I'm John Nashu with Judy Dempsey, the editor in chief of Strategic Europe.

This is the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Judy is in Berlin and I turn to the quotidian matter of the climate.

It's been mild for the reports across Europe these last weeks, early winter 23 and from

the Poe River Valley to the south of France to London, England, certainly into parts

of Eastern Europe.

There has been unusually temperate weather, but now we're told there's a cold wave sweeping

across northern Europe and this will tax the resources, the anticipation and the pocket

books of the citizens because electricity costs are dear.

But Judy, the first thing I ask is there's snow in northern Britain.

There is said to be snow coming across northern France.

What is your climate now in Berlin and is it still unusually soft for this time of winter?

It has been extraordinary mild.

There's been the odd cold snap.

It's forecast to be a little colder next week, maybe minus two, but frankly minus two,

I'm not quite sure if that's in the American degrees.

But now it's in the high 20s, that's all.

No, it's not that cold for January, February.

That's the first thing.

Secondly, electricity prices are slowly falling because the economy and climate minister,

the Green Minister Robert Habak has moved left, right and center to get the reserves

filled up, to have alternative energy supplies, liquefied natural gas.

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