Bild: Marriage over for cancer-stricken Patrice Aminati / Ehe-Aus bei krebskranker Patrice Aminati
FAZ: Coalition does not rule out deployment of German soldiers / Koalition schließt Einsatz deutscher Soldaten nicht aus
Funke: Police expect record year for residential burglaries in Berlin / Polizei erwartet Rekordjahr bei Wohnungseinbrüchen in Berlin
Handelsblatt: EU Commission scraps combustion engine ban / EU-Kommission kippt Verbrenner-Aus
RND: Former ambassador Ischinger: Ceasefire with Russia still a long way off / Ex-Botschafter Ischinger: Waffenstillstand mit Russland noch lange nicht in Sicht
SZ: Brussels backs away from combustion engine ban / Brüssel rückt von Verbrenner-Aus ab
Tagesspiegel: Russia rejects Merz’s call for a Christmas ceasefire / Russland lehnt Merz’ Forderung nach Weihnachtswaffenruhe ab
taz: The exhaust mother / Die Auspuffmutter
Welt: Chance for peace in Europe, but Moscow blocks it / Chance auf Frieden in Europa, doch Moskau blockiert
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dampened expectations of a rapid ceasefire in Ukraine: Despite what he sees as successful talks in Berlin, Merz sees no signs of an imminent end to the war in Ukraine. Speaking on ZDF, he pointed to Moscow’s reaction and stressed that this does not indicate an impending ceasefire. At the same time, Merz reaffirmed the need to continue supporting Ukraine in a united manner. Nevertheless, he described the consultations in Berlin as progress and spoke of a „clear step forward.“ When asked whether the Bundeswehr would take part in a multinational force, Merz avoided giving a clear answer. zdfheute.de, zeit.de, faz.net, tagesschau.de
- European heads of government have described the talks on security guarantees for Ukraine in Berlin as progress. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson spoke of a solid basis for future peace talks, but emphasized that the next move is now up to Moscow. faz.net
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented cautiously on possible tasks for a European military force in Ukraine. He referred to unresolved questions regarding a Bundestag mandate and the command structure of such a mission. rnd.de
- SPD leader Lars Klingbeil considers a decision on German participation in a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine to be premature. One should not take the fifth step before the first, but rather hold the debate when it is truly due, Klingbeil told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. Germany would live up to its responsibility, he emphasized, but expressed doubts about Russia’s willingness to make peace.
- Former ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger: A ceasefire with Russia is still a long way off. rnd.de
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for „legally binding commitments“ for European security guarantees. handelsblatt.com
- The Left Party rejects a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine and instead advocates UN blue helmets. Parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann argued that soldiers from neutral states would send a better signal of de-escalation.
- The Kremlin has rejected an initiative by Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for a ceasefire over Christmas. „We want peace, we do not want a ceasefire“ in which Ukraine could catch its breath and prepare to continue the war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Moscow also reaffirmed its rejection of Western security guarantees and the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine. zdfheute.de
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees the chances of EU agreement on using frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine as fifty-fifty. Ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, he called for a united European stance, while Belgium continues to voice legal reservations.
- Ukraine is receiving substantial financial support for its arms production this year, but overall aid commitments have fallen sharply in the second half of the year. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the pledged funds are not sufficient to compensate for the lack of U.S. assistance.
- Commission for compensation of Ukrainians established in The Hague. faz.net
RTL/ntv Trendbarometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 24 percent, AfD 26 percent, SPD 13 percent (-1), Greens 13 percent (+1), Left Party 11 percent, BSW 3 percent, FDP 3 percent, Others 7 percent.n-tv.de
Government reaches agreement on Bürgergeld reform: Labor Minister Bärbel Bas has achieved an agreement within the cabinet on the controversial reform of the citizens’ income scheme. The revised draft law is to be adopted on Wednesday and enter into force next year. It was not disclosed in which points changes were made compared to the original draft. Faster and significantly stricter sanctions for breaches of obligations are planned, for example, in cases of missed appointments or refusal of reasonable work. sueddeutsche.de, n-tv.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz praises EU proposal to ease the combustion engine phase-out: He sees the European Commission’s initiative for greater technological openness as an important step toward reconciling climate protection and the economy. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider described the plans as a pragmatic solution between climate targets and industrial interests. Criticism comes from within the industry itself: The German Association of the Automotive Industry considers the easing too bureaucratic and warns of a lack of practical impact. Observers also fear that Europe could fall further behind China in e-mobility. The proposal must now be negotiated by member states and the European Parliament. sueddeutsche.de, faz.net
Germany continues evacuations of Afghan nationals at risk: A charter flight from Pakistan brought 160 Afghan women and men to Berlin on Tuesday; they will now be distributed among the federal states. These are people with an admission commitment from the federal government following the fall of Kabul in 2021. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced in Stern magazine that the „vast majority“ of the roughly 2,000 people remaining in Pakistan with a valid commitment should also come to Germany. Around 600 affected individuals without a legally binding admission commitment, however, will not be considered. welt.de, tagesspiegel.de, n-tv.de
