Germany

German Easter Bunny gets 70,000 letters from children

The Easter Bunny in Ostereistedt, northern Germany, once again received tens of thousands of requests from children hoping to have their wishes realized. The meaning of Ostereistedt loosely translates to "Easter egg town"…

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German banks hit by wave of complaints from savers

By Tom Sims and Marta Orosz FRANKFURT, April 6 (Reuters) - Complaints from consumers about banks and other financial firms in Germany rose by a fifth last year, official data…

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Germany to skirt recession this year -institutes

BERLIN, April 5 (Reuters) - Germany is expected to narrowly escape recession and post modest growth in the first quarter of the year, according to the forecasts of leading economic…

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Germany unveils immigration reform plan to tackle labour shortages

BERLIN, (Reuters) - Germany this week unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from Western Balkan countries, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to plug labour…

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Photo Story: Britain’s King Charles III visits Hamburg

Britain's King Charles III waves from the balcony of City Hall in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday 31 March 2023. King Charles III is on a three-day visit to Germany, his…

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German unemployment rises slightly in March

BERLIN, March 31 (Reuters) - German unemployment rose in March, Labour Office figures showed on Friday, as economic headwinds delayed a seasonal pick-up in hiring for the spring. The Federal…

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German public sector pauses strikes for now in wage dispute

Strike action paused during arbitration talks Unions seeking 10.5% raise BERLIN, March 30 (Reuters) - German public sector employers have launched arbitration proceedings after inconclusive talks in the dispute with…

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UPDATED: King makes history as first British monarch to address the Bundestag

By Sarah Marsh Berlin says trip marks new chapter in German-British ties UK seeking to reset relations with Europe post-Brexit Sustainability and Ukraine are in focus during visit King Charles…

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Germany unveils immigration reform plan to tackle labour shortages

Germany on Wednesday unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from Western Balkan countries, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to plug labour shortages in Europe's largest economy. "With this,…

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German business morale unfazed by banking turmoil

Index at 93.3 vs expected 91.0 Bank turmoil had little effect -Ifo No reason for optimism -analysts BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) - German business morale unexpectedly rose in March, adding…

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UPDATED: Largest strike in decades brings Germany to a standstill

By Klaus Lauer and Tom Sims BERLIN/FRANKFURT, March 27 (Reuters) - Airports and bus and train stations across Germany were at a standstill on Monday morning, causing disruption for millions…

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Berliners vote down referendum on tighter climate goals

By Riham Alkousaa BERLIN, (Reuters) - A referendum in Berlin on Sunday that would have bound the city to strive to be climate neutral by 2030 has failed, the city's…

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Germany welcomes EU proposals on e-fuels dispute, seeks legal framework

BERLIN, March 24 (Reuters) - Germany has welcomed a draft European Union proposal to resolve a spat over the bloc's planned 2035 phase-out of new combustion engine cars, but called…

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German unions call for public, transport sectors strikes on Monday

BERLIN, March 23 (Reuters) - Two German labour unions representing transport workers called for mass strikes next Monday that are expected to cause widespread disruption on railways and at airports, the latest…

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Germany’s Transport Ministry sees no need to rush combustion engine phase-out deal with EU

BERLIN, March 23 (Reuters) - Germany's Transport Minister Volker Wissing rejected calls for a quick agreement with the European Commission over a phase-out of combustion engines after 2035, saying Germany…

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Mercedes-Benz site searched over suspected corruption – newspaper

German prosecutors are investigating two Mercedes-Benz employees for suspected corruption and conducted searches late last week at the carmaker's factory in Sindelfingen as part of their investigation, the Bild newspaper…

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Germany sees progress in EU talks for ban on fossil fuel cars

Talks between Germany's Transport Ministry and the European Commission about the planned end of new combustion engines from 2035 are moving forward, the ministry said on Monday, but added it…

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German economy heading for contraction in Q1, Bundesbank says

