Zilkens'
News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 21 2026

It is rather strange when potential Labour candidates for Prime Minister in England rave about winning back the working class for Labour. How am I supposed to win back something that no longer exists? Things are sometimes just as baffling in the German cabinet. Everyone is on first-name terms because that’s just what you do. The former formal title ‘Mr Chancellor’, which reflected the office and respect for the office, has almost completely disappeared from the press and parliament. Now Friedrich chats with Lars and Bärbel. Bärbel would also make a good export to England – in search of the working class. “Mrs Bas, here are your redundancy papers” sounds much better than “Bärbel, there’s the door”. Conversely, no one seems to mind that companies like Eurowings cheekily address their customers informally. That shows disrespect and Jemenfoutisme – as the French say. The customer doesn’t matter – given the current structure of flight services outside Frankfurt and Munich, they have hardly any choice. Qatar Airways maintains its standards and is weathering the crisis rather well.

Then there was that European Song Contest, which Bulgaria (congratulations) won for the first time. A few countries didn’t take part because Israel was there – but they did join in the voting. More interesting is what this contest perhaps indirectly says about the current state of Europe, if we leave Australia out of the equation (they came fourth after Israel and Romania). England came last and Germany second-to-last, failing to make the cut in the public vote. France, too, with its 11th place, was not particularly well received by the audience. The countries that once stood as guarantors of the European idea seem unable to find a style in their singing that convinces the masses. And we wonder about the rise in nationalism?

Our world is supposed to become more electric – which means we also need more storage in the form of batteries. Fire insurers, however, are becoming increasingly sensitive to the terms ‘waste disposal facility’ or ‘recycling’, because almost every day a facility in Germany goes up in flames. The cause is often lithium-ion batteries that self-ignite. Insurability is declining and prices for these risks are rising, if one can even find a willing insurer at all.

Compliance is, of course, a big word that has created an awful lot of jobs within companies. One is supposed to prove that one is acting in accordance with the applicable laws. Actually, a matter of obvious course. Insurers believe they are obliged to separate the underwriting of risks from claims settlement, ideally by means of Chinese walls. It’s quite a sickness, for which there is a legal basis (to comply with) only in legal expenses insurance. In other areas, the model is that the underwriting side formulates the conditions under which a risk is taken on, whilst the other side figures out why the wording in the contract doesn’t cover what was actually intended to be covered. Such walls don’t even help the shareholders – they damage the reputation of the entire industry. These structures lead to problems when those responsible for sales can no longer secure business because the claims adjusters responsible for settling the claims cannot – or do not want to – actually deliver on the promise. Trying to convince a new generation that this is simply a matter of the old guard’s emotional attitudes hindering business is an idea – but not a good one! In short – compliance needs to be rethought at this point!

Cologne has a rich museum landscape with nine municipal museums, some of which enjoy world renown and possess corresponding collections. The city administration, funded by the citizens and including the council, does not really have much interest in the preservation and promotion of these treasures. Consequently, one or two of them are falling into disrepair – as we have reported. The old armoury dating from around 1600 – the Zeughaus – long housed the City Museum until 2017, when a dilapidated pipe burst and water caused massive damage to the building. Now they are housed in temporary premises. It appears there was no insurance against water damage either, as the building is not being repaired. Presumably this was covered by the local authority’s compensation scheme, which would be stretched to the limit by such a task. However, a final-year class of architecture students has now submitted numerous designs on how to develop the site and give the city back a museum worthy of its name. The models were on display until yesterday. As for implementation, there is probably no money available from the city council, which, after all, oversees and commissions the administration – but as a public-private partnership, many options are conceivable. Let’s get going!

Stefan Kobel has a lot on his plate afterwards with various art fairs and auctions. We’ll be back next Tuesday, as we’ll be taking a break for Whitsun.

Have a good week

Stephan Zilkens and the team at Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker in Cologne and Solothurn.