CSU chief supports German 'Iron Dome' missile defense system – DW – 06/30/2025
In all, 54.3% of 1,163 respondents in the YouGov poll said they would be willing to keep on working beyond the legal retirement age, most of them part-time and up to the age of 70.
Of this group, one in five (19.8%) said they would keep working only if they received higher pay.
Altogether some 33% said they would not be willing to work beyond the retirement age.
The German government is planning to change rules so that older people can stay in the workforce if they so desire.
The standard retirement age in Germany is being gradually raised from 65 to 67 by 2029.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Sunday threw cold water on a motion by the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) calling for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to be banned.
Dobrindt is a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads a coalition government with the SPD.
At the close of its three-day congress in Berlin, the SPD passed a motion calling for preparations to ban the far-right AfD, after the party was classified as a "right-wing extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
That designation has been suspended pending a legal challenge by the AfD.
In a statement to the news agency dpa, the Green Party said it agrees with the SPD's position.
Speaking to the "Table.Today" podcast on Sunday, Dobrindt said "decisions made at the SPD party conference are not yet a mandate for the interior minister."
Dobrindt instead called for a cautious approach and to allow for the legal process to play out.
He said a federal-state interior ministers working group will address the AfD issue if the "right-wing extremist" designation is upheld in court.
The working group is awaiting a ruling from the Cologne Administrative Court on whether it agrees with the "extremist" designation.
Dobrindt, as well as Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), have previously said they are skeptical of banning the AfD, which is known for its nationalist, anti-immigration, anti-Muslim and Eurosceptic policies.
The AfD has grown in popularity over the past decade to become Germany's largest opposition party.
A woman and a young girl were found dead on a forest path in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, on Sunday only days after a reported robbery on the same trail in Dorsten-Holsterhausen.
Police said the woman, believed to be between 25 and 30-years-old, had a head wound and may have been a victim a violent crime. The child, estimated to be between 2 and 3-years-old, was found nearby. Neither has been identified.
On Thursday a 40-year-old woman and her 1-year-old child were attacked on the same path by a man and a woman who tried to steal her handbag, before fleeing in a black BMW X6.
Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, has called for Germany to immediately gain access to nuclear weapons.
"Russian aggression is a completely new threat," Spahn told . He added that US nuclear bombs stationed in Germany are no longer sufficient to deter nuclear weapons.
"Europe must become capable of deterrence," the conserative politician said. "We must talk about German or European participation in the nuclear arsenal of France and Great Britain, possibly also about our own participation with other European states."
He added, "Anyone who cannot deter nuclear weapons becomes a pawn in global politics."
Spahn's proposal was met with strong criticism from the Left Party and the SPD, a coalition partner.
SPD foreign policy expert Rolf Mützenich accused Spahn of playing with fire "when he calls for European, possibly even German, nuclear weapons." Mützenich explained that the SPD is clearly committed to the goal of nuclear non-proliferation.
The German Bundeswehr does not possess its own nuclear weapons. However, some nuclear weapons are stored in Germany under US control. In an emergency, the Bundeswehr could be called upon to deploy these weapons.
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At its party congress in Berlin, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) , which is part of the ruling coalition, voted against resuming any natural gas deliveries from Russia through the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
The Nord Stream pipeline system consists of two double pipelines running across the Baltic Sea to Germany. Nord Stream 1 became operational in 2011, allowing Russia to deliver directly to its German clients without paying transit fees to eastern European countries. While traditional land pipelines continued to operate after 2011, the Nord Stream project and its expansion plans enraged multiple governments in the region, including Kyiv, that saw its leverage as a gas transit country diminish in any future disputes with Russia.
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It also drew condemnation from US and EU officials, who warned that Germany was becoming too dependent on Russian gas. However, Berlin proceeded to work with Russia to build Nord Stream 2, which would run mostly parallel to the original one. German officials insisted the gas transit route was purely an economic project.
Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021. However, it never became operational due to deteriorating relations between Russia and the West, and was eventually hit by unexplained explosions in September 2022. Additional explosions destroyed both pipelines of Nord Stream 1. Despite reports indicating Ukrainian operatives were involved in the blasts, the responsability was never officialy established.
Recently, speculation has mounted about a potential US takeover of the insolvent Nord Stream pipeline operator, which could facilitate commissioning. On Sunday, however, the delegates at the SPD party conference said they opposed such proposal that may come from their partners in the ruling coalition and "the US Republican Party."
During his visit to Israel, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Germany is aiming to establish a joint cyberresearch center and strengthen collaboration between the countries' intelligence and security agencies.
"Military defense alone is not sufficient for this turning point in security. A significant upgrade in civil defense is also essential to strengthen our overall defensive capabilities," Dobrindt said, according to Germany's newspaper.
According to a report, Dobrindt also outlined a five-point plan to establish a "Cyber Dome" for Germany as part of its cyberdefense strategy.
Germany is one of Israel's closest allies in Europe. As it boosts its military capabilities and contributions to NATO in the face of perceived growing threats from Russia and China, Berlin has increasingly looked to draw upon Israel's defense expertise.
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As a continentwide heat wave is set to worsen in the coming days, the German Weather Service issued warnings for southern and western regions, with peaks of 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 F) expected on Wednesday.
Alerts were in place from 11 a.m. (9 a.m. UTC) Sunday in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
"Avoid the heat if possible, drink enough water and keep indoor spaces cool," the weather service said.
On Monday, Germany's southern regions could see temperatures reach 35 degrees, with summer storms likely in Alpine areas and the Black Forest.
The heatwave is then likely to subside, bringing cooler, stormy weather to many regions.
Southern Europe is currently experiencing a serious heatwave, with temperatures in Spain reaching over 40 degrees.
At the close of its three-day congress in Berlin, Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) passed a motion calling for preparations to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
"The moment at which domestic intelligence says this is a confirmed right-wing extremist party, there is no more room for tactics," party co-leader Lars Klingbeil said.
He also serves as finance minister and vice chancellor in Friedrich Merz's government.
The motion, put forward by the SPD, calls on the relevant constitutional bodies to lay the groundwork for filing a case to declare the anti-immigrant AfD unconstitutional.
"Now is the time for the constitutional bodies entitled to do so to create the conditions for immediately filing a motion to determine the unconstitutionality of the AfD," the text reads.
Calls to ban the AFD intensified after Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), reclassified the party in May as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group, enabling expanded surveillance.
However, this designation has been suspended pending a legal challenge by the AfD, meaning the agency will now treat the party as a "suspected" case until the Cologne Administrative Court reaches a decision.
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The finals of the first German dachshund racing contest took place in the eastern city of Magdeburg, the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The short-legged dogs were encouraged to run the 40-meter (132-foot) course with the help of whistles, toys and treats.
A total of 220 dogs were entered in the competition, which began on Saturday.
Each dog was managed by teams of two people: one held the dog at the start, while the other shouted encouragement at the finish line.
Eight dogs competed in each heat. The different classes racing included miniature and other classes, along with the standard breed.
The dachshund breed is believed to date back to the early 18th century. They may have been bred to hunt badgers, though this is disputed.
During an unexpected visit to Tel Aviv on Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt offered unqualified support for Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear weapons program.
"Iran has been destabilizing this region for years, for decades, one has to say, with its support for terrorist groups to the north, to the south, to the east of Israel," he said.
Dobrindt said Iran's nuclear program was "a real threat to Israel's right to exist and a threat to Europe as well."
The German minster said Tehran had received a clear message that Israel, the United States and allies such as Germany could not tolerate research on or construction of nuclear weapons.
Tehran insists that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.
Dobrindt made these comments while visiting the site of a deadly Iranian missile attack in Bat Yam with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
He described the attack as an assault on the civilian population and expressed his belief that Iran would use any nuclear bomb it developed against Israel.
