the Second Senate and Vice-President of the Court, Ann-Katrin Kaufhold, the court proceedings, to be decided in Karlsruhe on Thursday, are essentially about the question: When does a "fast" legislative procedure become "too fast"?
Heilmann would like to the federal court specify timeline standards for parliamentary processes. If the court were to do so, it would effectively establish a sort of 'speed limit' for how quickly changes to draft law could move through the Bundestag.
As for the previous Building Energy Act, it did ultimately pass, but with transitional rules and has since been adjusted by Germany's current government.
READ ALSO: How much money can you get for installing a new heat pump in Germany?
German foreign minister eyes business ties with Nigeria
Germany's foreign minister wrapped up a two-day visit to Nigeria Wednesday as Berlin moves to deepen business opportunities across Africa amid a more isolationist United States and geo-political pressure from Russia and China.
Johann Wadephul called for "strengthening trade and investment" at a meeting with his counterpart Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu in Abuja, having spent Tuesday in the economic capital, Lagos.
Claudia Roth, a Green party member of parliament accompanying Wadephul, told AFP "in this world I think desperately, we need new partners... against the warlords in politics, against these Trumps and Putins and Xis."
China and Russia have also carved out economic and security ties, respectively, in Africa.
But Wadephul, on his third trip to Africa this year, said "the potential of our economic partnership is far from exhausted" in Nigeria, "particularly in information technology and the vibrant start-up sector".
Bilateral trade grew by around 10 percent last year, he said.
Wadephul named "critical raw materials, renewable energy and the pharmaceutical industry" as areas for potential growth.
Chess is booming in Germany
Germany is experiencing a chess boom - and is also becoming stronger and stronger on the international stage.
"Our membership numbers are developing excellently. We are on the verge of crossing the 100,000 mark," Paul Meyer-Dunker, who has been the new president of the German Chess Federation since May, told DPA. He was speaking at the German Chess Summit with around 1000 players, which is currently being held in Dresden.
Germany is home to around 2,300 chess clubs nationwide.
According to Meyer-Dunker, there are clubs in cities like Berlin that can no longer accept members at the moment because of the rush of new members.
He suggests that Germany is also stronger than it has been for a long time at the top level of the national teams.
Germany's top chess team includes Vincent Keymer from Saulheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, a world class chess player. Also Matthias Blübaum from Lemgo in North Rhine-Westphalia, as a two-time European champion.
Vincent Keymer contemplates his next move at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam at the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Wangels in 2025. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Gregor Fischer
Germany approves controversial French-Russian nuclear project
German authorities said Wednesday they were giving the green light to a controversial French-Russian nuclear project which critics fear will enable spying and sabotage by Moscow.
The planned joint venture by a subsidiary of French company Framatome and Russia's state-owned nuclear power agency Rosatom is aimed at producing fuel rods used in Russian-designed reactors.
The project would be based at Framatome's fuel rod assembly facility in the town of Lingen in the state of Lower Saxony.
Framatome's subsidiary ANF (Advanced Nuclear Fuels) applied for permission for the project in March 2022, just weeks after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The state's environment ministry said in a statement Wednesday it had "decided to approve" the project.
This was despite the state's environment minister, Christian Meyer, restating his position that "dealings and close co-operation with Putin's nuclear agency are totally wrong".
He said however that his ministry had "no legal possibility to reject or put a time limit to the application" in the absence of sanctions on Rosatom.
Rosatom has been exempted from the successive rounds of EU sanctions imposed against Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Telefonica's German firm to cut up to 1,100 jobs
Spanish telecom firm Telefonica's German subsidiary said Wednesday it planned to lay off up to 1,100 workers and close 60 stores because of the crowded market and the rise of artificial intelligence.
The company said in a statement the cuts were necessary because the market was "ever more saturated". It also cited "the context of technological progress such as artificial intelligence".
Telefonica said it employed around 7,600 people in Germany in 2025 and it hoped to make the cuts this year, mainly through voluntary departures.
The 60 stores make up about eight percent of the network of Telefonica and its 02 subsidiary. The company said it would put more emphasis on online sales.
The debt-laden Spanish parent company announced in November that it would seek 5,000 job cuts in Spain and would sell some operations in Latin America.
Telefonica makes about a quarter of its revenues in Germany.
With reporting by DPA and AFP.
