Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for a policy shift on the EU combustion-engine ban: He has urged the EU Commission to reconsider the planned phase-out of combustion engines by 2035. Germany will no longer participate in a „stubborn and wrong combustion-engine ban,“ Merz said at the CDU state party convention in Magdeburg. Merz has already written to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He advocated technological openness and stressed that alternative drivetrains must also have a future. Germany wants to push for more flexibility in Brussels regarding the combustion-engine phase-out. sueddeutsche.de

Black–red coalition sticks to the pension package: The draft law is to be introduced in the Bundestag this week. To calm young Union lawmakers, a supplementary resolution is planned, promising a fundamental reform of the pension system based on recommendations of a yet-to-be-established pension commission. sueddeutsche.de

• Employers’ President Rainer Dulger accuses the coalition of replacing real reform with commission mandates and statements of intent, criticizing the pension package as unfair to younger generations.
  DGB board member Anja Piel welcomes the agreement and calls on coalition factions for unity and reliability to provide security in pension policy.
• NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst warns in Tagesspiegel of a government breakup due to the pension conflict and urges the SPD not to let its internal struggles endanger the coalition. He rejected calls for a minority government; such a move would mean new elections. tagesschau.de
• Union parliamentary leader Jens Spahn warns of a government crisis over the pension package dispute. zeit.de
• CDU lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt Sven Schulze expects young conservatives to support the pension package. zdfheute.de
• Juso leader Philipp Türmer accuses the Young Union of „grandchild fraud“ in pension policy. spiegel.de

Record number of drone sightings over Bundeswehr sites: According to the Military Counterintelligence Service, naval facilities were particularly affected. In previous months, drones also appeared over sites where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained. No exact numbers were provided.

• Shadowed by the German navy: Russia sends another submarine into the North Sea; sightings near Fehmarn. rnd.de

Green Party convention: The three-day meeting in Hanover served as a strategic realignment after the end of the traffic-light coalition. Delegates emphasized socially just climate policy and called for a socially tiered climate payment, primarily benefitting low-income households. They also urged a more assertive communication of green climate achievements and clearer identification of fossil-lobby influences. faz.net, sueddeutsche.de, handelsblatt.com, n-tv.de, tagesschau.de

• A narrow majority approved returning to a nationwide nine-euro public transport ticket, with the Green Youth prevailing over the cautious party leadership.
• A „solar bonus“ aims to incentivize households to expand photovoltaic systems and secure them a quota of free solar power.
• The convention voted to end reimbursement of homeopathic treatments by statutory health insurers, arguing that the solidarity community should not finance therapies without evidence beyond placebo.
• On security and foreign policy, delegates called for expanded military support for Ukraine, explicitly naming Taurus missiles as an option. Ukraine’s endurance depends substantially on continued delivery of all available and responsible weapons systems.
• Motions for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state did not win a majority, though the long-term goal of a Palestinian state was reaffirmed. Delegates backed sanctions against violent settlers and Israeli ministers classified as far-right.
• On conscription, delegates supported mandatory medical screening for all young men but rejected reinstating compulsory service. Screening is intended as a security-policy tool without reversing the fundamental decision against compulsory national service. handelsblatt.com
• Green leader Felix Banaszak stressed linking climate protection with social justice, promoting a „participatory ecology“ across social classes. He said annual family holiday flights are fine, but luxury private-jet travel should incur an extra tax — delegates agreed.
• Green leader Franziska Brantner accused the black–red government of policies at the expense of younger generations, citing the „mother’s pension“ as an election gift by the CSU. She called for a fundamental pension reform with longer working lives.
• Lead candidate in Baden-Württemberg Cem Özdemir positioned the Greens as a technologically open party of progress with a clear commitment to industry, especially automotive and mechanical engineering. He also spoke of a „weakened sense of security“; for criminals, there should be no discounts — „not even cultural discounts.“ tagesspiegel.de, n-tv.de

Labour Minister Bärbel Bas defends citizen’s-income reform against Juso criticism: The SPD prevented cuts and excessive requirements in negotiations with the Union, Bas said at the Juso convention in Mannheim. The goal was to keep tightening to a reasonable level. The Jusos criticize planned new sanction mechanisms. Within the SPD, a grassroots initiative is collecting signatures for a member petition to stop the reform. welt.de, tagesschau.de

NRW premier Hendrik Wüst calls for less bureaucracy in permitting: Instead of complex checks, a notification requirement should suffice — projects would be deemed approved if authorities do not object. He supports Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger’s initiatives and hopes for progress at the upcoming Minister-President Conference. Trust between state and citizens must be mutual, Wüst stressed.tagesspiegel.de

Municipalities push for immediate financial aid: The German Association of Cities warns of an acute budget crisis in many towns. President Burkhard Jung told Funke newspapers that numerous municipalities, even in economically strong regions, are close to emergency budgets. Federal and state governments must quickly provide additional funds to maintain essential services. Without support, cuts — even to voluntary services like city festivals or sports-club funding — are expected. n-tv.de

Other reports:

• 2026 budget approved by black–red coalition. spiegel.de
• Government plans new subsidies for electric cars and plug-in hybrids. focus.de
• Federal states extend alliance for marine protection. sueddeutsche.de
• New arbitration tribunal for Nazi-looted art begins work. spiegel.de
• Drug commissioner Hendrick Streeck: Partial legalization of cannabis has caused „a whole series of problems.“ deutschlandfunk.de
• Central Council of Jews warns of rising antisemitism – threat remains acute. welt.de
• Federal states oppose Dobrindt’s asylum plans. welt.de
• Escalating costs for citizen’s-income recipients; DAK chief Andreas Storm sues federal government. welt.de