{"id":1829693,"date":"2026-03-16T07:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829693"},"modified":"2026-03-16T07:02:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:02:46","slug":"a-new-life-for-germanys-deconsecrated-church-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829693","title":{"rendered":"A new life for Germany&#8217;s deconsecrated church buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_6.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"s1sfzv1a sk6xmai\">\n<div class=\"content-area sa7l9jt s9mg977\">\n<section data-tracking-name=\"sharing-icons-inline\" class=\"c75t7t0 hh5424a in-line closed\">\n<div class=\"copy-button-wrapper closed\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AS2u<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"s4bcs45\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_800.webp 50w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_801.webp 129w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_802.webp 352w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_803.webp 575w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 575px)\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" \/><figcaption class=\"c1oedowi lofg86o m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport serves the German capital and surrounding area<small class=\"copyright c19ed66t ihwmx5 idu7i8u lxmvniw icns9en rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">Image: Liesa Johannssen\/REUTERS<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-live-blog-rich-text-overview\" id=\"live-blog-rich-text-overview\" class=\"c1800ln sq3xutt atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-live-blog-rich-text-overview\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section What you need to know<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"c2fyhwl ctymiyf content-block i1if36d6 i1ytahzz\">\n<h2 class=\"cp7bjxx h1du6kc5 lt5vbch pohyj9x s16w0xvi m1u0isv1 b1fzgn0z\">What you need to know<\/h2>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<ul>\n<li>Berlin airport will close for passengers amid a strike on Wednesday<\/li>\n<li>Public transport strikes have been called for various parts of Germany this week<\/li>\n<li>Germany&#8217;s two ruling parties, the center-right CDU and center-left\u00a0SPD, look like they are remaining the strongest forces after municipal\u00a0elections in Hesse<\/li>\n<li>The far-right AfD made lower than expected gains to take third place, partial results show<\/li>\n<li>German government figures have expressed disinterest in joining Trump&#8217;s call to send naval forces to open the Strait of Hormuz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Here is a roundup of the top news and human interest stories from and about Germany on Monday, March 16, 2026:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"s1ogwy7c ev9ivjh\">\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76385721\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76385721\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Berlin-Brandenburg Airport to suspend all flights after strike call<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Berlin-Brandenburg Airport to suspend all flights after strike call<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which serves Germany&#8217;s capital and the surrounding region, will cancel all flights and traffic on Wednesday after the Verdi union announced a strike for that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Please contact your airline or tour operator for information on rebooking and alternative travel options,&#8221; the airport posted on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Verdi called the strike amid a pay dispute with public-sector employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the second round of negotiations, the employers put forward an offer that [Verdi&#8217;s]\u00a0bargaining committee rejected as unacceptable,&#8221; Verdi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AVPl<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76384350\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76384350\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Germany and Poland to introduce more frequent and faster train connections<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Germany and Poland to introduce more frequent and faster train connections<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>In a bid to reduce travel times on major rail routes between <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/poland\/t-19070837\">Poland<\/a>, German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak signed an agreement in Warsaw.<\/p>\n<p>The deal aims to increase passenger and freight connections and shorten travel times on key routes, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Berlin\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Krakow\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Zielona Gora\u2013Berlin\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Gdansk\u2013Szczecin\u2013Berlin<\/li>\n<li>Przemysl\u2013Krakow\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Leipzig.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Currently, the journey time by train from Leipzig to Krakow is 7 hours and 30 minutes, covering a distance of 551 kilometres.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the potential of the planned high-speed projects is to be analysed. The corridors under consideration are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Poznan\u2013Berlin<\/li>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Leipzig\u2013Frankfurt am Main<\/li>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Prague\u2013Munich.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;We want to make rail the backbone of our shared economic region and, in doing so, strengthen Europe\u2019s defence capabilities as well,&#8221;\u00a0Schnieder said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to Klimczak, around 1.2 million people travelled by rail between Poland and Germany last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AV3e<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76383348\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76383348\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Brandenburg&#8217;s commissioner for antisemitism resigns from Left Party<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Brandenburg&#8217;s commissioner for antisemitism resigns from Left Party<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"75386415\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75386415_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Deutschland Potsdam 2024 | Brandenburgs Antisemitismusbeauftragter Andreas B\u00fcttner im Landtag\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">B\u00fcttner left the socialist party amid an ongoing dispute in the party over whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Soeren Stache\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-state-antisemitism-commissioners-house-attacked\/a-75386391\">Andreas B\u00fcttner<\/a>, the commissioner for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antisemitism\/t-38206553\">antisemitism<\/a> in the eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg\/t-18968125\">Brandenburg<\/a>, has resigned from the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/left-party\/t-17439669\">Left Party<\/a> over what he said were\u00a0irreconcilable differences.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s no longer tenable. I can&#8217;t go on,&#8221; B\u00fcttner wrote in a statement obtained by the German news agency DPA. &#8220;I can no longer remain a member of this party without betraying my own convictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for his decision, as cited by B\u00fcttner, are the Left Party&#8217;s stance on antisemitism, the expulsion proceedings, and personal attacks from within the party.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner pointed out that the Left Party rejects the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u00e4s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism because the party views it as a repressive tool against protest.<\/p>\n<p>The party\u00a0instead adopts the so-called Jerusalem Declaration, which leaves more room for criticism of Israel.\u00a0In B\u00fcttner\u00e4s view, it &#8220;relativizes antisemitic narratives on key points.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Party leader Jan van Aken expressed regret over B\u00fcttner\u2019s decision, but emphasized that the Left takes a clear and unequivocal stand against antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>The party has been wracked by internal disputes over its stance on Israel, with many of its members being outspokenly pro-Palestinian.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner had been a member of the socialist Left Party since 2015. Prior to that, he had also been a member of the center-right\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> and the pro-business\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/fdp-free-democratic-party\/t-17365530\">FDP<\/a> at various times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AUnU<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76383062\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76383062\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section CDU politician denies cooperating with AfD in European Parliament<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">CDU politician denies cooperating with AfD in European Parliament<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>In response to reports of collaboration between the\u00a0European People&#8217;s Party (EPP)\u00a0and far-right factions in the European Parliament, Jens Spahn, leader of the Union (<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a>\/<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-social-union-csu\/t-17439619\">CSU<\/a>) parliamentary group, rejected allegations of working with the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An investigation by the German news agency DPA revealed that the EPP group, which includes the CDU and CSU, recently collaborated with far-right\u00a0groups in a chat group and at a face-to-face meeting to develop a legislative proposal that would tighten immigration policy.