Dobrindt said that Germany would continue to do all it could to secure Israel's existence.
Markus Söder, Bavaria's state premier and head of the Christian Social Union (CSU), called for the acquisition of thousands of drones, new missile systems and a German version of the "Iron Dome" consisting of 2,000 Patriot missiles in case of attacks.
"Germany needs a protective shield with precision weapons," Söder told newspaper, adding that this would include a modern drone army of 100,000 drones and a defense shield similar to Israel's "Iron Dome."
"We should cooperate with Ukraine and Israel and use their experience," Söder said.
In addition to drones, Söder called for 300 new battle tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles, 35 additional Eurofighter warplanes, and 1,000 more Taurus cruise missiles. He also called for the Bundeswehr to have its own satellites.
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, and welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Germany on Sunday, June 29.
The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) concludes its party congress in Berlin.
On Friday, Lars Klingbeil was reelected as co-leader of the party, receiving 65% support, a significant decrease from the 85.6% he garnered in 2023.
For all of the latest news from Germany, stay tuned here.
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EU and Germany push for a new World Trade Organization – DW – 07/04/2025
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Germany has been considering a 10% tax on the sales of US digital giants such as Google and Meta's Facebook in Europe. Trump has spoken out against such plans and this week Canada dropped a digital sales tax proposal to keep trade talks with the US alive. Reinsch thinks the EU should prevent member states introducing these taxes because "Trump is right" in his position, he argued, and that is "not even rhetoric." "I think they are clearly discriminatory against some American companies," he said, adding that from a policy standpoint "it's totally the wrong approach." "If you want to build European competitors, you don't do that by dragging down the competition this way. You do it by building European competitors and creating viable options," said Reinsch. As the July 9 deadline looms, serious consideration is being given to the implications of a negotiations blow-up. The EU has described thetrans-Atlantic trade relationship as "the most important commercial relationship in the world," as bilateral trade in goods and services reached €1.6 trillion ($1.88 trillion) in 2023, according to EU Commission data. Kirkegaard says a no-deal scenario could lead to the requirement for fiscal stimulus in some EU countries due to "short-term volatility." But the EU can cope with that, he believes. "We would not be back in [financial crisis of] 2008 or facing a situation similar to even the energy price shock that happened after the Russian invasion in 2022 — absolutely not," he said. He expects the EU to "lose half a percentage point of growth" this year and next year, which was "not trivial," but at the same time "nothing we couldn't live with." Reinsch has a different view, saying a failure would be "bad news" for everybody. "I think in terms of actual trade, it probably would not be as impactful as a blow-up with China because we buy so much more from China. 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Trump tariffs: Crunch time looms in US-EU trade talks – DW – 07/04/2025
EU and US negotiators are attempting to finalize a deal on tariffs before an impending deadline on July 9. Experts say a no-deal scenario is possible. July 9 is almost upon us. That's when 50% tariffs could kick in on EU goods sold to the US if the two sides don't strike a deal beforehand. US President Donald Trump hit EU goods with a baseline tariff of 10% on April 2, and a rate of 25% on imported cars and 50% on steel and aluminum. He threatened to ramp the 10% rate up to 50% by April 9, but a stock market selloff prompted by his tariffs led to a postponement. In the meantime, EU and US negotiators have been working to strike an agreement ahead of the looming deadline, amid doubt in European capitals that EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will be able to strike a deal that satisfies the member states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference on Thursday (June 3) that striking a comprehensive trade deal in 90 days was "impossible" but was hopeful of "an agreement in principle", specifically referring to the agreement the US and UK had struck as a model to aim for. Those watching the negotiations closely say there have been sharp divisions among European Union member states over what concessions are acceptable and on what the US side should offer. For example, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken of the need to strike a deal quickly, criticizing the European Commission's "complicated" approach. "What is at stake here is the rapid resolution of a customs dispute, particularly for our country's key industries," he said. Yet, French President Emmanuel Macron has decried the idea of tariffs being levied by powerful countries as "blackmail", without specifically referring to Trump. