Political news, decisions and debates from Germany, Europe and the world, reported with clear source attribution.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has made clear he no longer expects a German Navy deployment to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz. At a press conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin, Pistorius said he sees no scenario in the coming days or weeks 'that we can quickly sail into the Strait of Hormuz to clear mines.'
The US Supreme Court has declared the independence of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unconstitutional. The ruling threatens the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) and could paralyze data flows between the continents.
The Left Party plans to take legal action against the new basic income. Party leader Ines Schwerdtner announced a constitutional complaint, as she told RTL and ntv.
The German government wants to set up a task force for artificial intelligence (AI) to bundle the activities of the ministries. This is reported by the Pro newsletter Technology & AI of the news magazine Politico, citing an invitation letter.
The German cabinet convened at the Defense Ministry in Berlin on Wednesday, focusing on strengthening the Bundeswehr and preparing for the NATO summit.
Schleswig-Holstein's Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) has praised the cooperation with the Greens in the state government as trusting and successful. At the same time, he announced his intention to position himself on climate and environmental protection issues in the 2027 election campaign.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) posted a controversial tweet after Germany's World Cup exit. According to Tagesspiegel, the chancellery now calls it a 'coordination error'.
The coalition committee is meeting today at the Chancellery to discuss a comprehensive reform package. Key points of contention are cuts to pensions, health, and long-term care, as well as a tax reform.
The Media Association of the Free Press warns of an existential crisis for independent journalism. 350 publishers are calling on politicians to safeguard press freedom with an emergency program.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has announced in an interview with Info that she will oppose the abolition of the so-called 'pension at 63' in the Bundesrat. She also calls for relief for low and middle incomes in the upcoming tax reform.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned against a German withdrawal from the United Nations and called for greater engagement, criticizing proposals to cut contributions as shortsighted and fatal.
In the runoff election in the Brandenburg district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Ralf Reinhardt (SPD) defeated AfD challenger Torsten Arndt. According to the preliminary final result, Reinhardt received 60.6 percent of the vote, Arndt 39.4 percent.
Passengers in Berlin face a roughly 2.5-year closure of the north-south S-Bahn line between Hauptbahnhof and Potsdamer Platz due to construction of the new S21 line, according to a federal government response to a Green Party parliamentary inquiry reported by Tagesspiegel.
Union parliamentary group vice-chair Mathias Middelberg has warned the SPD against turning the planned income tax reform into a pure redistribution exercise. Such a reform would not help the economic recovery, the CDU politician told the German Press Agency.
German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has called for stronger international cooperation on climate protection, saying it is in Germany's best interest to tackle climate change jointly.
The German government is planning a tax reform aimed at relieving middle-income earners. According to the coalition agreement, those with small and medium incomes are to be relieved.
The far-right AfD party has suffered defeats in two run-off elections for district administrator posts in the eastern German states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt.
The leaders of Germany's Union parties and the Social Democrats (SPD) met at the Chancellery on Wednesday to prepare key decisions on economic growth, bureaucracy reduction, and welfare state reform ahead of next week's coalition committee meeting.
Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), has called for a sharp increase in tobacco and alcohol taxes. A pack of cigarettes should cost 20 euros in the future, Gassen told Bild. The aim is to deter young people from starting to consume these substances through high prices.
At their party conference in Sassnitz, the Greens sharply criticized the black-red federal government and blamed it for the heated mood in the country.
The black-red coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD is entering a decisive week for its major reform package. The coalition committee is set to advance key projects on Wednesday.
The change at the top of Offenbach's city administration is complete. The new full-time municipal board is in place, as reported by the FAZ.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz promised a 'humanitarian gesture' for Polish Nazi victims – but nothing has happened. The federal government is exposing itself to a serious suspicion, the newspaper comments.
The chairman of the German defense committee, Thomas Röwekamp (CDU), does not expect a quick parliamentary decision on a Bundeswehr mission in the Strait of Hormuz. He told AFP that several conditions are still missing.
The leaders of Germany's black-red coalition will meet at the Chancellery on Sunday to discuss fundamental reforms, according to ZDFheute.
Former FDP leader Christian Lindner has criticized Friedrich Merz's (CDU) plans to introduce a capital-funded pension. Lindner primarily doubts Merz's investment strategy.
Former German Joachim Gauck has called on the black-red coalition government to take bolder action, warning that a lack of courage is driving voters toward the far-right AfD.
Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) wants to raise the alcohol tax by 20 percent. This is according to a draft law obtained by the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
German Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) defends her savings plans for long-term care insurance, calling the system a "predictable case for restructuring." In a guest article for "Welt am Sonntag," Warken acknowledges the reform will involve hardships.
A CDU politician has called for the immediate scrapping of the deduction-free pension after 45 years of contributions, arguing that a five-year transition period would be too long.
In a current affairs debate in the Bundestag, the Left Party sharply criticized the federal government's planned capital pension. The CDU defended the project.
The redevelopment of Stuttgart's main railway station (Stuttgart 21) is becoming more expensive and taking longer. Cem Özdemir (Greens), once a fierce opponent of the project, the situation is becoming precarious, as reported by Welt.
The Bundestag has restricted the right of environmental associations to sue in order to accelerate the construction of infrastructure projects.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has arrested two suspected supporters of the far-right terrorist group 'Last Defense Wave.' The 16- and 17-year-old Germans are in pretrial detention.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has arrested two suspected supporters of the right-wing extremist terrorist group 'Letzte Verteidigungswelle' in Thuringia. They are accused of attempted murder.
Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) has rejected criticism of his draft law to accelerate construction projects. Speaking to Deutschlandfunk, Schnieder said Germany has invested too little in infrastructure in recent years.
The black-red coalition wants to push through several major reforms before the summer break—on pensions, health insurance, and long-term care. The author sees chances for a real breakthrough but warns of the sticking points.
Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) wants to tighten parental allowance conditions: both parents would have to stay home for seven months each, or benefits get cut. RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reports, citing coalition sources.
Federal and state governments have agreed on a financial reform to relieve municipalities. Lower Saxony's Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) announced the deal after consultations with Friedrich Merz (CDU).
The Bundestag has debated introducing an opt-out system for organ donations. According to Deutschlandfunk, the proposal stipulates that every citizen is considered a potential donor unless they have explicitly objected.