\u00a0One of these groups is the ENF (Europe of Nations and Freedom), which includes the AfD.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Such a chat group is not a form of cooperation,&#8221;\u00a0said the CDU politician on German channel ntv.\u00a0&#8220;The key point is: No one cares what the AfD wants\u00a0or does in the Brussels Parliament. Nor is it relevant,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/markus-s%C3%B6der\/t-57303091\">Markus S\u00f6der<\/a>, the leader of the CSU and Bavarian premier, said that the revelations about a chat group and face-to-face meetings between lawmakers had &#8220;greatly surprised, irritated, and disturbed&#8221; his party.<\/p>\n<p>However, S\u00f6der added that Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP, had assured him that nothing like this would happen again.\u00a0&#8220;From our perspective, that settles the matter for now and is acceptable,&#8221; the Bavarian premier said.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also called on European lawmakers to refrain from cooperating with the AfD. A member of the CDU, Wadephul said any sign of collaboration with the AfD must be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>He urged members of the European Parliament to uphold a &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the party \u2014 a strategy used by Germany&#8217;s mainstream parties to prevent the far-right group from gaining power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AUis<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76382211\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76382211\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section SPD and CDU to form coalition government in eastern Brandenburg state <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">SPD and CDU to form coalition government in eastern Brandenburg state <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>\u00a0and the conservative <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> signed a coalition deal in the eastern state of Brandenburg. This paves the way for a new regional government following the collapse of the previous coalition, which included the SPD and the populist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/sahra-wagenknecht-alliance-bsw\/t-68472751\">BSW party<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition agreement, which was signed by Premier Dietmar Woidke of the SPD and Jan Redmann, the regional chairman of the Christian Democrats, outlines the government&#8217;s priorities for the next three and a half years.<\/p>\n<p>The previous SPD-led coalition in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, fell apart in early January. This occurred less than a year after the coalition took office due to internal disputes within the BSW party.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than calling for early elections, Woidke formed an alliance with the conservative CDU, mirroring the coalition that governs Germany at the federal level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AUV9<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76381076\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76381076\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Church membership falls by more than a million in Germany in 2025<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Church membership falls by more than a million in Germany in 2025<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The two main Christian\u00a0churches in Germany, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/catholic-church\/t-71630156\">Catholic Church<\/a> and the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/protestant-church-in-germany\/t-71630295\">Protestant Church (EKD)<\/a>, each lost around 3% of their members in 2025, with membership falling by more than a million people in total.<\/p>\n<h3>How many members has the Protestant Church in Germany?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Protestant\u00a0Church lost 580,000 members<\/li>\n<li>Some 350,000 of those withdrew their membership, which is a slight increase from 2024 (345,000)<\/li>\n<li>17.4 million people in Germany remain officially Protestant (21% of population), compared to\u00a018.6 million in 2023<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The number of baptisms remained stable at approximately 105,000, similar to the previous year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How many members has the Catholic\u00a0Church in Germany?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Catholic Church lost\u00a0some\u00a0550,000 members<\/li>\n<li>Approximately\u00a0307,000\u00a0of those withdrew their membership, fewer than in 2024 (321,659)<\/li>\n<li>The number of Catholics in Germany is down to\u00a019.2\u00a0million (23% of the population), compared with some 20.4 million in 2023<\/li>\n<li>The number of baptisms declined by more than 7,000, dropping to 109,000<\/li>\n<li>The number of church weddings declined to around 19,500, which was 3,000 lower than the previous year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is the second year in a row that there have been more departures from the Protestant Church. Between 2019 and 2023, it was the Catholic Church that was seeing higher number of members leaving.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, some 44% of people in Germany now belong to one of the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/6-facts-about-catholic-and-protestant-influence-in-germany\/a-43081215\">two main Christian denominations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The number of Catholics and Protestants officially belonging to their churches in Germany\u00a0fell below 50% for the first time in 2021.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 A new life for Germany's deconsecrated church buildings \" class=\"headline\">A new life for Germany&#8217;s deconsecrated church buildings <\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75251716\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75251716\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75247316_605.webp\" data-duration=\"12:34\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/repoe\/repoe20251220_GesamtHd_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AUCq<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76381568\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76381568\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Strikes to hit public transport, Berlin airport and Eurowings<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Strikes to hit public transport, Berlin airport and Eurowings<\/h2>\n<div class=\"a9wq4ao author-details\"><span><span class=\"separator lxmvniw m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"> | <\/span><span class=\"extra-info lxmvniw m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"> Editor<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"72154506\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/72154506_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Striking workers wearing high-vis jackets and carrying a verdi union flag\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Numerous rounds of warning strikes are common occurrences in Germany during negotiations with employers<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Revierfoto\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Verdi union has called for warning strikes in public transit in several German states. The union announced that buses and trams will remain in the depots all day Thursday in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bavaria\/t-18968282\">Bavaria<\/a>, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/north-rhine-westphalia\/t-18943637\">North Rhine-Westphalia<\/a>, and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hamburg\/t-18949668\">Hamburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This morning, it was reported that strikes would also take place in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saarland\/t-18968293\">Saarland<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg-gate\/t-19449379\">Brandenburg<\/a>. However, the regional branches of the union have since stated that this is still unclear.<\/p>\n<p>In North Rhine-Westphalia, warning strikes on public transportation will also be held in most regions as early as Tuesday, in addition to Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>A decision on whether companies in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hesse\/t-18967716\">Hesse<\/a> will join the strike is expected as early as Monday following negotiations. In <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bremen\/t-18967582\">Bremen<\/a>, according to Verdi, the decision is expected on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Travelers should also expect significant disruptions at Berlin&#8217;s BER Airport on Wednesday. On Monday, the Verdi union called on\u00a0airport workers to join a full-day warning strike after receiving an offer from the employers that the union said was &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, pilot strikes are also looming at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings. According to the Vereinigung Cockpit union, 94%\u00a0of participating members voted in favor of industrial action in a strike vote.