FRANKFURT, March 20 (Reuters) - Germany's economy will shrink again in the first quarter of the year and underlying inflation could prove to be stubborn even if overall price growth…

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Study finds dogs and cats could be passing on drug-resistant bugs to owners

Healthy dogs and cats could be passing on multidrug-resistant organisms to hospitalised owners. In addition, humans could be transmitting these dangerous microbes to their pets, according to new research to…

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Flights cancelled in fresh round of strikes at German airports

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Strikes at four German airports led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Friday in the latest bout of industrial action to disrupt travel…

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German corporate treasurers urged not to underestimate the current situation

FRANKFURT, March 16 (Reuters) - German corporate treasuers were urged by an industry association on Thursday not to "underestimate the current situation" as cracks in the global banking system emerge.…

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Scholz to seek reforms to boost EU competitiveness at Brussels summit

BERLIN, March 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he will seek to boost European competitiveness through reforms at an EU summit in Brussels next week, including…

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German economy expected to contract slightly in 2023 -Ifo

BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - The German economy won't be able to escape a recession in 2023, but following two quarterly contractions in the winter, it will start its recovery…

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Germany introduces national water strategy as climate change forces action

BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - Germany's cabinet on Wednesday agreed on a national water strategy aimed at coping with long dry seasons and heatwaves caused by climate change to ensure…

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German military in worse shape than before Russia’s invasion

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German military is suffering from a greater shortage of weapons and equipment than before Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the…

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Germany forms alliance against phase-out of internal combustion engines by 2035

Germany has formed an alliance with Italy and some Eastern European countries opposing the planned phase-out of internal combustion engines from 2035, and they want to make their own proposal. Transport ministers…

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No departures at Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg airports as security staff strike

BERLIN, March 13 (Reuters) - Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg airports said no commercial flights would take off on Monday due to a strike by trade union Verdi over pay. "Due…

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Germany slumps to 15th place in OECD study on attracting skilled labour

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has slumped to 15th place in a ranking of OECD countries according to their ability to attract highly-skilled workers from abroad, a study released this week…

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Gun attacks in Germany in recent years

BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) - The attack at a Jehovah's Witnesses worship hall in Hamburg, in which a gunman shot dead seven people including an unborn child before killing himself,…

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UPDATED: German police seek motive in shooting at Jehovah’s Witnesses church

HAMBURG, March 10 (Reuters) - German police were searching for a motive on Friday after a gunman, believed to have been acting alone, killed several people in a Jehovah's Witnesses…

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Germany to spend billions helping industry with energy transition

BERLIN, March 9 (Reuters) - Germany plans to provide its industry with a double-digit billion-euro amount to support the transition towards cleaner production in industry, the economy ministry said on…

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Germany says Nord Stream attacks may be ‘false flag’ to smear Ukraine

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday warned against reaching premature conclusions on who was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines, suggesting the attack could also have been…

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German travel industry sees 2023 rebound to pre-pandemic highs

BERLIN, March 6 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine and a cost-of-living crisis are not spoiling German consumers' appetite for a holiday, travel industry body DRV said on Monday, forecasting…

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German minister says on right track with EU over combustion engine phase-out

BERLIN, March 6 (Reuters) - Germany's transport minister said on Monday that he was optimistic a row with the European Union over a bid to ban new cars with internal…

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Under the radar, Germany trains Ukrainians on advanced air defence weapon

First reporters allowed to visit secret training site IRIS-T system "has hit 51 out of 51 targets" in Ukraine Tight security around weapon called a "game changer" By Sabine Siebold…

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German ex-leader Schroeder to remain member of Scholz’s SPD despite Russia ties

BERLIN, March 2 (Reuters) - Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has become increasingly derided in Germany for his ties to Russia, will be allowed to remain a member of…

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Germany announces new “feminist foreign policy”

By Laura Alviz and Sarah Marsh BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's centre-left government on Wednesday announced new feminist guidelines to shape its diplomacy and development work including the creation of a…

