Bild: Black-Red gets rolling | Schwarz-Rot rollt
FAZ: Coalition negotiations completed | Koalitionsverhandlungen abgeschlossen
Funke: Wegner welcomes tightening of migration policy | Wegner begrüßt Verschärfung bei der Migrationspolitik
Handelsblatt: Coalition agreement finalized | Koalitionsvertrag steht
RND: The tariff hammer and its consequences: Is Europe threatened by a flood of products from China? | Der Zollhammer und die Folgen: Droht Europa die Produkt-Schwemme aus China?
SZ: CDU/CSU and SPD present coalition agreement | Union und SPD stellen Koalitionsvertrag vor
Tagesspiegel: Strong enough for the crises of the world? | Genug Kraft für die Krisen der Welt?
taz: The coalition agreement is done | Der Koalitionsvertrag ist fertig
Welt: The black-red coalition agreement is in place | Der schwarz-rote Koalitionsvertrag steht
Coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD is in place: Economic growth will be the top priority. The CDU/CSU and SPD have agreed on an economic stimulus package, further measures to strengthen the country’s defenses and economy and a tightening of migration policy. Just six weeks after the parliamentary elections, the party leaders presented their government program at a press conference on Wednesday. Some of the measures are subject to funding reviews. If party members agree to the new coalition pact, this will be the fifth ‚black-red‘ coalition in Germany. sueddeutsche.de, faz.net, tagesschau.de, spiegel.de, lto.de
- Corporate and electricity taxes are to be reduced to strengthen business and an industrial energy price will be introduced. From 2028, corporation tax is to be reduced in five steps of one percent each year. Companies that invest heavily should be able to write off 30 percent of their investment costs up to three times. zdf.de
- The coalition agreement highlights Germany as an automotive location; the CDU and SPD are considering purchase incentives for e-cars. heise.de
- A free trade agreement is to be concluded with the USA, and a trade conflict is to be averted for the time being.
- Bureaucracy will be reduced; in the future, it should be possible to set up a company in 24 hours. The national supply chain law with its cumbersome reporting requirements will be dropped.
- Instead of the usual eight-hour day, there may in future be a weekly framework for working hours. The plan is to develop the project in consultation with employers and trade unions. Tax-free overtime allowances are planned. Those who continue to work in retirement will receive additional tax relief. n-tv.de
- The current pension level of 48 percent is to be enshrined in law until 2031. The costs for this are to be financed from the federal budget. Parental benefits and the commuter allowance are to be increased. web.de
- The CDU/CSU and SPD are aiming for a minimum wage of €15 by next year. Lower income tax is to be introduced for small and medium incomes.
- Bürgergeld is to be replaced by a „basic income support for jobseekers“ with tough sanction options. Refugees from Ukraine will no longer receive Bürgergeld in the future, but the lower benefits for asylum seekers. In addition, nationwide standardized means-testing will be used to prove an applicant’s need in the future. handelsblatt.com
- The incoming government wants to take all available constitutional measures to reduce irregular migration. For example, asylum seekers are to be turned back at the borders. Naturalization after three years will be abolished. The right to asylum will be retained. Refugees with limited protection status will no longer be allowed to bring family members to join them for two years.
- The Deutschlandticket is to be retained; however, it is likely to become more expensive from 2029. n-tv.de
- Military service is to be made more attractive and more young people are to be recruited, initially on a voluntary basis. Acceleration laws will be used to renew dilapidated Bundeswehr infrastructure and procure armaments. n-tv.de
- Eight percent of jobs in the federal administration are to be cut over the four years, with the exception of security authorities. The number of federal commissioners is to be halved.
- A National Security Council is to pool information on crises and enable faster decision-making. To this end, telecommunications providers, among others, will be obliged to store IP addresses for possible investigations for at least three months. stern.de
- A ministry for digitization and modernization of the state will be created to improve digital services in Germany. heise.de
- Coalition partners plan to rework the previous government’s electoral law reform. n-tv.de
- Coalition partners want to meet at least once a month. The coalition committee, which consists of party leaders and parliamentary group leaders, will assist in resolving conflicts.
New government to be larger: The cabinet will in future consist of 18 members; one more than in the previous coalition. stern.de
- CDU receives six departments in addition to the head of government: foreign office, ministry of economic affairs and energy, ministry of education, ministry of family affairs, ministry for senior citizens, women and youth, ministry of health, ministry of transport and the ministry for digitization and state modernization, as well as the head of the chancellery with the rank of federal minister.
- CSU is to take on the interior, research, technology and space travel ministry, as well as the agriculture ministry.