\u00a0No specific date for the strike was initially announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AUKm<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76378185\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76378185\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Iran war not NATO&#8217;s affair \u2014 German government<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Iran war not NATO&#8217;s affair \u2014 German government<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">The war in Iran does not concern the Western military alliance <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/nato\/t-19016346\">NATO<\/a>, and Germany will not participate in using military means to secure the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping\u00a0amid the conflict, a German government spokesman said on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This war has nothing to do with NATO. This is not NATO&#8217;s war,&#8221; Stefan Kornelius said, saying the alliance was there to defend its members&#8217; territories and that there was no mandate for its deployment in the present case.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<span data-teams=\"true\">&#8220;As long as this war continues, there will be no participation, not even in any effort to \u200ckeep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>His comments echoed those of Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> in Brussels on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0&#8220;I don&#8217;t \u200bsee that NATO has \u200bmade \u200cany decision in this direction or could assume responsibility for \u200cthe Strait of Hormuz. If \u200cthat \u200bwere the case, then the NATO bodies would address it accordingly,&#8221; \u200bsaid Wadephul ahead of a meeting of the EU \u2060Foreign \u200bAffairs Council.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">US\u00a0\u200bPresident Donald Trump has been putting pressure on European allies to help protect the strait,<\/a> an important oil transport route, warning that otherwise,\u00a0\u2060NATO faces a &#8220;very bad&#8221; future.<\/p>\n<p>Shipping in the waterway has come to a virtual standstill amid the danger of Iranian attacks in response to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">US-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ATSD<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76377211\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76377211\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Wide consensus in Germany against Strait of Hormuz intervention<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Wide consensus in Germany against Strait of Hormuz intervention<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Comments by various foreign policy of officials in Germany in the past few days indicate that there is opposition across the political spectrum to deploying European warships to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/strait-of-hormuz\/t-76193780\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> to protect commercial shipping, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">as US President Donald Trump has demanded.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Friedrich Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">conservative CDU\/CSU bloc<\/a> told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday that navy units would not be enough to secure the strait against attacks by Iran.<\/p>\n<p>He said Iran could easily carry out mortar or drone attacks from the densely populated coastline of the waterway between Iran and Oman.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign\u00a0Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also rejected Germany&#8217;s military involvement in the strait on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The center-left <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats&#8217; (SPD)<\/a> foreign policy expert, Adis Ahmetovic, said that while the German navy was very capable, it was currently not geared toward participation in such a situation.<\/p>\n<p>A co-leader of the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a> party, Alice Weidel, has also told the news portal The Pioneer<em>\u00a0<\/em>that any deployment of the &#8220;small German navy &#8230; would be illusory and highly dangerous.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that serves as a transport route for around a fifth of the global oil supply, has been virtually stopped by Iran in response to an assault by the US and Israel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 US calls on allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz\" class=\"headline\">US calls on allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76367472\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76367472\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76363240_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:34\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260315_Alliances_PH_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ATCV<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76376479\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76376479\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section &#8216;A giant of philosophy&#8217; \u2014 UN chief Guterres on J\u00fcrgen Habermas<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">&#8216;A giant of philosophy&#8217; \u2014 UN chief Guterres on J\u00fcrgen Habermas<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76361624\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76361624_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"J\u00fcrgen Habermas in 2013, white-haired man with glasses in dark jacket and light-colored shirt\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Habermas, seen here in Athens in 2013, was one of the most influential thinkers of our times<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Louisa Gouliamaki\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>UN Secretary General <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antonio-guterres\/t-41524150\">Antonio Guterres<\/a> has expressed his\u00a0deep sorrow at\u00a0the death of German philosopher and sociologist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/celebrated-philosopher-j%C3%BCrgen-habermas-dies-aged-96\/a-76361563\">J\u00fcrgen Habermas, who died on Saturday aged 96.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No philosopher influenced my own thinking throughout my life in politics as much as J\u00fcrgen Habermas,&#8221; Guterres said in a statement released by his press office on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres described Habermas as &#8220;a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual.&#8221;\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8220;[Habermas&#8217;] contributions across political-legal thought, sociology, communication studies, argumentation theory, language and rhetoric, informed and shaped our understanding of the nature and value of democratic societies,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<p>Guterress said that Habermas&#8217; definition\u00a0of democracy as, among other things, &#8220;the permanent interflow of communication between political decision makers and civil societies,&#8221; was\u00a0particularly pertinent to the present time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today more than ever, we need this constant interaction \u2014\u00a0this two-way street between politics and people \u2014\u00a0to better understand the challenges we face, and to forge effective solutions,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 How Habermas shaped political discourse in post-war Germany\" class=\"headline\">How Habermas shaped political discourse in post-war Germany<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76362049\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76362049\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76361908_605.webp\" data-duration=\"03:11\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260314_Obit_Habermas_PH_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AT0h<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76375789\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76375789\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Russia&#8217;s trial of Putin-critical German sculptor hears closing arguments<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Russia&#8217;s trial of Putin-critical German sculptor hears closing arguments<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76135165\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76135165_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\" Model of Vladimir Putin in a bath in Ukrainian colors that is full of blood\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Jacques Tilly standing next to one of his float designs<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Oliver Berg\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>An in absentia trial at a Moscow court of German sculptor Jacques Tilly, who is charged with mocking Russian President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/vladimir-putin\/t-17449200\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> in satirical Carnival floats, was to hear closing arguments on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>A verdict and sentence could also be handed down.