published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus
Bild: Bundestag votes in favor of asylum turnaround | Bundestag stimmt für Asyl-Wende
FAZ: AfD helps Merz achieve majority for asylum demands | AfD verhilft Merz zu Mehrheit für Asylforderungen
Handelsblatt: Battle for interpretive sovereignty | Kampf um Deutungshoheit
RND: The day the taboo was broken | Der Tag, an dem das Tabu gebrochen wurde
SZ: AfD helps Union achieve majority | AfD verhilft Union zu Mehrheit
Tagesspiegel: „Brandmauer“ falls – majority for change in asylum policy | Brandmauer gefallen – Mehrheit für Asyl-Wende
taz: Germany in a state of emergency | Deutschland im Vormerz
Welt: Migration debate: Scholz makes serious accusations against Merz | Migrationsdebatte: Scholz macht Merz schwere Vorwürfe
Top-News
CDU/CSU’s five-point plan gets narrow majority with AfD votes: The SPD, Greens and Left Party have reacted with outrage to a majority for a CDU/CSU motion to tighten migration policy. In addition to the CDU, CSU and FDP, a majority of the AfD also voted in favor of the motion. This is the first time a majority in the Bundestag has been achieved with the support of the AfD. spiegel.de, n-tv.de, tagesschau.de, zdf.de, faz.net
- During the roll-call vote, 348 MPs voted in favor of the motion by the CDU/CSU, while 344 MPs voted against it, including CDU MP Antje Tillmann. There were ten abstentions, including eight CDU members of parliament such as Annette Widmann-Mauz, the former commissioner for Eastern Germany Marco Wanderwitz, Bundestag vice-president Yvonne Magwas, Roderich Kiesewetter and Monika Grütters. Ulrich Lechte and Anikó Glogowski-Merten from the FDP abstained. n-tv.de, spiegel.de
- Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, expressed regret that there was no majority from the center of parliament; this was met with loud heckling. Merz called for a response to the attacks. There is a massive problem with criminal asylum seekers. At the same time, Merz emphasized that people with a migration background should not be placed under general suspicion. n-tv.de
- Merz said on ARD that the CDU had done what it thought was right and had received a majority for it. There had been no cooperation with the AfD. He explained that he himself did not use the word „Brandmauer“. A „Brandmauer“ is the wrong image; he wants the fire behind the wall not to become a wildfire throughout Germany. As late as November, Merz had said, „There won’t be any random majorities with them“. tagesschau.de
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized the CDU/CSU’s proposals. He said that the largest EU country would be breaking EU law by demanding that refugees be turned back at the country’s borders. This would send a fatal signal to other states, Scholz said. Scholz accused Friedrich Merz of accepting the support of right-wing extremists. This is an unforgivable mistake. Scholz admitted deficits in the application of existing laws.
- Scholz told ARD that the vote represented a breach of taboo. The CDU had terminated a consensus that has existed among democrats in Germany throughout the entire post-war period. You can’t trust Merz anymore, said Scholz on „Maischberger.“ zeit.de
- SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich accused the CDU of breaking away from the political center of the house. Merz had „recklessly“ and „knowingly“ accepted AfD support. sueddeutsche.de
- In the Bundestag debate, Economics Minister Robert Habeck called on the CDU/CSU not to cooperate with the AfD. n-tv.de
- Greens faction leader Britta Hasselmann called it a historically dark day. Merz had approvingly accepted this majority and was also responsible for it. rnd.de
- Green Party politician Lamya Kaddor told Deutschlandfunk that the CDU had misjudged the situation and spoke of a fall from grace and a breach of taboo.
- FDP leader Christian Lindner supports calls for a stricter migration policy and accused the SPD and the Greens of often having prevented tighter controls.
- FDP deputy Wolfgang Kubicki called on the SPD and the Greens to work together with the CDU/CSU and FDP in the struggle over migration policy. He said that a way should be sought by Friday for a joint resolution.
- AfD parliamentary secretary Bernd Baumann spoke of an historic moment; a new era is now beginning, he said, and the AfD will lead it. sueddeutsche.de
- AfD leader Alice Weidel accused the CDU of copying her party’s five-point plan for migration policy from the AfD. Weidel is said to have been disturbed by a laser pointer during her speech; it is possible that it was not a laser pointer, but another light source that had a similar effect. No light spot can be seen on video recordings. n-tv.de
- Left Party leader Jan van Aken said that the joint vote by the CDU/CSU and AfD in the Bundestag on migration policy was a turning point for democracy.