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Shots fired near German primary school, two critically injured – police

Shots were fired near a German primary school in the north-western town of Bramsche on Tuesday, leaving two adults critically injured, a police spokesperson confirmed. The shooting occurred near the Martinusschule primary school,…

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Strikes at German regional airports ground 300-plus flights

BERLIN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - More than 300 flights at Germany's Duesseldorf and Cologne Bonn regional airports were grounded by a 24-hour strike by the Verdi trade union on Monday, the airports…

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Germany’s Scholz committed for Free Trade deal between India, EU

NEW DELHI/BERLIN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that he and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi were committed to sealing a free trade deal between…

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Germany’s Verdi union plans strikes at two regional airports

BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Germany's Verdi union is planning strikes at two regional airports, Cologne Bonn and Duesseldorf, and several cities in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia,…

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German business sentiment rises in February

Business climate index at 91.1 vs expected 91.2 Unexpected fall in current situation index Analyst: No reason to start partying By Maria Martinez BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - German business…

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Spielberg, 76, wins Berlin lifetime award

BERLIN (Reuters) - Director Steven Spielberg, picking up a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival, said the prospect of making new films continued to excite him at 76,…

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German economic outlook brightening slightly, says Bundesbank

FRANKFURT, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Germany's economic prospects are improving after an unexpectedly resilient fourth quarter with headline inflation also past its peak, even if underlying price growth will take…

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Photo story: Rose Monday Carnival parade in Duesseldorf

A carnival float depicting an Iranian man entangled in a woman’s hair parades during the annual Rose Monday (Rosenmontag) parade in Duesseldorf, Germany, 20 February 2023. # Rose Monday is…

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Germans worry about inflation, say it causes financial pain – survey

BERLIN (Reuters) - Most Germans are worried about high inflation, and more than half of them report that rising prices are making them struggle financially, an international survey by Dynata…

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German finance minister plans multi-billion-euro relief package for companies – Spiegel

BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Christian Lindner is planning a double digit-billion euro relief package for businesses including easing the tax burden as part of efforts to spur economic…

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War in Ukraine to dominate global security gathering in Munich

By Andrew Gray and Andreas Rinke MUNICH, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Leading politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gather in Munich on Friday to survey a European…

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UPDATED: German airports strike grounds almost 300,000 passengers

BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - A 24-hour strike at seven German airports on Friday was set to affect almost 300,000 passengers as unionised workers press their demand for high wages.…

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Record surge in films at Berlin festival marks industry revival post-COVID

BERLIN (Reuters) - This year's Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, marks a resurgence for the global film industry after years in the doldrums due to the COVID-19…

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Websites of several German airports down

BERLIN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The websites of at least three German airports were disrupted on Thursday, a day after a major IT failure at Lufthansa left thousands of passengers…

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UPDATED: German defence minister backs raising NATO spending goal

BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Germany's defence minister said he was in favour of raising NATO's military spending target, as allies gathered in Brussels on Wednesday for talks on whether…

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UPDATED: 24-hour strike at German airports on Friday

BERLIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Strikes planned at seven German airports for Friday will lead to "massive disruptions", the operator of the country's largest airport, in Frankfurt, said in a…

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German economy expected to grow modestly in 2023 – European Commission

The German economy will grow slightly this year, the European Commission said Monday, revising upwards its previous forecast for a 0.6% contraction. In its winter forecasts, the European Commision envisages…

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Germany’s conservatives set to win repeat Berlin state election- exit polls

Germany's conservative CDU party is on track to win a repeat election in Berlin, in a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats which have governed the city-state for 22 years.…

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Berlin reruns election in test for Scholz’s SPD

BERLIN (Reuters) - Berliners return to the polls on Sunday, choosing a government for the city state for the second time in 18 months after, for the first time in…

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Call for English to be second official language in Germany

English should become a second official language at administrative offices in Germany, one of the country’s governing parties has argued, saying unwieldy bureaucratic German is proving too much of a…

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