<\/p>\n<p>Tilly has been charged under Russian libel laws and laws forbidding &#8220;propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other charges relate to respect for religious sensitivities and reports on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/russias-war-in-ukraine\/t-60931789\">actions of the Russian military in Ukraine<\/a> that are deemed as false by authorities.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/choking-on-ukraine-how-jacques-tilly-perceives-putin-through-art\/a-62514039\">Tilly has dedicated several floats to Putin<\/a> that were used in Carnival parades in D\u00fcsseldorf, where he lives.<\/p>\n<p>One from 2024 depicted Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill having oral sex, while another showed Putin in a bath of Ukrainian blood, a\u00a0reference to Russia&#8217;s\u00a0invasion of that country.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of a guilty verdict, Tilly would not be deported to Russia by Germany and thus not face imprisonment there, but his future travel could be limited to countries that don&#8217;t have extradition agreements with Moscow.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 German carnival artist charged in Russia for defaming Putin\" class=\"headline\">German carnival artist charged in Russia for defaming Putin<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76129097\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76129097\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75999978_605.webp\" data-duration=\"02:39\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20260226_QTILLY08D_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ASpZ<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76375392\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76375392\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Rail operator DB pays out less compensation for delays in 2025<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Rail operator DB pays out less compensation for delays in 2025<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"70917782\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/70917782_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"A train attendendant holds up a red signaling disk next to high-speed train at a platform\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Long-distance train services are particularly prone to delays, leading to high compensation payments<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Frank Hoermann\/Sven Simon\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s national rail operator <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/deutsche-bahn\/t-19021273\">Deutsche Bahn (DB)<\/a> paid out more than \u20ac156 million ($178.5 million) in compensation to passengers \u2014 or would-be passengers \u2014 for delays and cancelations in 2025, well down on payment of almost \u20ac197 million the previous years.<\/p>\n<p>A DB representative said the smaller sum likely resulted partly from there having been fewer exceptional situations such as strikes in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But it is still a big financial burden for us,&#8221; said Michael Peterson, who is in charge of long-distance services.<\/p>\n<p>DB said that there were some 6.2 million claims for compensation in 2025, three times the number in 2019, when \u20ac52.6 million was paid out in compensation.<\/p>\n<p>For long-distance trains, the punctuality rate in February was 59.4%, meaning that stations along the respective\u00a0route\u00a0were reached with a delay of at least 6 minutes in around 40% of cases.<\/p>\n<p>Just 65.3% of long-distance passengers reached their end destination with less than 15 minutes&#8217; delay.<\/p>\n<p>DB pays a 25% refund on one-way tickets in cases of delays over 60 minutes and 50% when a train is more than 120 minutes late.<\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s railway network is currently undergoing considerable refurbishment after <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/why-german-trains-are-rarely-on-time\/a-75206414\">decades of relative neglect.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, the conservative-led coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-rail-service-dealt-major-blow-by-government\/a-75590884\">walked back several promises in this regard.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ASjA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76374272\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76374272\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Italian bank UniCredit makes takeover bid for Germany&#8217;s Commerzbank<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Italian bank UniCredit makes takeover bid for Germany&#8217;s Commerzbank<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Italian bank UniCredit says has submitted an official takeover bid of \u20ac35 billion ($40 billion) for German lender Commerzbank.<\/p>\n<p>It said the offer aims\u00a0to surpass the 30% threshold stipulated in German takeover law but that it did not expect to gain full control<\/p>\n<p>UniCredit is <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/german-cartel-office-clears-unicredit-stake-in-commerzbank\/a-72239497\">already the largest shareholder in Commerzbank.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The move is likely to be met with <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-decries-unicredit-bid-for-commerzbank-unfriendly\/a-70206639\">fierce resistance\u00a0by\u00a0Commerzbank&#8217;s management, employee representatives and the German government.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ASR6<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76373732\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76373732\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section Germany&#8217;s ruling coalition to face several election tests in 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Germany&#8217;s ruling coalition to face several election tests in 2026<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The first of five state elections this year has already taken place in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, where Chancellor Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> lost out narrowly to the Greens.<\/p>\n<p>But there are still four to go, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under particular scrutiny as its popularity grows across the country, particularly in the eastern states that formed part of former communist East Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a rundown of the votes still to come in Germany&#8217;s Super Election Year, with all dates still provisional:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rhineland-Palatinate (March 22):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The western state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/rhineland-palatinate\/t-18967902\">Rhineland-Palatinate<\/a> is currently governed\u00a0by a &#8220;traffic light&#8221; coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD, signature color red), pro-business Free Democrats (FDP, signature color yellow) and environmentalist Greens.<\/p>\n<p>Its premier since 2024 has been\u00a0Alexander Schweitzer, the former state labor minister, who took over from his party colleague Malu Dreyer after she stepped down for health reasons.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2021 elections, the SPD won 35.7%, the CDU 27.7%, the Greens 9.3%, the AfD 8.3% and the FDP 5.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Recent polls have, however, shown a different picture, with the CDU having a narrow lead over the SPD, while the AfD has more than doubled its voter support. The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-neoliberal-fdp-no-chance-for-a-comeback\/a-75847475\">FDP has sunk beneath the 5% hurdle<\/a> needed for parliamentary representation in the surveys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saxony-Anhalt (September 6):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saxony-anhalt\/t-18968033\">Saxony-Anhalt<\/a> is governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD und FDP under CDU Premier\u00a0Sven Schulze, who took over from his party colleague\u00a0Reiner Haseloff in January of this year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the CDU was the strongest party, winning 37.1% of the vote, ahead of the AfD on 20.8%. The SPD received 8.4% behind the Left Party on 11%. The FDP received 6.4%, the Greens 5.9%.<\/p>\n<p>A January poll from Insa showed a different picture, with the AfD well in the lead on 39%, followed by the CDU on 26%. The Left Party had 11%, the SPD 8%, the leftist BSW 6%, while\u00a0the Greens and FDP were both below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Berlin (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The city-state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/berlin\/t-18967759\">Berlin<\/a> has been\u00a0governed since 2023 by what is traditionally dubbed a\u00a0&#8220;grand coalition&#8221; of the\u00a0CDU and SPD under its governing mayor,\u00a0Kai Wegener, who holds the same rank as other state premiers.<\/p>\n<p>In a repeat election held in 2023 after a 2021 was declared invalid, the CDU received 28% of votes, the SPD and Greens 18.4%, the Left Party\u00a012.2 and\u00a0the AfD %9.1. The FDP again slipped below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>A February poll by the Insa institute\u00a0showed that the AfD has grown in popularity and would receive around 17% of the vote if elections were held now, making it the second-strongest party behind the CDU on 22%.