
AI-generated summary
Die Koalition bereitet sich auf den entscheidenden Haushaltstag vor und hat sich auf einen Kompromiss geeinigt.
Die Stromsteuersenkung kommt nicht, dafür aber auch weder Zucker- noch Plastiksteuer: Die Koalition geht mit einem Kompromiss in den entscheidenden Haushaltstag. Ein Problem bleibt.
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Before the French presidential election in 2027, expert Tobias Koepf predicted existential conflicts for the EU in an interview with SPIEGEL if the right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen becomes president. He expects constant rows with France, but also sees a pro-European countermovement.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow to brief him on the three-way talks in Abu Dhabi. They will then travel to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the ninth summit of the European Political Community. There were further Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, including ballistic missiles on Kiev and a drone attack on Chornomorsk that killed at least four people.

The Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico accuses Friedrich Merz of blackmail because the Chancellor wants to oblige all EU states to support Ukraine. The SPD supports Merz in the Ukraine budget dispute.

The federal government has agreed on a tax compromise: the electricity tax will remain unchanged and the planned taxes on sugar and plastic will not be introduced for the time being. This is intended to secure the federal budget for 2027. A reduction in electricity taxes would have brought an average of 80 euros per household per year.

The 43-year-old Democrat Scott Colom has won the Senate election in Mississippi, making him the state's first black representative in the US Congress since 1881. He defeated the Republican incumbent Hyde-Smith after days of counting. The Democrats now have 55 seats in the Senate.

After their victory in the US midterm elections, Democrats in Congress want to exert greater control over President Donald Trump's government. White House Counsel William O. Scharf warned Representative Robert Garcia against overstepping legal boundaries in investigations and subpoenas and spoke of possible “criminal” activities. Garcia refused to be intimidated. As of January, the Democrats will have majorities in both chambers.