- CSU leader Markus Söder declares black-green in the federal government „effectively dead“ after the asylum vote. n-tv.de
- Green youth demands rejection of coalition with Merz Union. spiegel.de
- President of the Central Council of Jews Josef Schuster said it was disappointing that the democratic political forces could not agree on a common approach. In doing so, they had given a platform to the AfD.
- President of the Central Committee of German Catholics Irme Stetter-Karp said that Merz had knowingly ignored the Basic Law on the issue of asylum rights.
- On Wednesday evening, several hundred people gathered in front of the CDU party headquarters in Berlin for a protest rally under the motto „Firewall instead of arson“. They demanded a ban on the AfD and adherence to the right of asylum. rbb24.de
Hamas will release another German-Israeli on Thursday: The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed receipt of a list of people that also includes the German-Israeli Gadi Moses. It has been known for several days that the German-Israeli Arbel Yehud and a kidnapped soldier will be released. In addition, five workers of Thai nationality who had also been abducted in Israel are to be released. zdf.de, spiegel.de
Conflict between Ukraine and Slovakia intensifies: After mutual accusations, the Foreign Ministry in Bratislava summoned the Ukrainian ambassador Myroslaw Kastran to „strongly protest against statements made by the Ukrainian side“; these are seen as „interference in internal affairs“. In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had criticized Prime Minister Robert Fico. Among other things, he accused him of not wanting to buy American gas because he preferred Russia to the United States and Western allies. Fico had previously criticized Zelensky for his decision to end the transit of Russian gas, which is important for Slovakia, from the beginning of the year. nau.ch
FDP and CDU/CSU successful in budget committee on billion-euro aid for Ukraine: Finance Minister Jörg Kukies is called upon to approve additional military aid of three billion euros. The CDU/CSU and FDP surprisingly pushed through with this request this evening. The decision was made possible by the SPD and Greens abstaining, while the Left Party and AfD voted against it, according to committee members. FDP chief budget officer Otto Fricke and CDU chief budget officer Christian Haase had initiated the decision; contrary to what Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said, there was enough money in the budget. Scholz is also in favor of the additional military aid, but insisted that this could only be financed with an exception to the debt brake.
At the commemoration of the victims of National Socialism, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized Germany’s responsibility for its own history. „There is no end to remembrance and therefore no end to our responsibility,“ Steinmeier said in the Bundestag, warning against „enemies of democracy“ in this context. Every year, the Bundestag commemorates the Jews, Sinti and Roma, queer people or victims of euthanasia programs. This time, the hour of remembrance was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas emphasized that conspiracy myths and propaganda were rampant in the analog and digital space. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
Members of Parliament debate banning the AfD: A cross-party bill signed by more than 120 parliamentarians will be the topic of discussion. MPs want the Bundestag to apply to the Federal Constitutional Court to ban the party. Critics consider the plan to be rushed and want to commission an expert opinion to examine whether the AfD is unconstitutional. stern.de
Tax revenues of the federal and state governments rise surprisingly sharply: Despite the recession last year, the tax authorities recorded an increase of 3.8 percent compared to 2023. Overall, revenues thus grew to around 861 billion euros, according to advance information from the monthly report of the Ministry of Finance. welt.de, handelsblatt.com
Police raid against human trafficking ring in five federal states: Police raided numerous properties in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia with around 400 officers; five arrest warrants were executed. The background to this is a preliminary investigation by the Rostock Federal Police Inspectorate. The suspicion is of smuggling foreigners into the country in an inhumane and degrading manner, for financial gain and as part of a gang. The gang is accused of bringing people to Germany via Austria and Hungary. zeit.de
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promises companies a reduction in regulations: The Commission wants to simplify regulations, said von der Leyen at the presentation of her guidelines for the coming years in Brussels. Europe must restart its innovation engine. Thousands of companies should benefit from the simplification of regulations. This includes reporting on sustainable finances and due diligence. Despite the changes, the goal of a climate-neutral EU by 2050 remains, von der Leyen said. tagesschau.de
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warns of military conflicts in space at the World Space Conference: Space is just as contested as land, sea, air or cyberspace. Hybrid warfare is already taking place in space, for example through the disruption of satellite-based navigation systems such as GPS or Galileo, Kallas said at the European Space Conference in Brussels. The foreign policy chief also recalled Russia’s test of an anti-satellite missile. The EU must therefore prepare to defend itself in space as well. The security of satellites is the security of European societies. tagesspiegel.de
More regional news:
- Baden-Württemberg: Doubts about MP Gökay Akbulut’s account of attack. spiegel.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: State budget for 2025 has been adopted; black-green austerity package is coming. shz.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: 80 lawsuits against hospital planning. faz.net
- Thuringia: Erfurt’s former mayor Andreas Bausewein becomes state secretary for municipal affairs in the Ministry of the Interior. tlz.de
- Hanover: Unknown person destroys wreaths after Holocaust commemoration. spiegel.de
- Brandenburg: Unvaccinated schoolchild dies of diphtheria. zdf.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: „Jamel rocks the forester“ will have to pay the municipality of Gägelow for the festival area in the future. ndr.de
- Hessen: State wants to help companies achieve structural change with loan program. hessenschau.de
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund achieves returns of over 200 billion euros: The total value of the fund is now reportedly more than 1.7 trillion euros. The high return is a result of a strong stock market, according to the Norwegian central bank, which manages the sovereign wealth fund. US technology stocks in particular have performed very well. The fund is financed from the revenues of state-owned oil and gas companies and is intended to finance spending on future generations in the Norwegian welfare state. n-tv.de, n-tv.de
Italian data protection authority demands information on the use of user data by Deepseek AI chatbot: They want to know what personal data is collected from which sources and for what purposes. It is also unclear whether data is stored on servers in China. Deepseek has quickly become one of the most frequently downloaded free applications. According to experts, its performance is comparable to that of AI software from US companies. ChatGPT developer OpenAI and its partner Microsoft are investigating suspicions of data theft by the Chinese competitor. n-tv.de
Estonia wants to involve sea freight companies in the protection of Baltic cables: With a transit fee for the use of the waters, the companies are to be involved in the costs for the protection of the cables on the seabed. Without a transit fee, the costs for this would ultimately be passed on to consumers via higher taxes or electricity and telecommunications fees. The cables in the Baltic Sea are considered particularly vulnerable due to the high levels of sea traffic, with up to 4,000 ships passing through the area every day. spiegel.de
No end in sight to conflict in Congo: President Felix Tshisekedi canceled his virtual participation in a crisis meeting of the East African Community (EAC) planned for Wednesday. The government of neighboring Rwanda, which is involved in the conflict, was also supposed to take part in the summit. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on all parties to implement an immediate ceasefire. Earlier this week, the M23 rebel militia, which the UN says is supported by Rwanda, invaded the city of Goma, which has over a million inhabitants. Prior to that, it had made significant territorial gains in the resource-rich region in eastern Congo as part of an offensive. zeit.de
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger leave ECOWAS after 50 years of federation. Around 73 million people are thus leaving the West African Economic Community, which previously included free movement and political cooperation between 15 states. The three states decided to leave a year ago. They accuse ECOWAS of being an extension of the former colonial power France. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are ruled by the military after coups. In 2023, the three countries founded the Sahel Alliance AES, whose most important new partner is Russia. tagesschau.de
Syria, EU and Germany discuss easing sanctions: Syria’s Finance Minister Mohammed Abazaid received the EU envoy Michael Ohnmacht and the German diplomat Björn Gehrmann in Damascus. The meeting was about the country’s budget situation, the regulation of the financial sector and the priorities for easing sanctions. On Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed on a roadmap. n-tv.de
EU promises billions in aid to Jordan: The country, which borders Syria and Israel, has shown enormous generosity by taking in millions of refugees, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The aid is linked to an agreement on a strategic partnership between the EU and Jordan. Among other things, it provides for increased cooperation in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, as well as on migration issues. Jordan is one of the countries in the world that hosts the highest number of refugees per capita. In particular, many Palestinians and Syrians live in the country.
Plane crash in Washington: A passenger plane collided with a US military helicopter in the air. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft was a Bombardier CRJ700 from American Airlines that had come from the state of Kansas. There were 64 people on board. According to the FAA, the helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60, a model in a family of military multi-purpose helicopters. CNN reported, citing a Defense Department official, that there were three people on board. tagesschau.de
US President Donald Trump signs law on tougher deportation practices: Congress passed the law last week. It requires federal authorities to detain migrants without valid residency status and those with temporary protection status in special detention centers if they are accused of certain crimes. These include burglary and assaulting police officers, as well as minor offenses such as shoplifting. Until now, detention was only mandatory for very serious crimes. Mere suspicion is sufficient; a conviction is not required. Deportation will take place immediately upon release from custody.