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was polling at 16%, followed by the Greens and Left Party on 15%.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes called <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/mecklenburg-western-pomerania\/t-18968236\">Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania<\/a> in English, is currently governed by a leftist coalition of the SPD and the socialist Left Party under SPD premier Manuela Schwesig.<\/p>\n<p>At 2021, the SPD received 39.6% of the vote, the AfD 16.9%, the CDU 13.3%, the Left Party 9.9%, the Greens 6.3% and the FDP 5.8%.<\/p>\n<p>A recent survey from Forsa\u00a0shows that the AfD has experienced a huge surge in popularity, with 37% support.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was on 23%, the CDU on 13%, the Left Party on 13%, the BSW on11% and Greens on 5%. Again, the FDP was below\u00a0the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>While you&#8217;re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5ASIO<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-tracking-name=\"section-liveblog-post\" id=\"liveblog-post-76372957\" class=\"liveblog-post sh8w7rk atfzu66\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772#post-liveblog-post-76372957\" class=\"q1knotlb b14agbwd quick-item\"><span class=\"h1du6kc5 l1ozsu87 p1s74fjj s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">Skip next section CDU leads the pack in Hesse regional elections \u2014 partial results<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"l3vczb5\"><span class=\"time-area s1i8qhb9 icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><span class=\"publication icns9en lofg86o m1u0isv1 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\">03\/16\/2026<\/time><span class=\"s28j2rd\">March 16, 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pmcvy6l h1du6kc5 l1evdo4u p1y8x1v s16w0xvi sngcpkw b1fzgn0z\">CDU leads the pack in Hesse regional elections \u2014 partial results<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Partial results from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-merz-faces-new-election-test-in-hesse\/live-76358988\">Sunday&#8217;s regional elections in Germany&#8217;s central state of Hesse<\/a> show that the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> are set to remain the strongest power, receiving 29.7% of the vote,\u00a0with their coalition partners at national level, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>, coming in second place with 20.2%.<\/p>\n<p>This compares with\u00a028.5% and 24% respectively at 2021 elections.<\/p>\n<p>The result\u00a0is likely to come as somewhat of a relief to Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU, whose party was narrowly defeated by the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-greens-more-than-leftist-woke-ecologists\/a-76348924\">Greens<\/a>\u00a0in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg-state-election\/a-76280629\">state\u00a0elections in neighboring Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg<\/a> a week ago.<\/p>\n<p>In the Hesse elections, the Greens did not fare as well, losing their position as third-strongest party at local level to the anti-immigrant <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>, with the\u00a0partial results released by the state statistical office in Wiesbaden giving\u00a0the environmentalist party 14.4% compared with 15.9% for the far-right one.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s result more than doubled that from the last regional elections in the state five years ago, when it received 6.9%.<\/p>\n<p>The party&#8217;s surge to popularity across the country is being watched with concern by many observers who <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/study-germans-broadly-support-democracy-oppose-far-right\/a-74663192\">see the AfD as a danger to democracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s regional chapter in Hesse has been labelled a suspected extremist organization by the domestic intelligence in the state, while the national AfD was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group last year for alleged racist and anti-democratic tendencies.<\/p>\n<p>The party is contesting the label in court.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday&#8217;s vote will decide the make-up of local councils and city parliaments in Hesse, along with several mayoral posts.<\/p>\n<p>Hesse is home to Germany&#8217;s financial hub of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/frankfurt\/t-18968328\">Frankfurt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether 4.7 million people were eligible to vote, including some 430,00 non-German citizens from other European Union member states. Voter turnout was 54.4%, beating 50.4% in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bp605kw start\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AS5t<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"bp605kw center\">\n<div role=\"button\" data-tracking-name=\"show-more\" class=\"show-more-button s1va3u11 t1y9040i m7i2pic e3w9kkf b19vsmfu cx4rgdt ih9bob8 sngcpkw w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">Show more posts<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<ul>\n<li>Berlin airport will close for passengers amid a strike on Wednesday<\/li>\n<li>Public transport strikes have been called for various parts of Germany this week<\/li>\n<li>Germany&#8217;s two ruling parties, the center-right CDU and center-left\u00a0SPD, look like they are remaining the strongest forces after municipal\u00a0elections in Hesse<\/li>\n<li>The far-right AfD made lower than expected gains to take third place, partial results show<\/li>\n<li>German government figures have expressed disinterest in joining Trump&#8217;s call to send naval forces to open the Strait of Hormuz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Here is a roundup of the top news and human interest stories from and about Germany on Monday, March 16, 2026:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Here is a roundup of the top news and human interest stories from and about Germany on Monday, March 16, 2026:<\/em><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which serves Germany&#8217;s capital and the surrounding region, will cancel all flights and traffic on Wednesday after the Verdi union announced a strike for that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Please contact your airline or tour operator for information on rebooking and alternative travel options,&#8221; the airport posted on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Verdi called the strike amid a pay dispute with public-sector employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the second round of negotiations, the employers put forward an offer that [Verdi&#8217;s]\u00a0bargaining committee rejected as unacceptable,&#8221; Verdi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which serves Germany&#8217;s capital and the surrounding region, will cancel all flights and traffic on Wednesday after the Verdi union announced a strike for that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Please contact your airline or tour operator for information on rebooking and alternative travel options,&#8221; the airport posted on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Verdi called the strike amid a pay dispute with public-sector employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the second round of negotiations, the employers put forward an offer that [Verdi&#8217;s]\u00a0bargaining committee rejected as unacceptable,&#8221; Verdi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>In a bid to reduce travel times on major rail routes between <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/poland\/t-19070837\">Poland<\/a>, German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak signed an agreement in Warsaw.<\/p>\n<p>The deal aims to increase passenger and freight connections and shorten travel times on key routes, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Berlin\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Krakow\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Zielona Gora\u2013Berlin\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Gdansk\u2013Szczecin\u2013Berlin<\/li>\n<li>Przemysl\u2013Krakow\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Leipzig.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Currently, the journey time by train from Leipzig to Krakow is 7 hours and 30 minutes, covering a distance of 551 kilometres.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the potential of the planned high-speed projects is to be analysed. The corridors under consideration are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Poznan\u2013Berlin<\/li>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Leipzig\u2013Frankfurt am Main<\/li>\n<li>Warsaw\u2013Wroclaw\u2013Prague\u2013Munich.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;We want to make rail the backbone of our shared economic region and, in doing so, strengthen Europe\u2019s defence capabilities as well,&#8221;\u00a0Schnieder said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to Klimczak, around 1.2 million people travelled by rail between Poland and Germany last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a bid to reduce travel times on major rail routes between <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/poland\/t-19070837\">Poland<\/a>, German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak signed an agreement in Warsaw.