House of History must name sellers of the Schabowski note: The Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine–Westphalia has ruled that the House of History must comply with a request for information from a Bild reporter and disclose the names of the sellers of the Schabowski note. The ruling concerns the speaking note from which SED Politburo member Günter Schabowski read out the passage on new travel regulations on November 9, 1989, triggering the fall of the Berlin Wall. The museum had acquired the document for 25,000 euros, however under the condition that the sellers’ anonymity be preserved. n-tv.de
Further reports:
- Budget committee discusses billion-euro spending on armaments projects. zeit.de
- Costly defense against press investigations: Federal Intelligence Service spends over 200,000 euros on lawyers. tagesspiegel.de
- Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke: „I do expect industry to stand by its country.“ rnd.de
- IRIS2: Cologne becomes the centerpiece of European space security. heise.de
- Economist Isabel Schnabel wants to become the first German president of the ECB. sueddeutsche.de
- Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius defends Deutsche Welle against Russia. kress.de
Saxony and Brandenburg create model Lausitz region for green technologies: Planned is a special economic zone with faster planning and approval procedures to facilitate investments, especially in battery, storage and hydrogen technologies. Around 800 hectares of land are available for the accelerated settlement of such companies. The project aims to mitigate the structural changes in the mining region, particularly those affected by the coal phase-out, and to create new industrial opportunities. mdr.de
Further news:
- Saxony-Anhalt: State parliament once again declares a coronavirus emergency; projects can be financed from the so-called coronavirus special fund. welt.de
- Brandenburg: Minister President Dietmar Woidke skeptical about a minority government. n-tv.de
- Berlin: Police officers are to be more closely linked with psychosocial crisis support during challenging operations in the future. sueddeutsche.de
- Berlin: Police issue a ban on assemblies around the Hanukkah celebration. zeit.de
- Berlin: The President of the House of Representatives, Cornelia Seibeld, creates a separate department for confidants. tagesspiegel.de
- Brandenburg: Considerations by Berlin’s Transport Senator Ute Bonde regarding a third BER runway rejected. rbb24.de
- Berlin: CDU and SPD present draft law on socialization; „does not allow expropriations.“ welt.de
- Hesse: Authorities search gaming arcades and nail studios. spiegel.de
- NRW: Beethoven Hall reopened. n-tv.de
Hungary blocks EU statement on enlargement policy due to Ukraine passage: According to the Danish Council presidency, the government of Viktor Orbán is rejecting wording that acknowledges Kyiv’s progress in the reform process. Hungary cites Ukraine’s high financial needs and alleged disadvantages faced by the Hungarian minority in the country. The other 26 member states unanimously support the passage. „Ukraine delivers,“ said Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre on the sidelines of talks in Brussels, calling the assessment „fair and appropriate.“ Germany’s Minister of State for Europe, Gunther Krichbaum, accused Hungary of blocking the European approach in an „increasingly destructive“ manner. n-tv.de
EU Parliament calls for safeguard clauses for farmers in the Mercosur agreement: The crisis mechanism is intended to protect the agricultural sector from South American competition. The EU should be able to temporarily reintroduce tariffs on products such as beef or sugar if a massive increase in imports puts pressure on prices. Negotiations with the Council will now begin, before EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to sign the agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as early as Saturday. France is pushing for a postponement to next year; a decision on this is expected at the EU summit on Thursday. spiegel.de
- EU Parliament has given final approval for easing the Supply Chain Act. n-tv.de
EU Commission plans unlimited approvals for plant protection products: With a far-reaching reform of EU pesticide rules, approval procedures are to be simplified and administrative burdens reduced. In future, many plant protection products such as glyphosate would remain approved indefinitely if no new scientific concerns arise. Currently, approvals are limited to a maximum of 15 years. Only the most dangerous substances would be excluded from the new regulation. The draft now goes into consultations with the member states and the European Parliament. tagesspiegel.de
EU Commission plans easing of state aid rules and platform ban to address housing shortages: Measures envisaged include relaxed state aid rules for social housing and a Europe-wide ban on short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb, to be proposed by law in 2026. In addition, Brussels plans an investment platform with the participation of the European Investment Bank to promote new construction and renovation projects. According to Eurostat, property prices have risen by 60 percent since 2010 and rents by 30 percent – the crisis now affects broad sections of the middle class. ariva.de, zeit.de
- Gender pay gap between women and men remains clearly unchanged. zeit.de
- Natural disasters cause less damage than in the previous year. handelsblatt.com
- U.S. automaker Tesla wants to produce complete battery cells in Grünheide.
- Production of chocolate St. Nicholases and Santa Clauses has declined significantly. n-tv.de
- Booking.com must pay damages to more than 1,000 German hotels. sueddeutsche.de
- According to KfW, German companies are investing less in climate protection. zeit.de
Before we close this year’s chapter, a warm thank you for reading, thinking along with us, and being part of our community. We’re taking a short holiday break now, refilling our cups, and will be back with fresh news and perspectives in the new year. Until then, we wish you peaceful holidays, a gentle turn of the year, and moments that truly feel like a pause. See you next year — and thank you for being here.