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POLITICS

German opposition asks President to block cannabis law

In an unusual step, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) have asked Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier not to sign the government's cannabis law - even though it's just cleared both chambers of German Parliament.

Published: 23 March 2024 16:28 CET
German opposition asks President to block cannabis law
A man smokes a joint at a cannabis legislation protest in Berlin in May. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, CDU health spokesperson Tino Sorge asked the President to stop the legislation for the time being.

“It’s not too late for that,” he said. ‘The unanimous criticism from all the state justice and interior ministers is just too great.”

Although both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat – which represents German states – have passed the law, all German legislation must pass a constitutional review by the Federal President before officially being signed into law.

A German President has only refused to sign a law in eight cases since 1949. In particularly busy times, that’s the same amount of legislation that might cross a President’s desk in a week or two. Although refusal to sign must be given only on constitutional grounds.

There’s no indication so far that President Steinmeier – a Social Democrat like Chancellor Olaf Scholz – will hold up the law, which is supposed to come into effect April 1st. Again though, the President must sign it in time.

From then – assuming signature happens in time – cultivation associations will be legal in Germany, while adults can grow up to three plants and possess up to 50 grams in their own homes.

In public, they’ll be able to carry up to 25 grams.

READ ALSO: Germany gives green light to partially legalise cannabis from April

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POLITICS

‘Dexit’ would cost Germany 690 billion euros and millions of jobs: economists

According to the German Economic Institute (IW), Germany's exit from the EU – the so-called Dexit – would cost millions of jobs and significantly reduce the country's prosperity.

Published: 19 May 2024 18:04 CEST
'Dexit' would cost Germany 690 billion euros and millions of jobs: economists

In a study presented by the Cologne-based institute on Sunday, the authors showed that a Dexit would cause real GDP to drop by 5.6 percent after just five years. This means that Germany would lose 690 billion euros in value creation during this time.

In addition, Germany as an export nation is dependent on trade with other countries, especially with other EU countries, warned the authors. Companies and consumers in Germany would therefore feel the consequences “clearly” and around 2.5 million jobs would be lost.

The study is based on the consequences of Britain’s exit from the EU, such as the loss of trade agreements and European workers.

Taken together, the losses in economic output in Germany in the event of a Dexit would be similar to those seen during Covid-19 and the energy cost crisis in the period from 2020 to 2023, the authors warned.

Brexit is therefore “not an undertaking worth imitating,” warned IW managing director Hubertus Bardt. Rather, Brexit is a “warning for other member states not to carelessly abandon economic integration.”

Leader of the far-right AfD party Alice Weidel described Great Britain’s exit from the European Union at the beginning of the year as a “model for Germany.”

In an interview published in the Financial Times, Weidel outlined her party’s approach in the event her party came to power: First, the AfD would try to resolve its “democratic deficit” by reforming the EU. If this was not successful, a referendum would be called on whether Germany should remain in the EU.

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