- SPD gets seven ministries: finance, defense, justice and consumer protection, the environment, climate protection, nature conservation and nuclear safety, economic cooperation and development, and housing, urban development and construction. The SPD will not name their ministers until after the members‘ decision has been made.
Israel has taken over larger areas in the Gaza Strip and turned them into buffer zones: This will reduce the area in which the army is fighting against Hamas, said Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz during a visit to one of the corridors. This is the only way to end the war. derstandard.at
More than 150 Chinese fighting on Russia’s side: Ukraine does not know whether there is a marching order from Beijing, said President Volodymyr Selenskyi. However, China is aware that its citizens have been sent to Ukraine; the Ukrainian authorities know the names of 155 of them. He assumes that the number of Chinese fighters is much higher. Zelenskyi accuses Russia of „dragging“ China into Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Russia has first involved North Korea and now China in the war. spiegel.de
Ipsos April poll: CDU/CSU 24 percent (-5), AfD 25 percent (+3), SPD 15 percent, Greens 11 percent (-1), Left Party 11 percent (+2), BSW 5 percent, FDP 4 percent, others 5 percent. (changes compared to previous month) ipsos.com
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius describes the threat to peace in Europe as more dramatic than it has been in decades: The security crisis calls for action. „The new federal government will have to focus on this tense situation, this ongoing crisis in European security, from the outset,“ Pistorius said at the commissioning of the new operational command. “We have to set the right course for the protection and security of our country – and we have to do it now and with determination.“ thueringer-allgemeine.de
Head of the Federal Employment Agency Andrea Nahles foresees no increase in unemployment insurance contributions: The Federal Employment Agency will probably have to use its reserves of currently 3.2 billion euros this year to compensate for a possible budget deficit, Nahles explained. Contribution increases are not an option. The agency has set aside around 22 billion euros for unemployment benefits alone in the current year; that is 2.3 billion more than in 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic. welt.de
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for continued development cooperation: This could make an important contribution to solving global problems, and in the end this would also benefit Germany, said Steinmeier during a visit to the GIZ in Bonn. He is pleased that development policy has broad support in society. Steinmeier pointed out that development cooperation is currently under increasing pressure worldwide. In many countries, such as the US, funding has been cut dramatically. wdr.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz pays tribute to the theologian and Nazi resistance fighter Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered 80 years ago: Bonhoeffer stood up for his convictions with great courage and paid for it with his life, Scholz wrote on social media. 80 years after his execution, Bonhoeffer’s values of justice and responsibility are more relevant than ever. Protecting human dignity requires constant vigilance and active humanity – every single day. evangelisch.de
Alleged arson attack on Nuremberg-Erfurt line: The line is usable again after repair teams managed to restore the functionality of the systems, Deutsche Bahn announced. The line had been closed since Wednesday afternoon due to the alleged arson attack on control and signaling systems. It is still unclear who was behind the attack. All long-distance and regional trains were diverted until the evening. t-online.de
More News:
- Bavaria: Abuse victims sign petition demanding more protection. sueddeutsche.de
- Bavaria: Intensified fight against money laundering. n-tv.de
- Bavaria: Nuremberg has declared a weapons-free zone around the main train station. spiegel.de
- Hamburg: Poor German-language skills among police force applicants. abendblatt.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Mainz seals city friendship with Odessa. faz.net
- Saarland: Parliament discusses cell phone ban and digital education. saarbruecker-zeitung.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Sex scandal in juvenile detention center; criticism of the Ministry of Justice is growing. ndr.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Sports funding law gets a makeover, boarding school becomes cheaper. n-tv.de
- NRW: Well-integrated Iraqi handcuffed and deported after visit to immigration office. nw.de
- Bavaria: NSU documentation center to be established in Nuremberg. sueddeutsche.de
- Berlin: Influencer recieves six-month suspended sentence for firing a New Year’s rocket into an apartment. n-tv.de
- Berlin: Tough penalty for neo-Nazi Julian M. sueddeutsche.de
US President Donald Trump pauses tariffs for numerous countries: For China, on the other hand, Trump has raised tariffs once again; tariffs of 125 percent now apply to all Chinese imports. He has ordered a 90-day break for most other countries. During this period, a reduced tariff of ten percent will apply. This applies to the more than 75 states that have shown a willingness to negotiate and have not yet taken any retaliatory measures. Trump admitted that people are somewhat concerned about the tariffs. The US stock markets rose immediately after Trump’s about-face. zdf.de, rnd.de, n-tv.de
Europe should become less dependent on China and the USA for artificial intelligence technology: The EU Commission in Brussels explained that the AI law, which will soon come into force, should be simplified. The aim is to reduce the complexity and administrative burden of existing EU data protection laws. The goal is for Europe to become a global leader in the field of artificial intelligence. The capacity of European data centers is to be tripled in the next five to seven years. The EU also wants to attract 20 billion euros in private investment. The money is to go to five institutions where complex AI models are to be developed. tagesschau.de, sueddeutsche.de, heise.de
EU agrees on stricter rules for companies handling plastic granulate: Negotiators from the EU Parliament and Council have agreed on a law to ensure that plastic granulate from production does not end up in nature. Companies must present a concept for how they will reduce microplastic pollution. The law applies to plastic particles that are usually smaller than five millimeters, extremely durable and difficult to break down in nature. n-tv.de
Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrested again: Around six months before the presidential election, the influential opposition politician and other party officials were arrested after an election campaign appearance in the south of the country. Police officers also used tear gas against the crowd. Human rights activists have accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government of attacking their political opponents in the run-up to the elections scheduled for the end of October. The government rejects this. Lissu had already been arrested several times; in 2017, he survived an apparently politically motivated assassination attempt.
