Political news, decisions and debates from Germany, Europe and the world, reported with clear source attribution.
Ahead of state elections in eastern Germany, the dispute over the planned pension reform is intensifying. According to Tagesschau, Friedrich Merz (CDU) wants to implement all proposals of the pension commission, including the end of the deduction-free early retirement.
The German Association of Cities is calling for a fundamental overhaul of long-term care insurance, proposing it become a full-coverage system. This would prevent people who have worked their entire lives from falling into social welfare due to care costs.
The heads of government of Germany's five northern states met in Rostock to push for a significant increase in federal funding for port infrastructure, from 38 million to 500 million euros annually.
The German government has not yet decided on sanctions against Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. German government members are horrified by his remarks on the targeted killing of Palestinians.
Just days before the cabinet retreat, two SPD ministers have presented concrete proposals for better heat protection and again called on the Union to agree to a constitutional amendment.
Germany's Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) supports a government commission's reform proposals to merge basic income support, housing and child benefits, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and poverty risk.
German Friedrich Merz has sharply criticized Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's remarks about targeted killings of Palestinians. His spokesman said these 'inhumane and internationally unlawful appeals' were unacceptable.
The federal cabinet is meeting for a retreat at Neuhardenberg Castle in Brandenburg on Tuesday and Wednesday. As Deputy Government Spokesman Sebastian Hille announced, boosting the economy and protecting against heat and climate impacts are to be the focus.
Russia has threatened Britain with "consequences" after confirming that British-made drones were used in attacks on Russian military and industrial targets. The Russian embassy in London accused Britain of deliberately seeking to escalate the Ukraine crisis.
Ahead of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is clearly leading in polls. Sven Schulze (CDU) now warns that the BSW will support the AfD 100 percent, as the Augsburger Allgemeine reports.
The North German Broadcasting Corporation (NDR) is inviting Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and the AfD's top candidate to a TV debate ahead of the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Russia's Supreme Court has rejected the opposition party Jabloko's appeal against its exclusion from the parliamentary election. The anti-war party will thus not be able to run for the State Duma in September.
Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) wants to deny a possible AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt access to certain intelligence data. "Chinese walls" in the joint information system would be possible, Maier told Welt.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has threatened to destroy everything that feeds Kyiv's war machine from the West. The German government says it will not be intimidated.
BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht has again challenged Thuringia's AfD leader Björn Höcke to a public debate about a non-partisan minister-president. In a video message on X, she proposed a live duel without prepared speeches.
Berlin's SPD top candidate Steffen Krach has called on his party's federal leadership to change course. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, he sharply criticized the planned cuts to housing benefit.
Berlin's acting SPD leader Steffen Krach has criticized the reform plans of the black-red federal government as unbalanced and called for a change of course. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, Krach said that if 80 percent of Germans reject the plans, one cannot claim everything is right.
Poland will not lift its unilateral ban on Ukrainian grain imports despite pressure from the European Commission, Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski has said.
Russian prosecutors are seeking twelve years and one month in prison for Lev Schlosberg, accusing the war opponent of discrediting the army.
The Bundesrat considers itself well prepared for the case of an AfD-led state government in Saxony-Anhalt. That said Bundesrat President Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD).
The German government's reform plans for pensions and taxes convince only part of the population. According to an Ipsos survey, only six percent see the proposals as clear steps in the right direction, while 38 percent consider them wrong.
At the MDR election arena for the 2026 state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the top candidates answered questions from citizens on Wednesday. Topics included the firewall against the AfD, inclusion, and the shortage of skilled workers.
The CDU lawmaker Catarina dos Santos-Wintz is set to become the new First Parliamentary Manager of the Union faction. Thorsten Frei has proposed the 32-year-old lawyer as successor to Steffen Bilger.
The Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court has upheld the deportation ban for a seriously ill 74-year-old former PKK functionary. The court sees a continued risk of torture upon return to Turkey, as Die Zeit reports.
The federal cabinet has approved a reform that, for the first time, allows the BND and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to carry out covert operations in clearly defined cases.
The German cabinet plans to significantly bolster the country's intelligence services, drawing criticism from the Left and the FDP. Chancellery Minister Nina Warken (CDU) calls it the most fundamental reform of the BND since its inception, as reported by ZDFheute.
BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht has announced she will clear the way for an AfD minister-president in Saxony-Anhalt. As the FAZ reports, she considers it undemocratic to exclude a party with 40 percent of the vote.
The German cabinet is set to approve a comprehensive reform of the country's intelligence services today. According to Spiegel, the BND and the domestic intelligence agency will gain significantly more powers, including the ability to conduct active cyber operations.
A Moscow court has ruled that Yabloko, Russia's only registered party opposing the war in Ukraine, cannot take part in next month's parliamentary elections. The lawsuit was filed by Rodina, a pro-Kremlin nationalist party.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has accused the federal government of pushing through a de facto pension cut with its reform plans. She criticized the reform policy as unfair.
Russia's Supreme Court in Moscow is set to hear a case that could bar the liberal opposition party Jabloko from the September parliamentary election, amid a large crowd gathering outside.
The Union criticizes a tax reform it helped pass. In the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern election campaign, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is accused of breaking his word.
Saarland's Anke Rehlinger (SPD) criticizes the federal government's pension plans as unfair and offers a compromise on care reform.
The SPD has criticized the rules on family reunification for refugees with subsidiary protection status as too strict. A year ago, the government put a stop to the reunification of these individuals.
Hamburg's mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) has sharply criticized the tax policy of the black-red federal government. He calls for a rethink in fiscal policy.
Due to extreme low water levels in German rivers, inland navigation is under pressure. The Greens and the Left criticize the federal government's handling of the situation, as reported by the Tagesspiegel.
Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) wants to tighten the taxation of economically active clubs. According to WELT AM SONNTAG, the previous tax-free allowance of 5,000 euros is to be abolished.
The European Union imposed fresh sanctions on Russia on Friday, August 7, in response to the latest massive air strikes on Ukraine, as reported by 24tv.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has long treated Europe as a warring party. As Die Zeit analyzes, the Kremlin is increasingly backing its aggressive rhetoric with hybrid attacks—from sabotage to assassination plots.
The Left Party's federal chairwoman, Ines Schwerdtner, has announced that the party will only join a Berlin government if large housing companies are expropriated.