@Melchior@feddit.org
member since 11 Jul 2024 18:49
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comments
- on Pistorius: F-35 deal does not make Germany more dependent on US in c/europe@feddit.org · 5d ago
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on Pistorius: F-35 deal does not make Germany more dependent on US in c/europe@feddit.org · 5d ago
Technically the F-35 is a fighter jet as well and it would be possible to modify a Eurofighter.
However they have to be modified by the US. There are a lot of safeties build into any nuclear armed plane, to make sure the nuke explodes if and only if it is supposed to explode. So no accidents and no Germany just takes a US nuke and just bombs somebody. Hence you need safeties build into the plane to make sure that does not happen.
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on Volkswagen crisis worsens with $11.5 billion profit warning, largely due to Porsche struggles in c/europe@feddit.org · 5d ago
Volkswagen on Friday flagged €10 billion ($11.5 billion) in one-off costs,
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on Trump threatens EU over Canada 'associate member' plans in c/europe@feddit.org · 17 Sep 2026
The proper response is to ignore Trump. A middle finger is just childish and that energy could be used for a more reasonable project like the euro replacing the dollar.
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on Switzerland is paying $11 million to stop using Outlook and Teams in c/europe@feddit.org · 14 Sep 2026
Partly. There is a lot of specialized software out there, which links into Microsoft Office in some way. Replacing all of those connections can be really hard.
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on French police suspect train derailment was sabotage in c/europe@feddit.org · 13 Sep 2026
They found a 300kg metal bar on the track. So not a purpose build derailer, but something, which certainly does not just appear.
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on European Commission proposes an EU preference in public contracts in c/europe@feddit.org · 10 Sep 2026
Ten years down the line, say, can they be acquired by a company based elsewhere?
That needs EU permission anyway.
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on Mercedes-Benz threatened to close a plant in Germany and relocate production in c/europe@feddit.org · 9 Sep 2026
Mercedes is about where it is with cars in general.
What is more striking is how many German brands are still in the Top20 for EVs. In terms on none Chinese brands it is Tesla, Volvo(Chinese owned though) and Toyota. There are some massive brands like Ford fully missing on the EV list.
As for Mercedes it is 15 for EVs and 12 for car sales in general. It is not that bad of a position to be in.
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on Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil in c/europe@feddit.org · 6 Sep 2026
Not when you want to go into a polar orbit. That is flying over the earths poles and have the earth spin under the orbit. That allows satellites to take photos or use other sensors over every part of the planet. However to do that you need to have as little spin as possible hence being close to the poles is a good idea.
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on Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil in c/europe@feddit.org · 6 Sep 2026
It is also the first successful launch of this launch system. That is not happening that often.
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on Man discovers Denmark’s largest Viking Age silver hoard while digging a terrace in his garden in c/europe@feddit.org · 5 Sep 2026
The copper rings were used in the bronze age and not just in Sweden, but basically everywhere in Europe.
In the olden days most countries struck coins of standard weights. So a coin is popular and then copied with different motives all over the place. The drachme, which initially was developed in Athens ended up as the first big standard coin spreading via Alexander the Great all over the place. The Sasanian Empire struck coins like those for example and that is centuries later. The Roman Solidus gold coin was very commonly used as a standard size in India as well.
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on Russia threatens direct strikes on Germany and warns UK over military site attacks in c/europe@feddit.org · 3 Sep 2026
That is why they do it. They do not want Germany and the UK to send even more aid to Ukraine or do some more sanctions related stuff, making the Russian position even worse. Starting a war with NATO or the EU would be insane. Even just Germany or the UK would cause hard to win.
