Germany updates: Berlin seeks deportation deal with Taliban – DW – 07/03/2025
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said that needing third parties to negotiate with Afghanistan's rulers, the Taliban, is "not a permenant solution."
His remarks represent a shift in Germany's policy of not directly talking to the Taliban.
Also dominating the headlines in German media today is the coalition government's failure to reach a deal on reducing the electricity tax.
Meanwhile, a new survey shows the majority of Germans want a ban of a rule that allows young teens to drink.A Forsa survey commissioned by commercial health insurance company KKH showed that 65% of Germans were in favor of abolishing a rule that allows young teenagers to drink alcohol.
Under the supervised drinking rule, teens as young as 14-year-olds could buy and consume beer and wine if they are with a legal guardian.
According to the poll, 52% also support raising the legal age for drinking beer and wine from 16 to 18.
The survey included more than 1,000 participants aged 18 to 70 from across Germany.
Health Minister Nina Warken has voiced support for an initiative by ministers from German states calling for a ban supervised drinking.
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Guten Morgen! We're watching the news in Germany today from Bonn, where the weather has cooled down again after an intense heat wave.
Today, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to speak at a banking conference in Berlin, and the foreign minister is meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
We'll also highlight in this blog some explainers and analyses from our colleagues across DW.
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UN criticizes Germany over Afghanistan deportation plans – DW – 07/04/2025
Germany's Interior Minister has said he is open to creating a direct line with the Taliban to enable deportations of Afghans living in Germany. The UN has criticized the plan. A UN human rights agency on Friday criticized Germany's plans to deport people to Afghanistan despite Taliban rule in the Central Asian country. It comes after German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday he was open to "making agreements directly with Afghanistan to enable deportations." In response, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said it was "not appropriate to return people to Afghanistan," while speaking to reporters in Geneva. "We have been documenting continuing human rights violations in Afghanistan," she said. Arafat Jamal, who works for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Kabul, said a "non-return advisory" was still in place for Afghanistan. "In other words... the conditions on the ground are not yet ready for returns," he said. "We urge countries not to forcibly return to Afghanistan." Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban retook control of the country. However, amid a rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant rhetoric, the government led by the conservative bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has put deportations high on the agenda. Dobrindt is calling for the number of refugees accepted by Germany to be well below 200,000. Last year, almost 230,000 people made an initial application for asylum in Germany. So far this year, the official figure for the first five months is 54,000. Germany does not recognize the Taliban government and has no official ties with it. On Friday, Russia became the first country in the world to recognize Taliban rule. Currently Berlin only has indirect contact with the Taliban through third parties. Dobrindt said this "cannot remain a permanent solution". Last year in August, 28 Afghan nationals who had been convicted of crimes were deported with the help of Qatar. Dobrindt also said he was in contact with authorities for deportations to Syria, which have been paused since 2012. This comes as Austria carried out its first deportation of a Syrian back to Syria on Thursday.
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Brussels and Berlin have launched a new initiative aimed at bypassing the long-standing paralysis of the World Trade Organization (WTO) caused by the United States. But how viable is such a solution? A proposal, introduced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has sparked considerable attention. Speaking at the end of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on June 27, they floated the idea of the EU taking the lead in forming an alternative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the world trade body that has been in place since 1995. Merz said the idea was in its early stages but could include mechanisms to resolve disputes, as the WTO was meant to do. "You all know that the WTO doesn't work anymore," he said, adding that a "new kind of trade organization" could gradually replace "what we no longer have with the WTO." The German chancellor was referring to the near-total breakdown of the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism. 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"We must not allow global trade to splinter into competing blocs with different rules," he said. "This new organization must only be a transitional solution, clearly aimed at reforming — not replacing — the WTO." Brussels has also been careful to clarify that the goal is not to render the WTO obsolete. EU Commission President von der Leyen described the "structured cooperation" with CPTPP members as a potential starting point for reshaping the WTO. Even the WTO's former chief economist, Ralph Ossa, who recently returned to the University of Zurich, openly acknowledged the need for change. "Does the WTO need reform? Absolutely," he told DW. Germany's economy ministry echoed that view, with a spokesperson for Minister Katharina Reiche confirming that the German government, together with the European Commission, is actively pushing for WTO reforms. These include new rules to curb industrial subsidies to ensure fair competition, digital trade initiatives, and investment facilitation. The EU is already in talks with countries that support open and rules-based trade — including CPTPP members. The EU's dual message to both the US and China appears to be part of a deliberate communication strategy that has evolved since US President Donald Trump's tariff war. Matthes envisions a new alliance under the banner of "Open Markets with Fair Trade." In such a setup, "the US is out when it comes to open markets, and China is out when it comes to fair trade — unless things change under a new US administration or a reformed China emerges." He sees multiple advantages to this strategy. "We'd achieve more trade liberalization and gain access to new markets. We'd isolate the US more and show Trump that protectionism is ultimately a dead end." At the same time, Europe could send a clear message to China that it will no longer tolerate market distortions, he added.
