Zilkens' News Blog

Zilkens' News Blog 51 2024

Pills that increase influence have always been a dangerous dream of mankind. Robert Louis Stevenson already dealt with the effects of adulterated medication in his novella Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide, in which the latter was no longer able to change back into the former after the adulterated stuff was used up. Social media (community manipulation platform would be more appropriate) has the potential to influence people and move them in directions that do not really correspond to them. The elections in Romania are one example, the next elections in Germany could be another. The Australian government has now banned the use of these exchange platforms for people under the age of 16 – but control is in the hands of the rogues who want to make money out of it as gardeners.

From 1 January 2025, Romania and Bulgaria will also belong to the Schengen area. A beautiful European idea is reaching its outer limits. However, tensions are rising within the EU because the fathers and mothers of EU expansion did not consider that people in public positions tend to protect themselves by constantly inventing new tasks that need to be controlled, which in turn requires people who, on the one hand, do this and, on the other, come up with new tasks that... well, you know. As a result, the bubble grows and the bureaucracy expands unbearably - sometimes more seriously, sometimes less seriously, in the individual countries. The only problem is that the bubble doesn't burst because no one dares to pierce it. Ultimately, however, this weakens the great European idea and everyone is surprised that parties that advocate particularism are increasingly gaining irrational support. And this is by no means a German phenomenon. Pan-European tenders are a popular argument in Germany for why public buildings are not being completed. Other countries do it more cleverly: take the renovation of 1,000 public underground parking spaces. A total construction volume of 7 million – according to all the rules of the European art of tendering, such a project requires a tender. The creatives see it differently and break the volume down to the individual parking space, and for 7,000 euros, no tender is required.

The war in Ukraine, started by Russia, has been going on for 1060 days. On Christmas Eve, it will be 1068 days and there is no end in sight, unless international law is trampled underfoot, as some parties in Germany, France, Austria and elsewhere are propagating. This week, we still have time to prepare for Christmas – for example, by buying art, the pecuniary implementation of which could be postponed until next year because the VAT rate for art will fall to 7%. Unfortunately, this does not apply to insurance products. Switzerland 5%, Austria 11% and Germany still in the top group with 19%. Since many tariffs are progressively adjusted to value developments and rates are also rising in most lines due to the development of claims, the state participates disproportionately. However, we may have to wait a long time for this Christmas present.

Maybe you already have all your Christmas presents, in which case you might as well go to a museum instead of the Christmas market – as long as the funds for that are not cut...

Have a peaceful Advent week and stay with us

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