Lars Klingbeil
German politician (SPD), SPD Federal Chairman, Member of the Bundestag, Federal Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor from Germany since 2025
- 9h ago
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov at G20 summit in Asheville
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held talks with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in North Carolina, drawing sharp pushback from European officials who boycotted the G20 family photograph.
- 5d ago
German President Steinmeier visits Gamescom as industry excludes AfD politicians
German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the Gamescom congress in Cologne, where industry group Game excluded AfD figures and debated gaming regulations.
- Aug 25
Finance Minister Klingbeil Rejects Draft Proposal to Tax Sugar-Free Drinks in Germany
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has ruled out extending a planned soft drink levy to artificially sweetened beverages following coalition backlash over a leaked Finance Ministry draft paper.
- Aug 25
German cabinet sets autumn timetable for pension and tax reforms at retreat
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his ministers concluded a two-day retreat in Brandenburg, committing to pass two-part pension legislation and tax reforms before the end of 2026.
- Aug 24
AfD leader Alice Weidel outlines plans to exit Schengen, drop euro, and expel Syrian refugees
In a ZDF television interview, Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel proposed closing national borders, leaving the eurozone, and repatriating 1.3 million Syrian refugees if her party takes power.
- Aug 23
AfD Leader Alice Weidel Calls for Euro Exit and Border Closures in ZDF Interview
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel attacked Chancellor Friedrich Merz and outlined plans to exit the Eurozone and Schengen area ahead of September state elections in Germany.
- Aug 23
Volkswagen management considers plant closures as unions and state leaders resist deeper cuts
Volkswagen leadership has warned that four German plants lack viable production plans past 2030, proposing 500,000 vehicles of capacity cuts despite pushback from unions and Lower Saxony officials.
- Aug 23
Lower Saxony premier Olaf Lies urges EU tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars
Lower Saxony Minister-President Olaf Lies has written to European and German leaders seeking import duties on Chinese plug-in hybrids, warning of a 70% export increase and market distortion.
- Aug 23
Merz to press German cabinet for faster economic reforms at Neuhardenberg retreat
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will urge ministers at a cabinet retreat in Schloss Neuhardenberg to accelerate pro-growth reforms, pension measures, and tax relief.
- Aug 16
Klingbeil faces muted reception at SPD Pfalztreffen amid growing internal dissent over coalition course
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil received a restrained welcome at the SPD's Pfalztreffen in Haßloch, where he defended the black-red coalition's course against mounting internal criticism over weak polling and contentious pension reforms.
- Aug 13
German cabinet abolishes accompanied drinking for 14- and 15-year-olds
The German federal cabinet approved a draft law ending the exception allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drink beer and wine in public with their parents, sending the bill to the Bundestag.
- Aug 12
EU packaging regulation takes effect: PFAS banned in food packaging, small shops halt cross-border sales
The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation officially applies from 12 August 2026, banning PFAS in food packaging and imposing registration duties that push small retailers out of cross-border shipping.
- Aug 12
German cabinet approves sweeping intelligence reform granting spy agencies hacking and sabotage powers
Germany's cabinet approved a 700-page draft bill on August 12 granting the BND and BfV intelligence services broad new powers to hack communications, manipulate data, and conduct sabotage abroad, in what officials call the largest reform since World War II.
- Aug 11
SPD working group demands special party conference to replace co-chairs Bas and Klingbeil
An SPD working group has called for an extraordinary party conference in autumn 2026 to replace co-chairs Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil, citing the party's 12% polling low and what it calls a failed dual-role leadership structure.
- Aug 4
Cranger Kirmes returns for 542nd edition with heightened security after Berlin attack
The 542nd Cranger Kirmes, North Rhine-Westphalia's largest folk festival, starts 6 August with over four million visitors expected and 470 truck barriers deployed after a recent attack in Berlin.
- Jul 22
German government finalises 'Frühstartrente' plan: €10 monthly state contribution to child pension accounts from age six
The German government has finalised a draft law to give every child a state-subsidised retirement account, paying €10 per month from age six to 18, starting with those born in 2020.
- Jul 18
Germany's Reiche waters down renewable subsidy cuts: small solar gets transition payments, grid compensation softened
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche revised draft energy laws on Friday evening, introducing a three-year transition payment for small rooftop solar and scaling back planned compensation cuts for wind farms in grid-constrained areas.
- Jul 17
Germany unveils 26-point plan to crack down on tax evasion, raising penalties and adding 1,500 customs jobs
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig presented a 26-measure package that would reclassify tax evasion as a felony, raise maximum prison terms to 15 years, and abolish the current form of voluntary disclosure that allows offenders to avoid prosecution.
- Jul 13
German coalition plans sharper tobacco tax hike, pushing cigarette packs toward €12 by 2030
The black-red coalition wants to raise the tobacco tax more steeply than the cabinet decided last week, adding roughly 40 cents per pack and targeting €4.4 billion in extra annual revenue by 2030.
- Jul 10
German parliament passes health insurance savings package, GPs warn of 'massive cuts' and 'pitch-black' care
Bundestag and Bundesrat approved the savings package on Friday. The head of the GP association says practices will now run 'massive cutting programmes' and predicts severe supply problems in rural areas.
