Germany: Strategy

Germany is positioning itself to become Europe's dominant military power through an extensive defense modernization program that will run through 2039. With defense spending more than doubling since 2020 and investments spanning space, AI, drones, and long-range capabilities, Berlin's military ascendance creates both opportunities and tensions with traditional European defense leaders like France and Poland.

In this final episode of the 2026 World Retail Podcast series on Unlocking volume growth, Niamh Stone and Markus Schmid from AlixPartners interview Torsten Toeller, founder of Fressnapf, Europe's leading pet retail brand.

German SMEs face a critical strategic question: should they build options today to freely decide tomorrow? This article explores why mid-sized companies need an Asia strategy not as a replacement for their German...

European financial regulators are advancing major reforms across sustainable finance disclosure, investment firm risk management, and ESG ratings oversight. From stricter sustainability reporting requirements under SFDR 2.0 to streamlined fund reporting frameworks and new endorsement rules for third-country ESG ratings, these developments signal a significant shift in regulatory expectations for asset managers, investment firms, and rating providers operating in EU markets.

Europa erlebt einen sicherheitspolitischen Paradigmenwechsel - mit gravierenden Konsequenzen weit über die Rüstungsbranche hinaus. Nele Frie und David Peroz analysieren, wie die strategische Neuausrichtung der europäischen Verteidigungspolitik Investorenperspektiven verändert, die Kapitalmärkte bewegt und die Debatte um nachhaltige Finanzregulierung neu entfacht.

The German automotive industry is facing its biggest crisis in decades.

The European Union's Cyber Resilience Act introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, with critical notification obligations taking effect in September 2026.

In this final episode of the 2026 World Retail Podcast series on Unlocking volume growth, Niamh Stone and Markus Schmid from AlixPartners interview Torsten Toeller, founder of Fressnapf, Europe's leading pet retail brand.

A European Patent Office Board of Appeal decision examines whether an interactive kiosk that randomly prints literary content based on user button presses constitutes a patentable technical invention.