More news:
- EU: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou could lose the support of the Socialists. zeit.de
- EU: EU Council President Antonio Costa: EU gives Denmark „full support“ against Trump’s threats. euronews.com
- EU: Warning from France: EU phase-out of combustion engines could plunge automotive industry into crisis. fr.de
- EU: Georgia leaves the Council of Europe’s parliament. rp-online.de
- Moldova: Gas supplier Moldovagaz has agreed with Transnistria’s gas company to the first delivery of three million cubic meters of natural gas on credit. boerse.de
- Romania: According to political scientists at the University of Bucharest, far-right candidate Calin Georgescu would probably no longer be allowed to stand if the election were to be repeated. derstandard.at
- France: Socialists outraged by Francois Bayrous‘ choice of words in the migration debate. faz.net
- Poland: Lukashenko’s regime tracks down demonstrators in the country. polskieradio.pl
- Serbia: President Aleksandar Vucic’s pro-Russian government spies on critics. tagesspiegel.de
- Slovakia: Government wants to restrict the rights of queer people. zeit.de
- Spain: Exports and tourism drive the economy. n-tv.de
- Belgium: Agreement in coalition negotiations expected by Friday. vrt.be
- Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni fights against an independent judiciary. sueddeutsche.de
- Switzerland: Public prosecutors and many courts overburdened. sueddeutsche.de
Business
German government significantly lowers economic forecast for 2025: According to the annual economic report, growth is now expected to be only 0.3 percent. In the fall, the government had still expected the gross domestic product to grow by 1.1 percent. Last year, the economic output of Europe’s largest economy shrank for the second year in a row. Expectations for 2026 were also lowered. One of the reasons given by Economics Minister Robert Habeck for the less optimistic outlook was the high level of uncertainty caused by US economic and trade policy under President Donald Trump, as well as the political situation in Germany. zdf.de, sueddeutsche.de
Federal government wants to monitor online retailers such as Temu and Shein more closely: The aim of the „E-Commerce Action Plan“ is to better enforce applicable law on trading platforms from the EU and third countries. The German online industry accuses providers from China in particular, such as Temu, Shein and Aliexpress, of not complying with European standards and thus gaining a competitive advantage. handelsblatt.com
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- VDMA: One in four mechanical engineering firms plans to cut jobs. handelsblatt.com
- Lufthansa takes a share in Latvian airline Air Baltic. faz.net
- Childcare problems: Parents often affected by daycare and school closures. tagesschau.de
- Microsoft posts strong numbers – disappointing cloud growth. handelsblatt.com
- Payment service provider Payone is again in trouble with the Bafin. handelsblatt.com
- Wage round at the Post Office: Several thousand delivery staff on strike again. tagesschau.de
- Apple and SpaceX: Starlink satellite communication is coming to iPhones. golem.de
- TV journalist Jim Acosta says goodbye to CNN: „Never bow to a tyrant“. sueddeutsche.de
- Austria: ARD and ZDF journalists concerned about FPÖ media plans. derstandard.de
- He called Friedrich Merz „leader“: SZ distances itself from the statements of an employee. kress.de
- Scandal at „Hallo Hessen“: The name comes from Israel? “Bäääääh!“ faz.net
- Macron’s plans: „Mona Lisa“ to get its own room at the Louvre. monopol-magazin.de
- Investigations by the public prosecutor: the inglorious end of the Thomas Gallery – bankruptcy. monopol-magazin.de
- Madonna on Trump’s LGBTQ+ policy: „So sad“. web.de
- „Shoot her“: Trump supporters attack Selena Gomez. n-tv.de
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- Compensation for 2006 World Cup: DFB sues former DFB President Theo Zwanziger for 24 million euros. n-tv.de
- Champions League: These teams are in the round of 16, this is how the playoffs work. spiegel.de
- Season 2024/25: An overview of the Bundesliga clubs‘ winter signings. kicker.de
- National ice hockey player dies at 26: Tobias Eder was so much more than a fighter. faz.net
- Gymnastics: Parents and gymnasts complain about grievances. Serious allegations now also at the gymnastics center in Mannheim. sportschau.de
- Biathlon: Puff wins European individual gold, Fichtner takes silver. sportschau.de
Kumquats: mini oranges that can be eaten whole. web.de