TO welcome 2008, both the two telecommunications giants in the country, T-Mobile of Deutsche Telekom, and O2 have extended their Christmas holidays up to the end of March. Annual subscriptions of light are still pegged at 195 euros, basic at 295 euros, plus at 475 euros and unlimited at 950 euros.

And as the year unfolds, Germany’s economy is definitely improving as more and more economic analysts have already made bullish predictions for this year in the country. In fact, there are dozens of economic events already scheduled to be held in Germany for the next 30 days or so. For example, the finance ministers of Germany, Britain, France and Italy will meet tomorrow to discuss their economic plans for the next 11 months. Then on January 29, heads of state of these countries will be finalizing what the finance ministers have recommended to them. And dig this – the meeting of the heads of state will be held in Berlin. There will surely be a vibrant discussion among these personalities in Berlin as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Also on the same day, there will be a conference on The Creation of Economic and Corporate Wealth in a Dynamic Economy in Frankfurt.

Then by the next day on January 18, International Green Week will be held in Berlin. Of course, the opening rite of this celebration is expected to be graced by Merkel, Brown, Prodi and Sarkozy who have all committed to be environment-friendly after they were reportedly touched by the film of the former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, The Inconvenient Truth. Watch out Michael Crichton! But even before the celebration of the International Green Week was initiated, it has already been a practice in German hotels and beach resorts to be environment-friendly. Even tap water in these establishments can be drunk. And hygiene is definitely a priority especially among the nudist resorts.

It is not about the economy and the environment that the Germans are concerned about though for Berlin will be the host of yet another forum in resolving the deadlock in Kosovo. Of course, any political problem needs a financial solution. Thus, the Kosovo problem will also be discussed in the EuroGroup finance ministers meeting again to be held in Berlin on January 21. Then there will be an energy conference in Berlin the next day, January 22. Topics to be discussed are the financial effects of environmentalism that is sweeping Europe on the coal plant industry of Germany. As everybody knows, Germany is the capital of coal-fired electricity plants all over the world.

On January 28, there will be a convocation among the steel industries in Germany in Berlin. Then on February 7 will be the much-awaited Berlin International Film Festival. The festival will be graced by Wolfgang Petersen himself, the most successful German-born film director in Hollywood.