Bild: Christmas chocolate up to 62 percent cheaper / Weihnachts-Schoki bis 62 Prozent billiger
FAZ: Continued resistance within the CDU/CSU parliamentary group against the pension package / Weiterhin Widerstand in der Unionsfraktion gegen Rentenpaket
Funke: New economic policy: Berlin focuses on the defense industry / Neue Wirtschaftspolitik: Berlin setzt auf Rüstungsindustrie
Handelsblatt: The plug-in profiteers / Die Plug-in-Profiteure
RND: Health insurers demand a 50-billion-euro savings package / Krankenkassen fordern 50-Milliarden-Euro-Sparpaket
SZ: CDU/CSU parliamentary group struggles over pension package / Unionsfraktion ringt um Rentenpaket
Tagesspiegel: Economy in crisis: industry warns of structural decline / Wirtschaft in der Krise: Industrie warnt vor einem strukturellen Abstieg
taz: 10 murders, 300 open questions / 10 Morde, 300 offene Fragen
Welt: Eight German airports to receive drone-defense systems / Acht deutsche Flughäfen bekommen Drohnenabwehr
RETIREMENT DISPUTE
CDU/CSU parliamentary group seeks unity on the pension package: After the test vote on the pension package with around 15 dissenting votes, the group leadership is trying to identify potential defectors and bring them into line. CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn called on all those who intend to reject the package to contact him by Wednesday noon. Resistance is coming especially from the Young Group with 18 MPs. However, the leadership interprets the test vote largely as an expression of discontent and expects united approval in the Bundestag on Friday. tagesspiegel.de, welt.de, tagesschau.de
- SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch is counting on a united SPD group and a stable coalition majority for the pension package ahead of the vote in the Bundestag. He emphasises the fundamental importance of the decision for the functioning of the coalition, but leaves open what consequences a failure of the package would have.
- The Greens rule out helping the CDU/CSU and SPD achieve a majority for the pension package. Parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge criticises the draft as a „bad compromise“ and accuses Chancellor Friedrich Merz of deliberately steering the coalition into another escalation.
UKRAINE
US envoys and Kremlin end talks without progress: The hours-long talks between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow ended without tangible results. The Kremlin described the talks as constructive but admitted there had been no progress on territorial issues. Witkoff intends to brief US President Donald Trump on the discussions. A US statement is still pending. Neither EU nor Ukrainian representatives took part. In parallel, NATO foreign ministers are meeting this morning in Brussels with their Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled his participation. faz.net
- Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov stressed after nearly five hours of talks that no compromises had been reached and that Putin had clearly rejected several US proposals. In particular, there was no agreement on territorial questions. A meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump is currently not planned.
- US President Donald Trump again described the Ukraine war as chaos during his last cabinet meeting of the year and spoke of an ongoing difficult situation. He again claimed the war would never have broken out if he had already been president at the time.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed confidence in Brussels that US mediation efforts, including Witkoff’s talks with Putin, could help restore peace in Europe. He also announced additional financial commitments for weapons deliveries to Ukraine. At Wednesday’s meeting of NATO foreign ministers, the focus will be on the situation of the war and the alliance’s defence capability.
- Germany will likely fail to meet its promise of delivering four IRIS-T SLM systems to Ukraine by the end of the year. In 2025, a third system is expected, and a fourth at the earliest the following year. So far, only two systems have been delivered.
RTL/ntv trend barometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 25 percent, AfD 26 percent, SPD 14 percent, Greens 12 percent, Left 11 percent, BSW 3 percent, FDP 3 percent, Others 6 percent.n-tv.de
Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder gives the starting signal for a multibillion-euro road construction program: 23 new motorway and federal road projects in twelve states have been approved, including gap closures and bypasses. €710 million is available for federal roads and €3.6 billion for motorways. tagesschau.de, zdfheute.de
Germany aims for more industrial involvement in arms production: Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Economics Minister Katharina Reiche want to broaden the defense production base. A new platform is to facilitate cooperation and resource-sharing between different industries.. n-tv.de
Continued criticism of Labour Minister Bärbel Bas: At the Juso Congress, Bas reported on her appearance at the Employers’ Day and said it had become „particularly clear to her who we actually have to fight together.“
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply criticised her in the CDU/CSU group meeting, saying she had escalated the situation with class-struggle rhetoric while the group was already up in arms over her social policy.
- In an open letter, 15 SME associations demanded a public clarification. The chemical industry association VCI also criticised her remarks as anti-employer.
- CSU group leader Klaus Holetschek called Bas’s comments „deeply disturbing,“ accusing her of polarising instead of unifying. Bavaria’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger joined the criticism.