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on Dutch central bank shifts billions in gold to London in 'crisis preparedness' move in c/europe@feddit.org · 3 Sep 2026
France has basically all of its gold reserves in Paris, since Charles de Gaulle moved them there. Germany has 37% of its gold reserves in the US and there is talk about bringing them back. Italy is at 43% and there seems to be basically nothing, but some discussion in some newspapers.
ft.com/…/e39390cc-ea02-4197-843a-1e4c242422cc?syn…
One thing which is really important here is that the Dutch just sold their gold in New York and at the same time bough gold in London. They did not ship it at all. For Germany and Italy that is not an option, as the gold reserves in the US are so massive, that it would destroy the market. Both combined have about 1% of the gold in the world sitting in the US. Obviously a lot less is physically traded.
EDIT: Also this has to be done fairly quickly. As to not spook the market and piss of Trump.
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on Volkswagen management proposes shutdown of four German plants by 2034, WiWo reports in c/europe@feddit.org · 2 Sep 2026
Emden and Zwickau are EV only plants. Emden and Hannover are also in Lower Saxony, which is a major shareholder. I would have guessed a plants like Chemnitz and Kassel would be closed. As those produce combustion engine parts.
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on Will American Power in Europe Run Out? in c/europe@feddit.org · 1 Sep 2026
Russia was at half of the EUs gas supply and it was also mostly pipeline gas. For LNG it is possible to buy from other suppliers. Unless the US cuts all LNG exports, that is probably going to be a matter of paying enough.
Then the goal of the EU is to cut gas consumption. This is happening as gas boilers are replaced by heat pumps and gas power plants by wind, solar and batteries. It will take years to be really felt, but we see some of it. The key part here is that it is much cheaper to use a pipeline than LNG to transport gas. That obviously hits all LNG, but the US is the largest supplier.
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on Will American Power in Europe Run Out? in c/europe@feddit.org · 1 Sep 2026
There are also signs of some deals away from the US. SEFE signed a deal for 1 Mt/year from Canada and Uniper another 2Mt/year.
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on German ministry mulls ramping up coal-fired plants to cut energy costs in c/europe@feddit.org · 1 Sep 2026
Add to that battery storage. The current weather is allows for a few hours every day, where renewables meet electricity demand. With something like 200GWh of battery storage it would be possible to switch of nearly all fossil fuels power plants in Germany about now. That is not a crazy amount at all.
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on Swiss Politician Who Blamed Immigrants for Sex Crimes Indicted for Sexually Abusing Foreign Teenager in c/europe@feddit.org · 31 Aug 2026
ALICE WEIDEL!!! Sorry just a reflex…
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on EU countries face nearly €41bn in extra fossil fuel costs in c/europe@feddit.org · 27 Aug 2026
The EU is building out a lot of green technologies on quite a decent scale. The issue is that it can and should be faster. Especially given the global political environment.
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on EU countries face nearly €41bn in extra fossil fuel costs in c/europe@feddit.org · 27 Aug 2026
Looking at who countries like Russia and the US support in European politics makes me question that.
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on German airport worker dies of malaria after 'mosquito arrives on plane' in c/europe@feddit.org · 27 Aug 2026
Malaria was whipped out in Germany in the 19th century. So no it is not climate related.
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on German airport worker dies of malaria after 'mosquito arrives on plane' in c/europe@feddit.org · 26 Aug 2026
In the Middle Ages Malaria was a problem in southern Germany. It was a huge reason for drying up swamps all over Europe. In other words this has nothing to do with climate change.
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on Canada's PM Carney: "This fall we will begin intense discussions with the European Union, the world's second-largest economy, to build a much stronger and deeper economic and security partnership" in c/europe@feddit.org · 26 Aug 2026
Putin is too in a weird way. Faster transition to green technologies and a massive military build up to counter Russian imperialism.
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on German economy grows faster than estimated as exports rebound in c/europe@feddit.org · 26 Aug 2026
This is compared to Q1 of this year. So we are talking annualized 1.2% growth vs 0.8%.
2+4 Treaty was somewhat opposed by France and the UK. The US helped out a lot with that. Also with dealing with the Soviets. That obviously lead to a united Germany, which is massive.
More recently the US gave extremely useful information about Russia invading Ukraine soon, which turned out to be accurate. They also helped out initially with arming Ukraine.