The German government has promoted a momentous change in the public sector, particularly in the technological field, by migrating from Windows and Office to Linux and FreeOffice.

Germany has decided to opt for free software solutions in its technological infrastructure. Other members of the European Union and China are considering following this route as well.

Regarding the measure in Germany, Dirk Schrödter, member of the Bundesrat, indicated that “around 30,000 public workers and their teams will change the software they use, which represents a massive adoption of open source software.”

The implementation of the change began in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, in the midst of the search for “greater security and avoiding exclusive dependence on Microsoft.”

The strategy in the European country has been called “digital sovereignty”, and its main objective is the protection of citizens’ data as well as preventing it from “falling into the hands of foreign corporations.”

M.Pino

Source: news.eseuro

(Reference image source: Maheshkumar Painam in Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada Germany changes Windows and Office for Linux and FreeOffice apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The German Government agreed today on a plan of 50 fiscal measures to alleviate the economy worth 32,000 million euros (34,774 million dollars), encompassed in the so-called Business Opportunities Law.

The official announcement of the package, however, was received with little enthusiasm by businessmen, who expressed that the aid does not go far enough and criticized the lack of a commitment to subsidize the price of electricity.

The president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller, commented that the law still needs “considerable improvements”, especially regarding the suspension of taxes on the minimum profits of companies, which according to her could significantly strengthen their liquidity.

Müller welcomed, however, the planned temporary introduction of new amortization rules, considering it “an important investment incentive for companies in the process of transformation.” For its part, the Chemical Industry Association criticized the lack of agreement on a subsidized price for electricity, arguing that its absence makes all other plans insufficient to solve Germany’s economic problems.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who rejects this subsidy, expressed his hope that the law would give a boost to the German economy by improving its conditions for attracting companies and laying the foundations for more private investment. “We cannot subsidize growth with new spending programs financed with taxes and credits, because that growth would not be sustainable,” he declared.

Germany adopts amortization measures

Among the tax measures approved, the new amortization rules for residential building builders stand out, whose objective is to boost the battered housing sector. For tax purposes, it is expected that companies will be able to more widely compensate their losses and the bureaucracy they must endure will be reduced.

After approval by the Government, the law must be debated in the Bundestag (Lower House of Parliament). However, for it to enter into force, the federated states must subsequently revalidate it in the Bundesrat (Upper House).

Since, under their terms, the plans mean regions will lose billions in tax revenue, such support is up in the air. For example, the mayor of the city-state of Bremen, the Social Democrat Andreas Bovenschulte, has already announced his vote against. “The fact that the federal government should only bear a good third of the costs and the states and municipalities two thirds is not acceptable to us under any circumstances,” he told dpa.

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Immo Wegmann, Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada German government agrees €32 billion fiscal measures plan apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The German Government approved this Wednesday a legal reform that facilitates obtaining German citizenship for immigrants who are integrated in the country and at the same time seeks to increase the arrival of foreign qualified workers.

The law not only lowers the requirements to become a German citizen, but also allows for multiple nationality. However, naturalization will continue to be subject to economic and democratic integration requirements.

“We want people who have been part of our society for a long time to be able to help shape our country democratically,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the Social Democrat. “Because our democracy thrives on everyone’s participation.”

At the same time, he said, the reform strengthens competitiveness. “We will only attract the best brains in the world if in the near future they can be fully integrated into our society, with all democratic rights.”

Currently, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, 14 % of the inhabitants of Germany do not have a German passport, just over twelve million. This includes around 5.3 million who have lived in Germany for at least ten years. Faeser sees in this a problem of participation: “If a part of the population that has its home and is rooted here cannot participate in the political decision-making processes, then that is not good for our democracy.”

Immigrants with more than five years of residence in Germany benefit from the reform of the law

Under this reform, immigrants will be able to acquire citizenship after five years of residence in Germany. Until now, they had to live in the country for eight years. If they do well at school or at work, they are fluent in the language or have done volunteer work, naturalization should be possible after just three years.

Whoever wants to become a national must at the same time commit to the values ​​of a free society. Therefore, people who have committed crimes for anti-Semitic or racist reasons are expressly excluded. A prerequisite is also being able to earn a living without receiving social benefits. Also, anyone who wants a German passport will not necessarily have to give up their old one in the future. The so-called multiple nationality will be allowed in the case integration and knowledge of German is proven.

All children born in Germany to foreign parents may receive a German passport if at least one parent has legally lived in Germany for more than five years. Until now, a limit of eight years was applied. In addition, children may retain the nationality of their parents. The rules for people who came to Germany as workers up to the 1970s or as contract workers in the GDR up to 1990 are also going to be simplified.

Following the decision of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet, the bill will be referred to the Bundestag, the lower house of Parliament, without whose consent it cannot enter into force. Faeser said that in the best of cases, the reform could enter into force in January 2024.

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Annika Wischnewsky, Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada German government wants to make it easier to obtain citizenship apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The president of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Peter Adrian, called for the measures planned by the German government to expand the production of electricity from renewable sources to be improved and simplified.

“The biggest obstacles to renewable energy expansion so far are a lack of land, lengthy planning and approval procedures, and a lack of skilled workers. However, apart from offshore wind, there are few solutions to these problems in the world in the package” launched by the Government.

Without further changes to parliamentary procedure, it will be difficult to reach the target of 80 percent green electricity by 2030, according to Adrian, who claimed that other obstacles to expansion would have to be resolved.

The DIHK president also regretted that, from the point of view of many companies, it is completely incomprehensible that the expansion of renewable energy through direct supply contracts has been left out of the legislative initiative.

Measures to strengthen green energy

The German Cabinet launched a series of measures baptized on the proposal of the Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, the environmentalist Robert Habeck, with the aim of massively accelerating the expansion of green electricity, from wind and solar sources, in Germany.

Adrian said that, especially in the case of solar power plants, there are still numerous bureaucratic requirements that hold back expansion. “This includes, for example, that the sharing of solar energy in industrial areas is hampered by legal regulations.”

“At the same time, companies are increasingly showing great interest in investing in renewable power plants or buying this electricity through direct supply contracts,” he added.

Companies would thus have the opportunity to protect themselves against rising electricity prices, he stressed. “The last few weeks have shown how important this is.”

Source: dpa

La entrada German businessmen demand energy from renewable sources apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The German government will allocate some 3,000 million euros (about 3,235 million dollars) to four floating terminals of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the next ten years, according to a letter addressed to the German Parliament.

Initially, the letter mentioned the amount of 2,470 million euros, but later a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Finance specified that the correct figure was 2,740 million euros, to which an additional 200 million had to be added.

According to the information, the Ministry of Finance has already released the funds without consulting the relevant budget commission. It was argued that such a procedure was necessary for “compelling reasons”.

It is expected that the corresponding freight contracts will be signed by next Wednesday, April 20. Their objective is to import liquefied natural gas to ensure the gas supply to Germany.

German government will increase LNG

Having more liquefied natural gas is one of the pillars of the German government’s efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas supplies.

In a “Progress Report on Energy Security” published by the Ministry of Economy at the end of March, it is stated that the federal government had sought options for three floating LNG terminals through the companies RWE and Uniper in order to continue to increase security of supply in Germany.

According to information, the companies are currently negotiating the lease of these floating terminals and the negotiations are in the final stretch.

For its part, it was indicated that the Government is currently examining possible locations in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, where the terminals could be deployed in the short term, in some cases even as early as the (European) winter of 2022-23.

Source: dpa

La entrada €3 billion for floating LNG terminals apareció primero en Bitfinance.