javiFeb 20
you may have read that Trump Gov has instructed its embassies across the world to send a letter to their providers giving them 5 days to certify they don't have any kind of DEI program in place or drop it if they want to keep being providers of the US embassy.

Now the fun part: Since last year, every company over 50 employees in Spain has to have a defined gender equity plan if they want to do business with the spanish public sector. Which I suspect is a MUCH bigger deal than keep being a provider for the US embassy.

Looking forward for the US embassy in Madrid running out of running water or electricity next week <3
Show threadKevin Karhan Feb 20

@javi Also such absurd demands are literally illegal in #Germany to the point that even requesting that is illegal!

  • Not to mention they can't just decide to "drop" said providers, as they are mandatory per law (i.e. building insurance against fire damages, road cleanup, waste collection, sewage, drinking water, electricity,) or the building would be condemned and any use banned if not seized to enshure it doesn't result in a public health crisis and fire hazard...

I wounder if @AuswaertigesAmt & @Bundesregierung are aware of those #Trump|ist shenanigans and will stand firm by it, cuz if they don't that can get really costly!

Show threadAndreas KFeb 22
@kkarhan @javi @AuswaertigesAmt @Bundesregierung
Not sure about Germany & the Trump dictatorship, but e.g. when the BAWAG bank in Austria was bought by an American fund, it worked out like this, Austrian authorities suspended the execution of the antidiscrimination law for a short period, and in the short period, the US admin got the US owner an exemption from exterritorial US sanctions that were problematic. So no huge administrative fines were levied.
Show threadAndreas KFeb 22
@kkarhan @javi @AuswaertigesAmt @Bundesregierung
Hint: the USA has a number of countries you are not allowed to do business with, not even with citizens of these countries. But anti-discriminatory laws + banking laws that means all banks must open a non-overdraft account for residents, equals a Cuban has the legal right to walk into a bank office and demand that an account for him is opened.
Not good for a bank that happens to be a US subsidiary.
Show threadKevin Karhan 

@yacc143 @javi @AuswaertigesAmt @Bundesregierung which is of no concern since #Germany does have #BankingSecrecy, #FATCA only applies to #US citizens and a lot of consumer banks are #Cooperatives who themselves are not on the #SWIFT, but #SEPA system, so no way for the #USA to veto that!

  • And yes, #BasicAccounts as per @BaFin apply to everyone who is ib Germany regardless of status (i.e. Tourist, Asylum Seeker, Homeless, Citizen or Wageworker)...

https://www.bafin.de/EN/Verbraucher/Bank/Produkte/Basiskonto/basiskonto_node_en.html

Basic payment account

In principle, all consumers legally residing in the European Union are entitled to hold a basic payment account under the German Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz – ZKG). This includes persons without a permanent place of residence and asylum seekers. Persons without a residence permit who cannot be deported due to legal or factual reasons (persons with a suspension of deportation) are also entitled to hold such an account.

BaFin
Feb 22 at 1:58pmWeb
Show threadAndreas KFeb 22

@kkarhan @javi @AuswaertigesAmt @Bundesregierung @BaFin
My point was, in the good old days of sanity, this was generally solved by communication and generally the USA issuing exemptions from their overreach.

Anyway, expect as a next step embassies of the PRC to insist that all providers follow Mao's little red book to the letter.

Show threadKevin Karhan Feb 22

@yacc143 @javi I mean, I know form a reliable source that embassies like the German one in Beijing are only permitted to have #VPN|s as long as they don't allow Chinese Nationals to use it for Internet access.

And in Pyongyang, they had to close down the public reading room because Kim doesn't like foreign literature.

Whilst @AuswaertigesAmt may not be willing to confirm this directly, I'm shure they don't deny it either!