<\/p>\n<p>The deal aims to increase passenger and freight connections and shorten travel times on key routes, including:<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the journey time by train from Leipzig to Krakow is 7 hours and 30 minutes, covering a distance of 551 kilometres.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the potential of the planned high-speed projects is to be analysed. The corridors under consideration are:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We want to make rail the backbone of our shared economic region and, in doing so, strengthen Europe\u2019s defence capabilities as well,&#8221;\u00a0Schnieder said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to Klimczak, around 1.2 million people travelled by rail between Poland and Germany last year.<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"75386415\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75386415_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Deutschland Potsdam 2024 | Brandenburgs Antisemitismusbeauftragter Andreas B\u00fcttner im Landtag\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">B\u00fcttner left the socialist party amid an ongoing dispute in the party over whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Soeren Stache\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-state-antisemitism-commissioners-house-attacked\/a-75386391\">Andreas B\u00fcttner<\/a>, the commissioner for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antisemitism\/t-38206553\">antisemitism<\/a> in the eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg\/t-18968125\">Brandenburg<\/a>, has resigned from the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/left-party\/t-17439669\">Left Party<\/a> over what he said were\u00a0irreconcilable differences.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s no longer tenable. I can&#8217;t go on,&#8221; B\u00fcttner wrote in a statement obtained by the German news agency DPA. &#8220;I can no longer remain a member of this party without betraying my own convictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for his decision, as cited by B\u00fcttner, are the Left Party&#8217;s stance on antisemitism, the expulsion proceedings, and personal attacks from within the party.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner pointed out that the Left Party rejects the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u00e4s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism because the party views it as a repressive tool against protest.<\/p>\n<p>The party\u00a0instead adopts the so-called Jerusalem Declaration, which leaves more room for criticism of Israel.\u00a0In B\u00fcttner\u00e4s view, it &#8220;relativizes antisemitic narratives on key points.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Party leader Jan van Aken expressed regret over B\u00fcttner\u2019s decision, but emphasized that the Left takes a clear and unequivocal stand against antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>The party has been wracked by internal disputes over its stance on Israel, with many of its members being outspokenly pro-Palestinian.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner had been a member of the socialist Left Party since 2015. Prior to that, he had also been a member of the center-right\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> and the pro-business\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/fdp-free-democratic-party\/t-17365530\">FDP<\/a> at various times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-state-antisemitism-commissioners-house-attacked\/a-75386391\">Andreas B\u00fcttner<\/a>, the commissioner for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antisemitism\/t-38206553\">antisemitism<\/a> in the eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg\/t-18968125\">Brandenburg<\/a>, has resigned from the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/left-party\/t-17439669\">Left Party<\/a> over what he said were\u00a0irreconcilable differences.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s no longer tenable. I can&#8217;t go on,&#8221; B\u00fcttner wrote in a statement obtained by the German news agency DPA. &#8220;I can no longer remain a member of this party without betraying my own convictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for his decision, as cited by B\u00fcttner, are the Left Party&#8217;s stance on antisemitism, the expulsion proceedings, and personal attacks from within the party.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner pointed out that the Left Party rejects the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u00e4s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism because the party views it as a repressive tool against protest.<\/p>\n<p>The party\u00a0instead adopts the so-called Jerusalem Declaration, which leaves more room for criticism of Israel.\u00a0In B\u00fcttner\u00e4s view, it &#8220;relativizes antisemitic narratives on key points.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Party leader Jan van Aken expressed regret over B\u00fcttner\u2019s decision, but emphasized that the Left takes a clear and unequivocal stand against antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>The party has been wracked by internal disputes over its stance on Israel, with many of its members being outspokenly pro-Palestinian.<\/p>\n<p>B\u00fcttner had been a member of the socialist Left Party since 2015. Prior to that, he had also been a member of the center-right\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> and the pro-business\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/fdp-free-democratic-party\/t-17365530\">FDP<\/a> at various times.<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>In response to reports of collaboration between the\u00a0European People&#8217;s Party (EPP)\u00a0and far-right factions in the European Parliament, Jens Spahn, leader of the Union (<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a>\/<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-social-union-csu\/t-17439619\">CSU<\/a>) parliamentary group, rejected allegations of working with the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An investigation by the German news agency DPA revealed that the EPP group, which includes the CDU and CSU, recently collaborated with far-right\u00a0groups in a chat group and at a face-to-face meeting to develop a legislative proposal that would tighten immigration policy.\u00a0One of these groups is the ENF (Europe of Nations and Freedom), which includes the AfD.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Such a chat group is not a form of cooperation,&#8221;\u00a0said the CDU politician on German channel ntv.\u00a0&#8220;The key point is: No one cares what the AfD wants\u00a0or does in the Brussels Parliament. Nor is it relevant,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/markus-s%C3%B6der\/t-57303091\">Markus S\u00f6der<\/a>, the leader of the CSU and Bavarian premier, said that the revelations about a chat group and face-to-face meetings between lawmakers had &#8220;greatly surprised, irritated, and disturbed&#8221; his party.<\/p>\n<p>However, S\u00f6der added that Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP, had assured him that nothing like this would happen again.\u00a0&#8220;From our perspective, that settles the matter for now and is acceptable,&#8221; the Bavarian premier said.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also called on European lawmakers to refrain from cooperating with the AfD. A member of the CDU, Wadephul said any sign of collaboration with the AfD must be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>He urged members of the European Parliament to uphold a &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the party \u2014 a strategy used by Germany&#8217;s mainstream parties to prevent the far-right group from gaining power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In response to reports of collaboration between the\u00a0European People&#8217;s Party (EPP)\u00a0and far-right factions in the European Parliament, Jens Spahn, leader of the Union (<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a>\/<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-social-union-csu\/t-17439619\">CSU<\/a>) parliamentary group, rejected allegations of working with the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An investigation by the German news agency DPA revealed that the EPP group, which includes the CDU and CSU, recently collaborated with far-right\u00a0groups in a chat group and at a face-to-face meeting to develop a legislative proposal that would tighten immigration policy.\u00a0One of these groups is the ENF (Europe of Nations and Freedom), which includes the AfD.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Such a chat group is not a form of cooperation,&#8221;\u00a0said the CDU politician on German channel ntv.\u00a0&#8220;The key point is: No one cares what the AfD wants\u00a0or does in the Brussels Parliament. Nor is it relevant,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/markus-s%C3%B6der\/t-57303091\">Markus S\u00f6der<\/a>, the leader of the CSU and Bavarian premier, said that the revelations about a chat group and face-to-face meetings between lawmakers had &#8220;greatly surprised, irritated, and disturbed&#8221; his party.<\/p>\n<p>However, S\u00f6der added that Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP, had assured him that nothing like this would happen again.