According to a news report in Spiegel Online, Chancellor Angela Merkel is furious that Mr Oettinger missed the crucial meeting last Tuesday (20 July) to attend at a mid-level conference in Washington instead. At the Brussels meeting, the college of commissioners decided that loss-making mines in the EU must be closed down by autumn 2014. In the run-up to the decision, Berlin had been expecting EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia - whose native Spain also has many jobs dependent on government aid to mines - to suggest that the subsidy regime be extended for one last time until 2023. The expectation was that 2018 would be the final compromise - a year in line with the German government's domestic promises on the matter. According to the Spiegel Online report, Mr Oettinger's cabinet mailed Berlin the day before to suggest that a narrow majority would see the subsidies extended to the wished-for date. However, on the day itself the opposite occurred. Mr Almunia was outnumbered by a flank of commissioners saying that they would agree only to a short extension to the subsidies or their immediate end. And Mr Oettinger, to the chancellor's chagrin, was in Washington attending a 'clean energy' conference. A conference to which Germany itself only sent a state secretary rather than a minister.
According to a news report in Spiegel Online, Chancellor Angela Merkel is furious that Mr Oettinger missed the crucial meeting last Tuesday (20 July) to attend at a mid-level conference in Washington instead.
At the Brussels meeting, the college of commissioners decided that loss-making mines in the EU must be closed down by autumn 2014.
In the run-up to the decision, Berlin had been expecting EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia - whose native Spain also has many jobs dependent on government aid to mines - to suggest that the subsidy regime be extended for one last time until 2023. The expectation was that 2018 would be the final compromise - a year in line with the German government's domestic promises on the matter.
According to the Spiegel Online report, Mr Oettinger's cabinet mailed Berlin the day before to suggest that a narrow majority would see the subsidies extended to the wished-for date.
However, on the day itself the opposite occurred. Mr Almunia was outnumbered by a flank of commissioners saying that they would agree only to a short extension to the subsidies or their immediate end. And Mr Oettinger, to the chancellor's chagrin, was in Washington attending a 'clean energy' conference. A conference to which Germany itself only sent a state secretary rather than a minister.
For once, the banishment of a buffoon to the EU was good for something. Though, not coming from a coal state himself, he was always a weak link for the Germano-Spanish coal alliance. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