SPD group leader Matthias Miersch blamed the employers’ associations as well, saying „laughing at a minister is completely unacceptable.“
Around 190 Afghans from the federal intake programme arrive in Germany: Their flight from Islamabad landed in Erfurt. They will first go to the Friedland transit center, then be distributed across the Länder. About 1,900 more Afghans with approval are still waiting in Pakistan. spiegel.de, welt.de
Federal police expands drone-defence capacity: Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has launched a specialized unit of 130 officers to detect and stop unauthorized drone flights at airports, in the capital, and at other sensitive sites. AI-based jamming systems and autonomous interceptor drones will also be used. Legal changes to allow broader police powers are underway. tagesschau.de, n-tv.de, zdfheute.de
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urges reflection on the economic dimension of Nazi crimes: At an event marking the 25th anniversary of the EVZ Foundation, he highlighted the financial motives behind Nazi crimes, including large-scale plunder from Jews and 20 million forced labourers. . bz-berlin.de, tagesspiegel.de
Additional news:
- Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig wants stricter liability rules for e-scooter accidents. zdfheute.de
- Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wants to reschedule a China trip next week. handelsblatt.com
- Lieutenant General Christian Freuding says contacts with the US Defence Department have „broken off.“
- Labour Minister Bas examines ban on subcontractors after criminal allegations against delivery services.
- CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann demands mandatory civic service.
- Germany returns cultural assets with human skulls to Ghana.
- Broad alliance increases pressure on Interior Minister for a consumer firework ban.
- Federal Social Court: Bürgergeld levels in 2022 were adequate.
- Clinics demand a €50-billion savings package; billions could be saved through outpatient treatments.
- Counselling centres report sharp rise in extremism cases: Requests to mobile advisory teams increased by 5–20 percent this year. Advisers report heavier workloads and more complex cases
Counselling centres report a significant increase in extremism cases: According to the federal association, the Mobile Counselling Centres against Right-Wing Extremism are seeing a noticeable rise in inquiries. This year, the number of counselling cases handled by the roughly 50 teams has increased by five to twenty percent. At the same time, more than 200 counsellors report growing workloads and increasingly complex, intensive cases. welt.de
- Baden-Württemberg: Intelligence service gets more powers; video surveillance expanded.
- Berlin: Memorial plaques for a Jewish family in Schöneberg were defaced.
- Saxony: Justice Minister Constanze Geiert acts against right-wing extremist legal trainees.
- Schleswig-Holstein: Black-Green coalition presents another supplementary budget.
- NRW: Interior Minister Herbert Reul demands more truck parking spaces on highways.
- Saxony-Anhalt: Nicole Anger leaves the Left Party group after internal disputes.
- Bavaria: Investigation into a car dealer for violating the Russia embargo.
Belgian investigators arrest former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on fraud charges: She is suspected of irregularities in funding an EU-supported study programme at the College of Europe, which she has led since 2020. Also arrested: Italian EU official Stefano Sannino and another person. They are accused of fraud involving EU funds in 2021–2022.spiegel.de, tagesschau.de, n-tv.de
Canada joins EU programme for joint defence procurement: The SAFE credit facility, worth up to €150 billion will offer favorable loans for joint defense purchases to strengthen European defence and deter Russia.
More News:
- Inflation in the eurozone unexpectedly rises to 2.2 percent.
- EU agrees on joint anti-corruption laws. derstandard.at
- Artificial intelligence: Europe aims to become independent.
- EU negotiations on flight compensation fail to reach a result.
- EU decides to completely end gas imports from Russia.
- EU Commission presents plan for securing rare earths.
- EU states agree on measures against medicine shortages.
- EU Court of Justice: Online marketplaces must check ads for data protection compliance.
OECD expects economic recovery in Germany: For 2026, growth of 1.0 percent is forecast, and for 2027, 1.5 percent. The upswing is expected to be driven by falling inflation, rising wages, and higher consumption. Defence and infrastructure spending are also expected to support the economy. At the same time, the organisation is calling for faster planning procedures and less bureaucracy to facilitate investment.
Further news:
- Companies plan to cut jobs due to the minimum wage increase.
- Third quarter of 2025: More people working part-time.
- Parcel record at DHL: 12.4 million shipments in a single day.
- Lithium extraction begins in Germany. handelsblatt.com
- Amazon feels the competition from Temu and lowers seller fees. handelsblatt.com
Ever wondered why Germans treat planning like a national sport? While most countries believe “we’ll figure it out,” Germany believes “we’ll figure it out in Q3 2027, once all stakeholders have submitted forms A–F.”
It’s not procrastination — it’s precision. And yes, even your spontaneous weekend trip might require a calendar invite, a train backup plan, and snacks packed the night before.
A wink from Germany: chaos is optional, structure is sacred.