\u00a0&#8220;From our perspective, that settles the matter for now and is acceptable,&#8221; the Bavarian premier said.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also called on European lawmakers to refrain from cooperating with the AfD. A member of the CDU, Wadephul said any sign of collaboration with the AfD must be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>He urged members of the European Parliament to uphold a &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the party \u2014 a strategy used by Germany&#8217;s mainstream parties to prevent the far-right group from gaining power.<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>\u00a0and the conservative <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> signed a coalition deal in the eastern state of Brandenburg. This paves the way for a new regional government following the collapse of the previous coalition, which included the SPD and the populist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/sahra-wagenknecht-alliance-bsw\/t-68472751\">BSW party<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition agreement, which was signed by Premier Dietmar Woidke of the SPD and Jan Redmann, the regional chairman of the Christian Democrats, outlines the government&#8217;s priorities for the next three and a half years.<\/p>\n<p>The previous SPD-led coalition in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, fell apart in early January. This occurred less than a year after the coalition took office due to internal disputes within the BSW party.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than calling for early elections, Woidke formed an alliance with the conservative CDU, mirroring the coalition that governs Germany at the federal level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>\u00a0and the conservative <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> signed a coalition deal in the eastern state of Brandenburg. This paves the way for a new regional government following the collapse of the previous coalition, which included the SPD and the populist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/sahra-wagenknecht-alliance-bsw\/t-68472751\">BSW party<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition agreement, which was signed by Premier Dietmar Woidke of the SPD and Jan Redmann, the regional chairman of the Christian Democrats, outlines the government&#8217;s priorities for the next three and a half years.<\/p>\n<p>The previous SPD-led coalition in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, fell apart in early January. This occurred less than a year after the coalition took office due to internal disputes within the BSW party.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than calling for early elections, Woidke formed an alliance with the conservative CDU, mirroring the coalition that governs Germany at the federal level.<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The two main Christian\u00a0churches in Germany, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/catholic-church\/t-71630156\">Catholic Church<\/a> and the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/protestant-church-in-germany\/t-71630295\">Protestant Church (EKD)<\/a>, each lost around 3% of their members in 2025, with membership falling by more than a million people in total.<\/p>\n<h3>How many members has the Protestant Church in Germany?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Protestant\u00a0Church lost 580,000 members<\/li>\n<li>Some 350,000 of those withdrew their membership, which is a slight increase from 2024 (345,000)<\/li>\n<li>17.4 million people in Germany remain officially Protestant (21% of population), compared to\u00a018.6 million in 2023<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The number of baptisms remained stable at approximately 105,000, similar to the previous year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How many members has the Catholic\u00a0Church in Germany?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Catholic Church lost\u00a0some\u00a0550,000 members<\/li>\n<li>Approximately\u00a0307,000\u00a0of those withdrew their membership, fewer than in 2024 (321,659)<\/li>\n<li>The number of Catholics in Germany is down to\u00a019.2\u00a0million (23% of the population), compared with some 20.4 million in 2023<\/li>\n<li>The number of baptisms declined by more than 7,000, dropping to 109,000<\/li>\n<li>The number of church weddings declined to around 19,500, which was 3,000 lower than the previous year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is the second year in a row that there have been more departures from the Protestant Church. Between 2019 and 2023, it was the Catholic Church that was seeing higher number of members leaving.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, some 44% of people in Germany now belong to one of the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/6-facts-about-catholic-and-protestant-influence-in-germany\/a-43081215\">two main Christian denominations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The number of Catholics and Protestants officially belonging to their churches in Germany\u00a0fell below 50% for the first time in 2021.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 A new life for Germany's deconsecrated church buildings \" class=\"headline\">A new life for Germany&#8217;s deconsecrated church buildings <\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75251716\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75251716\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75247316_605.webp\" data-duration=\"12:34\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/repoe\/repoe20251220_GesamtHd_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The two main Christian\u00a0churches in Germany, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/catholic-church\/t-71630156\">Catholic Church<\/a> and the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/protestant-church-in-germany\/t-71630295\">Protestant Church (EKD)<\/a>, each lost around 3% of their members in 2025, with membership falling by more than a million people in total.<\/p>\n<p>The number of baptisms remained stable at approximately 105,000, similar to the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>It is the second year in a row that there have been more departures from the Protestant Church. Between 2019 and 2023, it was the Catholic Church that was seeing higher number of members leaving.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, some 44% of people in Germany now belong to one of the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/6-facts-about-catholic-and-protestant-influence-in-germany\/a-43081215\">two main Christian denominations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The number of Catholics and Protestants officially belonging to their churches in Germany\u00a0fell below 50% for the first time in 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"72154506\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/72154506_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Striking workers wearing high-vis jackets and carrying a verdi union flag\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Numerous rounds of warning strikes are common occurrences in Germany during negotiations with employers<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Revierfoto\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Verdi union has called for warning strikes in public transit in several German states. The union announced that buses and trams will remain in the depots all day Thursday in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bavaria\/t-18968282\">Bavaria<\/a>, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/north-rhine-westphalia\/t-18943637\">North Rhine-Westphalia<\/a>, and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hamburg\/t-18949668\">Hamburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This morning, it was reported that strikes would also take place in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saarland\/t-18968293\">Saarland<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg-gate\/t-19449379\">Brandenburg<\/a>. However, the regional branches of the union have since stated that this is still unclear.<\/p>\n<p>In North Rhine-Westphalia, warning strikes on public transportation will also be held in most regions as early as Tuesday, in addition to Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>A decision on whether companies in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hesse\/t-18967716\">Hesse<\/a> will join the strike is expected as early as Monday following negotiations. In <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bremen\/t-18967582\">Bremen<\/a>, according to Verdi, the decision is expected on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Travelers should also expect significant disruptions at Berlin&#8217;s BER Airport on Wednesday. On Monday, the Verdi union called on\u00a0airport workers to join a full-day warning strike after receiving an offer from the employers that the union said was &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, pilot strikes are also looming at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings. According to the Vereinigung Cockpit union, 94%\u00a0of participating members voted in favor of industrial action in a strike vote.