A special edition on energy efficiency is featured this month.

You can download a free PDF version of the Energy Special here.

when we presented the first edition of The Atlantic Times to 3,000 guests of the German Embassy in Washington on Oct. 3, 2004, we encountered, understandably, a fair amount of scepticism. An English monthly newspaper from Germany, addressed to politicians, business leaders, journalists and academics – could that work?

It did work. And now, The Atlantic Times has three siblings: The German Times, The Asia Pacific Times and The African Times. Around the globe, we inform 150,000 readers about events in Germany and international trends.

As we approach the 7th anniversary of our first appearance, we are proud and deeply grateful to our readers. Many letters to the editor, comments and suggestions have inspired us to rethink our editorial concept and the layout of our paper. We shall present a relaunched “Times” in January 2012. It will combine continuity and innovation in the spirit of candidness and professionality that our readers are used to. Looking forward to your reactions next year.

Europe lacks a policy compass – By Theo Sommer

The European Union is in a pitiable state. Its leaders are, in the words of the Financial Times, “economically out of their depth and politically driven by conflicting national dogmas and parochial vested interests.” No wonder that the 27 members are divided on almost everything.

They are split, first and foremost, over how to solve the eurozone debt crisis. Let Greece go bankrupt by restructuring? Reschedule or “re-profile” its debt? Hand over more bailout money? Let the careless investors bleed, or not? They debate, dawdle and delay.

A new national energy consensus for the post-Fukushima world – By Kevin Lynch

It is no exaggeration to say that, outside of Japan, the effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster have been felt most strongly 9,000 kilometers away in Germany. On the government’s official website, bundesregierung.de, the most prominent link at the moment is “Japan and the consequences.”

Click on it, and a drop-down menu opens with the following options: Travel; Food and Imports; Radiation Protection; The Economy. There is information on every conceivable way in which Fukushima could impact Germany. Also prominently displayed are the numbers of two “citizen telephones,” hotlines to the environment ministry and to the foreign ministry, which concerned Germans, at home or abroad, can ring for advice.