AP regains access to White House: In his ruling, a US federal judge invoked the freedom of the press enshrined in the US Constitution. Among other things, the news agency must be granted access to the Oval Office and the government aircraft Air Force One if these areas are also open to other journalists. The ruling comes into force on April 13. The US government intends to appeal against this decision. zeit.de, kress.de, spiegel.de
More news:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian parties demand Dodik’s arrest and warn against „dirty EU deals“. derstandard.at
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacks Imamoglu party. spiegel.de
- Iceland: After Trump’s election, new government moves closer to the EU. faz.net
- Austria: Acquittal after death of doctor who recieved Covid conspiracy threats. rnd.de
- Great Britain: Arrest in London for sending parcel bombs. tagesschau.de
- Dominican Republic: The number of people killed after the roof of a nightclub collapsed has increased to at least 120; well-known merengue singer Rubby Perez is among the victims.
German carmakers grow their market share in the e-car sector: According to calculations by the consulting firm EY, their share rose to 66 percent in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 51 percent in the same period last year. Almost half of all electric cars in the first quarter were from Volkswagen; the six best-selling models were all from a Volkswagen brand. Electric cars accounted for 17 percent of the total German car market in the first three months of the year. heise.de
Unconditional basic income makes people happier, but not lazier: 107 people received 1200 euros each for three years. According to the results of the study by the German Institute for Economic Research and the association „Mein Grundeinkommen“ (My Basic Income), the subjects worked just as much as before, but they felt better. To finance an unconditional basic income, the study’s authors suggest slight tax increases in some areas. Other social services would be eliminated. rnd.de
More news:
- Volkswagen’s profits collapse despite higher revenues. n-tv.de
- People living alone pay more rent. zdf.de
- Growth of 0.1 percent: modest economic forecast for 2025. n-tv.de
- Dortmund startup wants to make chemicals more climate-friendly wdr.de
- Federal Cartel Office wins: Google must open infotainment services for cars. rnd.de
- Rewe boss Lionel Souque: Customers are becoming increasingly impatient handelsblatt.com
- Corruption investigation: Public prosecutor charges European Huawei CEO. heise.de
- „New York Times“ complains about massive pressure from the Trump administration spiegel.de
- „Online“ was yesterday: „Zeit“ and „Zeit Online“ are being united dwdl.de
- Siegfried Unseld’s secret NSDAP membership zeit.de
- Thuringia: „Faust“ at the global and contemporary art festival n-tv.de
- B.Z. celebrates Berlin’s culture – „The answer to hate and fear“ bz-berlin.de
- Hollywood star on his alcohol addiction: Gary Oldman drank „like a Russian“ for years spiegel.de
- Jeff Bezos’s ex has already given away $19 billion n-tv.de
Alto Matchmaking, founded by Canadian expat and Germany’s first certified matchmaker Alysia Tofflemire, offers a personalized, values-driven alternative to modern dating apps. Created for globally-minded professionals, Alto focuses on meaningful connections that honor both shared values and cultural differences—especially important in cross-cultural relationships where understanding and communication styles may vary. Unlike algorithm-based platforms, Alto believes love should be intentional and rooted in real human connection.
- New coalition to appoint a Minister for Sport spiegel.de
- After attack that fractured his skull: Guido Burgstaller is on the verge of a sensational comeback n-tv.de
- Contract extended until the European Championships: Völler remains DFB sports director until 2028 zdf.de
- Ingolstadt in despair: Cologne Sharks need just one more win to reach the final n-tv.de
- German women’s handball team lose anniversary international against Denmark rnd.de
- New at the Summer Olympics: More women’s than men’s soccer teams zdf.de
Sweet art: Galerie Atelier III displays „Kleine Köstlichkeiten“ (Little Delicacies) ndr.de