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TODAY IN GERMANY

Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Finance Minister casts doubt over future of €49 ticket, three die in crash in Saxony-Anhalt, acid attack in Bochum being probed and more news from Germany on Monday.

Published: 1 July 2024 08:19 CEST
An advertisement for the Deutschlandticket can be seen in front of a train at the main station in Frankfurt am Main.
An advertisement for the Deutschlandticket in front of a train at the main station in Frankfurt am Main. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

Finance Minister casts doubt over future of €49 Deutschlandticket

Finance Minister Christian Lindner has expressed doubts about the future of the €49 Deutschlandticket, suggesting that modernising Germany’s railways would require greater levels of investment – something that could in turn mean raising ticket prices.

Originally launched in 2023, the €49 travel ticket allows unlimited travel nationwide for a month with certain long-distance services excepted from the offer.

Doubts have been cast about the future of the ticket before, with some towns including Stendal in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt axing the discounted travel ticket and opting out of the scheme.

Lindner told Welt am Sonntag that modernising German railways will cost tens of billions of euros, and that in the near future a proper debate about the price of the Deutschlandticket will be needed.

“At some point, politicians will have to decide whether we want to invest more in the railways or whether the price should remain at €49,” Linder said.

READ ALSO: Will Germany’s €49 ticket be continued?

Three die in crash on country road in Saxony-Anhalt

Three people have died in a horror crash in the early hours of Monday in Saxony-Anhalt.

A car left the Landstraße 204 road at a bend around 2.15 am, plunging into a ditch and down a slope,

The 58-year-old driver lost control of her SUV in the rain.

Three people died and two are seriously injured. According to police, the passengers were young people and all come from the local region (Burgendlandkreis). 

The road is closed following the accident.

Arrest after acid attack in Bochum leaves five injured

Police have launched an investigation after a man poured an acidic liquid on guests at a cafe in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. 

Five people were injured – one of them seriously – in the incident that took place in the outdoor seating area of the cafe in the “Bermudadreieck” district on Sunday at around 3.30 pm. 

According to police, the customers were drinking coffee and eating food “in a relaxed atmosphere” when the attack occurred.

The man poured the acidic liquid over a male guest sitting at a table, according to police, and he was seriously injured. A woman sitting at the same table and a waitress were also injured.

The two other people injured as a result of the attack were other customers. All were taken to hospital by ambulance.

The suspected perpetrator was arrested nearby shortly after the attack.

 It was initially unclear which liquid was involved, but it is being investigated with the help of a special unit at Dortmund fire and rescue.

Authorities are questioning the suspect. 

German police register 830,000 border checks since start of Euro 2024

German police have reportedly carried out 830,000 border checks since the start of Euro 2024.

This is according to figures announced by national police chief Dieter Romann. A total of 603 people have been arrested during the border stops so far, with 85 people detained on suspicion of serious crimes such as terrorism and extremism. 

86 people were turned back at the border for hooliganism-related offences.

Euro 2024 began on June 14th and will last until July 14th. The bolstered border checks will remain in place until July 19th.

READ ALSO:

England avoid shock at Euro 2024 as Spain ease into quarter-finals

England escaped an embarrassing exit from Euro 2024 on Sunday as they came from behind to beat Slovakia in extra time and reach the quarter-finals, while Spain defeated surprise packages Georgia 4-1 to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final showdown with hosts Germany.

A Jude Bellingham overhead kick deep in injury time and a Harry Kane strike early in extra time allowed England to beat Slovakia 2-1 in their last-16 tie in Gelsenkirchen.

England's forward #09 Harry Kane acknowledges the public at the end of the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 football match between England and Slovakia at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 30, 2024.

England’s forward #09 Harry Kane acknowledges the public at the end of the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 football match between England and Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on June 30, 2024. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP

The win set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday in Düsseldorf.

Spain will now go to Stuttgart for a clash with the host nation Germany on Friday.

The last-16 action continues on Monday as Kylian Mbappe and France take on Belgium in Duesseldorf at 6pm before Portugal meet Slovenia in Frankfurt at 9pm. 

READ ALSO How and where to watch the Euros in Germany 

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TODAY IN GERMANY

Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news of Friday

German coalition government reach an early-morning agreement 'in principle' on 2025 budget, Germany set for major Euro 2024 clash against Spain, new report suggests disparities across regions are easing and more news on Friday.