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, from the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington D.C., doesn't think the position of the German chancellor will be "acceptable" for all EU members. "Merz has said a number of times that we can live with a 10% across the board tariff. As long as we don't get a 25% sectoral tariff on cars, etc.," he told DW. While the comments of Sefcovic and von der Leyen have been somewhat conciliatory towards Trump and the US, Kirkegaard considers this to be an attempt to maintain unity amongst member states. "That's basically the Commission trying to protect itself against attacks from member states, because it's obviously they would have to bear the consequences of a trade war," he said. If the UK deal is a model, then the EU will likely have to live with 10% tariffs remaining in place on many goods, as the UK has done. The US-UK agreement cut the 25% tariff on UK cars to 10%, but the number of cars that can be imported on that duty is limited to 100,000 — roughly the amount of cars the UK sold to the US in 2024. Any cars exported above that quota will be subject to a 27.5% tax. The EU sold over 700,000 cars to the US last year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However, Kirkegaard believes if the steep car, steel and aluminium tariffs remain at the same level, it will hard for many on the EU side to accept. "As long as that's the case, there's not going to be a deal, in my opinion," he said. "It is ultimately not acceptable to the EU, which is an economy roughly comparable in size to the US, for US tariffs to go up and the EU's to not go up." Kirkegaard argues that in a trade confrontation between economies of the same size, tariffs should "go up together and down together." Bill Reinsch, a senior economics adviser with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), thinks a UK-style agreement is the most likely outcome. However, what is most important for Trump is the perception that he has "won" rather than what has actually been agreed, Reinsch told DW. "What matters for him is the Oval Office meeting, that so-and-so was agreed, and now everything's going to be fine. So it wouldn't surprise me if in the end there's a 'quote, unquote agreement' with the EU." He argues it would be prudent for the EU to focus on policy outcomes rather than perceptions of who has won. "Let him have the win. If you let him have the win, what he wins doesn't matter. So you don't have to give up very much if you handle it right." One area where there has been a lot of speculation around possible EU concessions, away from tariffs, is on its digital policy, particularly its Digital Services Act and possible digital sales taxes. Germany has been considering a 10% tax on the sales of US digital giants such as Google and Meta's Facebook in Europe. Trump has spoken out against such plans and this week Canada dropped a digital sales tax proposal to keep trade talks with the US alive. Reinsch thinks the EU should prevent member states introducing these taxes because "Trump is right" in his position, he argued, and that is "not even rhetoric." "I think they are clearly discriminatory against some American companies," he said, adding that from a policy standpoint "it's totally the wrong approach." "If you want to build European competitors, you don't do that by dragging down the competition this way. You do it by building European competitors and creating viable options," said Reinsch. As the July 9 deadline looms, serious consideration is being given to the implications of a negotiations blow-up. The EU has described thetrans-Atlantic trade relationship as "the most important commercial relationship in the world," as bilateral trade in goods and services reached €1.6 trillion ($1.88 trillion) in 2023, according to EU Commission data. Kirkegaard says a no-deal scenario could lead to the requirement for fiscal stimulus in some EU countries due to "short-term volatility." But the EU can cope with that, he believes. "We would not be back in [financial crisis of] 2008 or facing a situation similar to even the energy price shock that happened after the Russian invasion in 2022 — absolutely not," he said. He expects the EU to "lose half a percentage point of growth" this year and next year, which was "not trivial," but at the same time "nothing we couldn't live with." Reinsch has a different view, saying a failure would be "bad news" for everybody. "I think in terms of actual trade, it probably would not be as impactful as a blow-up with China because we buy so much more from China. But in terms of disrupting the relationship and particularly disrupting trans-Atlantic investment, I think it would be a huge problem."
