In very concrete terms, Germany is demonstrating leadership of Europe and the larger Atlantic area alliance in creating the path to greater defense spending.

The European Central Bank will likely hold off on making another interest rate cut Thursday, choosing to wait until it can measure the size of any economic blow from higher U.S. tariffs. The ECB has already cut rates eight times since June of last year and President Christine Lagarde said after the last policy meeting June 5 that the central bank is “getting to the end of a monetary policy cycle.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accepted US accusations that Europe was doing too little to fund its own defence and security, but now believes they are on the same page. "We know we have to do more on our own and we have been free-riders in the past," he told the BBC's Today Programme, "they're asking us to do more and we are doing more."

A new tripartite alliance between Germany, France and the UK has emerged in response to the threat from Russia and doubts about US support for European security.Germany has had an official friendship with France for more than 60 years in the form of the Elysee Treaty.

For Gundbert Scherf - the co-founder of Germany's Helsing, Europe's most valuable defence start-up - Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed everything.

Whether in restaurants or in shops, booze is eye-wateringly expensive: in Sweden drinking serves both to numb the senses and lighten the wallet. Across Europe such “behavioural taxes” have become mainstream,

Ann-Katrin Berger pulled out all the heroics for Germany on Saturday. She had the save of the tournament so far, two stops in the penalty shootout and a successful spot kick of her own.

European automakers had big plans for electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz said it would be fully electric by 2039 worldwide, VW said it would be at 70% by 2030, with others stating similar goals. Now all have changed course, promising more hybrid and range-extended models instead.