Lars Klingbeil
Photo: © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- 2h ago
Delegates walk out as Russian finance minister Siluanov speaks at IMF meeting in Bangkok
About ten European delegations, along with the Netherlands and Germany, left an IMF steering committee meeting in Bangkok on Saturday, 17 October, as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov began to speak.
- 21h ago
France and Germany ease 2035 EU car CO2 target and widen Made in Europe rules
The compromise would cut new-car CO2 by 90% from 2035 instead of 100%, and could let Britain count as Made in Europe under a separate deal. The draft still has to win backing across the EU.
- yesterday
Hubertz plans federal law to block Berlin's housing socialisation plans
Federal construction minister Verena Hubertz (SPD) wants a law against housing socialisation as fast as possible, while the Left, which won the Berlin election, presses ahead with its plan for large private housing firms.
- yesterday
German building permits rise 6.8% in August as financing costs weigh on builders
Authorities approved 20,600 new dwellings in August, 6.8 percent more than a year earlier. Higher energy costs, rising interest rates and a weaker builders' sentiment index keep pressure on the sector.
- 2d ago
Bundestag passes Frühstartrente, a state pension savings plan for children aged 6 to 18
The Bundestag voted on Friday, 16 October, for a scheme that pays 10 euros a month into savings accounts for children aged 6 to 18. The law still needs Bundesrat approval and has drawn criticism from the Greens and Die Linke.
- 2d ago
Bundestag approves stepped tobacco tax rise, with pack prices seen near 12 euros by 2030
Germany's Bundestag passed a law raising the tobacco tax in four steps from 1 January 2027. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil expects almost 12 billion euros in extra revenue, and the Bundesrat takes up the bill on Friday, 16 October.
- 2d ago
SPD to elect entire leadership at Bremen congress on 16 and 17 January after Bas quits
Bärbel Bas has stepped down as SPD co-chair and labour minister, and the party plans to elect its entire leadership at a congress in Bremen in mid-January.
- 3d ago
NRW government opposes BASF takeover bid for Evonik, RAG foundation stays silent
Economy minister Mona Neubaur told the state parliament on Wednesday, 14 October, that the NRW government is against the takeover. The RAG foundation, which holds about 44 percent of Evonik, has not yet set out its position.
- 4d ago
Germany's cabinet approves two-tier sugar tax on sweetened drinks from July 2027
Germany's cabinet approved a sugar tax on sweetened drinks on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, a day after the coalition settled its dispute. The levy of 26 or 32 cents per litre is due to start on 1 July 2027 and still needs approval from the Bundestag.
- 4d ago
Steinmeier appoints Alexander Schweitzer labour minister after Bärbel Bas resigns
Frank-Walter Steinmeier handed Alexander Schweitzer his appointment certificate on Tuesday, 13 October, a day after Bärbel Bas stepped down as minister and SPD chair. Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants pension and labour market bills in cabinet quickly, and the succession at the top of the SPD remains open.
- 4d ago
German top court hears challenges to inheritance tax breaks for business heirs
Germany's Federal Constitutional Court heard two cases on 12 and 13 October 2026 over exemptions that let business heirs pay little or no inheritance tax. A ruling is expected in some months.
- Oct 9
EU finance ministers agree scaled-back plan to centralise stock exchange supervision at ESMA
Finance ministers in Luxembourg exempted Deutsche Börse and smaller venues from direct ESMA oversight, cutting the Commission's original perimeter. Belgium abstained from the vote.
- Oct 9
Evonik rebuffs BASF takeover approach as RAG foundation holds the final word
Evonik has turned down BASF's approach, but the decision rests with the RAG foundation, which holds 44% of Evonik's shares. Trade union IG BCE has raised doubts about the foundation's resolve.
- Oct 9
ECB policymakers dampen rate hike bets as Schnabel successor race opens
Euro zone finance ministers opened the process to replace Isabel Schnabel, who leaves the ECB on January 3, 2027, while several ECB policymakers said they are in no rush to raise rates again.
- Oct 7
Merz 'deeply outraged' as Schröder joins Putin for birthday celebration in Moscow
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is 'deeply outraged' that former chancellor Gerhard Schröder celebrated Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday, a German government spokesperson said on Friday. The Kremlin said Putin had invited his 'old friend' to his home, and criticism has spread across Merz's coalition.
- Oct 7
Germany raises 2026 growth forecast to 1.3% on state spending and exports
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche lifted the 2026 economic growth forecast from 0.5% to 1.3%, citing infrastructure spending and export demand while warning of labour shortages.
- Oct 7
German parliamentary committee approves new Hamburg-Hannover rail line alongside 250 million euro track upgrade
The Bundestag transport committee voted on Wednesday to advance plans for a new rail link between Hamburg and Hannover, allocating 250 million euros for upgrades to existing tracks through Celle and Lüneburg by 2034.
- Oct 6
AfD's Tobias Rausch elected Saxony-Anhalt parliament president with 48 of 83 votes
Tobias Rausch of the AfD won the presidency of the Saxony-Anhalt Landtag on Tuesday with four more votes than his party and the BSW hold together. Chancellor Friedrich Merz then suggested that deputies from other parties may have voted for him to discredit the CDU, prompting angry rebuttals from the Greens and the Left.
- Oct 3
AfD reaches 30 percent as Union falls to 18 percent in German Insa poll
An Insa survey gives Alternative for Germany a 12-point lead over CDU/CSU, which dropped to 18 percent as 79 percent of voters expressed dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- Oct 2
Steinmeier intervenes in German coalition standoff over healthcare, pensions, and taxes
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier held crisis calls with Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt following disputes over social reforms and tax policy.