Published: 5 July 2024 08:03 CEST
Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news of Friday

Agreement in principle on 2025 German budget, says source close to coalition

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his allies have struck an early-morning agreement in principle on Germany’s 2025 budget, a source close to the ruling coalition said early Friday, ending a protracted clash over spending.

“An agreement was reached” at the end of the night between Scholz, Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens, and Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business FDP, who had been in talks since Thursday afternoon, the source said.

Details were not immediately available on the compromise, though it does include a plan to support growth.

Scholz will now have to present the plan to coalition parliamentarians in the morning.

The drawn-out conflict over the budget had threatened to topple the three-way coalition, and the agreement appeared to put an end to weeks of negotiations between Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the FDP.

PODCAST: Underrated German tourist spots and can the €49 ticket survive?

Germany face Spain and France take on Portugal in thrilling Euro 2024 quarters

Hosts Germany take on Spain in the first of two blockbuster quarter-final ties at Euro 2024 on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe’s France up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the late match.

Germany and Spain clash in Stuttgart at 6 pm with the host nation putting their hopes on the line against probably the best-performing side at the tournament thus far.

Spain, with the thrilling duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the wings, have reached the quarter-finals with four wins in as many games, nine goals scored and just one conceded.

Germany, meanwhile, have also impressed on their run to the last eight, with Jamal Musiala outstanding in attack and Toni Kroos pulling the strings in midfield as he prepares to retire after the competition.

The match, a repeat of the Euro 2008 final won 1-0 by Spain in Vienna, therefore promises to be a thriller.

Meanwhile, at 9 pm on Friday, Portugal play France in Hamburg. 

READ ALSO: How (and where) to watch Euro 2024 quarter finals in Germany

New report shows disparities across German regions are shrinking

Economic and social differences across German regions are shrinking, new research shows. 

The government commissioned Equivalence Report 2024, which looks at the regional disparities across Germany, was adopted by the cabinet this week.

According to the report, differences between regions when it comes to economic and social factors have decreased in recent years, but those regions where the population is decreasing still face major challenges.  

In particular ‘equivalence indicators’ such as: municipal tax revenue, the unemployment rate, the number of crimes, the birth rate and life expectancy, the accessibility of the nearest supermarket and the share of forested areas within districts or cities were found to be levelling off across Germany.

But disparities intensified in other factors, such as: the number of skilled workers, the density of residential buildings, the ratio of children to day-care places, the proportion of single-person households and the old-age dependency ratio. 

Disparity in Germany, particularly between former east and former west states, has long been a point of contention.

READ ALSO: How does Germany’s ‘phantom border’ still divide the country?

Habeck and his map

Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior and Home Affairs, and Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, present the Federal Government’s Equality Report 2024 at the Federal Press Conference Center. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

Germany’s Economy Minister, Robert Habeck (Greens) suggested that the report showed significant improvements.

“I really think this is a decisive summary on the question of how Germany is doing”, the Economy Minister said, adding that it could be used to help recalibrate government funding policies.

Volkswagen rejects ‘detrimental’ EU tariffs on electric cars from China

German auto giant Volkswagen on Thursday said EU moves to impose provisional extra duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric car imports over subsidy concerns were “detrimental” to the European market.

“Countervailing duties are generally not suitable for strengthening the competitiveness of the European automotive industry in the long term – we reject them,” Volkswagen said in a statement.

Brussels announced the planned tariff hike last month at the conclusion of an investigation into Chinese state subsidies for electric vehicle makers potentially undercutting European manufacturers.

But auto groups in Germany responded negatively to the EU action against China, where many of them have significant business interests.

“The timing of the EU Commission’s decision is detrimental” to the European electric car market, where demand was weak, Volkswagen said.

READ ALSO: Germany’s Volkswagen considers job cuts as electric car shift stalls

Europe’s largest carmaker said the “negative effects of this decision outweigh any potential benefits for the European and especially the German automotive industry”.

Airbus wins satellite deal with German military

The German army has awarded Airbus a contract worth €2.1 billion for next generation SatcomBw 3 military communications satellites, the European aerospace firm said Thursday.

The contract, for deployment by the end of the decade, includes the prime contractor of two satellites “as well as the ground segment (receiving stations), launch and operation for 15 years,” Airbus said in a statement.

“At a time when Western democracies are challenged and where the European institutional space ecosystem is struggling, we are excited and grateful to develop and build this leading-edge system,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.

With reporting by Paul Krantz

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