\u00a0No specific date for the strike was initially announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Verdi union has called for warning strikes in public transit in several German states. The union announced that buses and trams will remain in the depots all day Thursday in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bavaria\/t-18968282\">Bavaria<\/a>, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/north-rhine-westphalia\/t-18943637\">North Rhine-Westphalia<\/a>, and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hamburg\/t-18949668\">Hamburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This morning, it was reported that strikes would also take place in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saarland\/t-18968293\">Saarland<\/a> and <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/brandenburg-gate\/t-19449379\">Brandenburg<\/a>. However, the regional branches of the union have since stated that this is still unclear.<\/p>\n<p>In North Rhine-Westphalia, warning strikes on public transportation will also be held in most regions as early as Tuesday, in addition to Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>A decision on whether companies in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hesse\/t-18967716\">Hesse<\/a> will join the strike is expected as early as Monday following negotiations. In <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/bremen\/t-18967582\">Bremen<\/a>, according to Verdi, the decision is expected on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Travelers should also expect significant disruptions at Berlin&#8217;s BER Airport on Wednesday. On Monday, the Verdi union called on\u00a0airport workers to join a full-day warning strike after receiving an offer from the employers that the union said was &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, pilot strikes are also looming at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings. According to the Vereinigung Cockpit union, 94%\u00a0of participating members voted in favor of industrial action in a strike vote.\u00a0No specific date for the strike was initially announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">The war in Iran does not concern the Western military alliance <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/nato\/t-19016346\">NATO<\/a>, and Germany will not participate in using military means to secure the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping\u00a0amid the conflict, a German government spokesman said on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This war has nothing to do with NATO. This is not NATO&#8217;s war,&#8221; Stefan Kornelius said, saying the alliance was there to defend its members&#8217; territories and that there was no mandate for its deployment in the present case.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<span data-teams=\"true\">&#8220;As long as this war continues, there will be no participation, not even in any effort to \u200ckeep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>His comments echoed those of Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> in Brussels on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0&#8220;I don&#8217;t \u200bsee that NATO has \u200bmade \u200cany decision in this direction or could assume responsibility for \u200cthe Strait of Hormuz. If \u200cthat \u200bwere the case, then the NATO bodies would address it accordingly,&#8221; \u200bsaid Wadephul ahead of a meeting of the EU \u2060Foreign \u200bAffairs Council.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">US\u00a0\u200bPresident Donald Trump has been putting pressure on European allies to help protect the strait,<\/a> an important oil transport route, warning that otherwise,\u00a0\u2060NATO faces a &#8220;very bad&#8221; future.<\/p>\n<p>Shipping in the waterway has come to a virtual standstill amid the danger of Iranian attacks in response to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">US-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">The war in Iran does not concern the Western military alliance <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/nato\/t-19016346\">NATO<\/a>, and Germany will not participate in using military means to secure the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping\u00a0amid the conflict, a German government spokesman said on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This war has nothing to do with NATO. This is not NATO&#8217;s war,&#8221; Stefan Kornelius said, saying the alliance was there to defend its members&#8217; territories and that there was no mandate for its deployment in the present case.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<span data-teams=\"true\">&#8220;As long as this war continues, there will be no participation, not even in any effort to \u200ckeep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>His comments echoed those of Foreign Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> in Brussels on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0&#8220;I don&#8217;t \u200bsee that NATO has \u200bmade \u200cany decision in this direction or could assume responsibility for \u200cthe Strait of Hormuz. If \u200cthat \u200bwere the case, then the NATO bodies would address it accordingly,&#8221; \u200bsaid Wadephul ahead of a meeting of the EU \u2060Foreign \u200bAffairs Council.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">US\u00a0\u200bPresident Donald Trump has been putting pressure on European allies to help protect the strait,<\/a> an important oil transport route, warning that otherwise,\u00a0\u2060NATO faces a &#8220;very bad&#8221; future.<\/p>\n<p>Shipping in the waterway has come to a virtual standstill amid the danger of Iranian attacks in response to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">US-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic.<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Comments by various foreign policy of officials in Germany in the past few days indicate that there is opposition across the political spectrum to deploying European warships to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/strait-of-hormuz\/t-76193780\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> to protect commercial shipping, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">as US President Donald Trump has demanded.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Friedrich Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">conservative CDU\/CSU bloc<\/a> told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday that navy units would not be enough to secure the strait against attacks by Iran.<\/p>\n<p>He said Iran could easily carry out mortar or drone attacks from the densely populated coastline of the waterway between Iran and Oman.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign\u00a0Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also rejected Germany&#8217;s military involvement in the strait on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The center-left <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats&#8217; (SPD)<\/a> foreign policy expert, Adis Ahmetovic, said that while the German navy was very capable, it was currently not geared toward participation in such a situation.<\/p>\n<p>A co-leader of the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a> party, Alice Weidel, has also told the news portal The Pioneer<em>\u00a0<\/em>that any deployment of the &#8220;small German navy &#8230; would be illusory and highly dangerous.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that serves as a transport route for around a fifth of the global oil supply, has been virtually stopped by Iran in response to an assault by the US and Israel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 US calls on allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz\" class=\"headline\">US calls on allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76367472\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76367472\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76363240_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:34\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260315_Alliances_PH_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Comments by various foreign policy of officials in Germany in the past few days indicate that there is opposition across the political spectrum to deploying European warships to the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/strait-of-hormuz\/t-76193780\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> to protect commercial shipping, <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-war-germany-firmly-against-military-role-in-conflict\/live-76369891\">as US President Donald Trump has demanded.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Friedrich Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">conservative CDU\/CSU bloc<\/a> told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday that navy units would not be enough to secure the strait against attacks by Iran.<\/p>\n<p>He said Iran could easily carry out mortar or drone attacks from the densely populated coastline of the waterway between Iran and Oman.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign\u00a0Minister <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/johann-wadephul\/t-72493606\">Johann Wadephul<\/a> also rejected Germany&#8217;s military involvement in the strait on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The center-left <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats&#8217; (SPD)<\/a> foreign policy expert, Adis Ahmetovic, said that while the German navy was very capable, it was currently not geared toward participation in such a situation.<\/p>\n<p>A co-leader of the far-right <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a> party, Alice Weidel, has also told the news portal The Pioneer<em>\u00a0<\/em>that any deployment of the &#8220;small German navy &#8230; would be illusory and highly dangerous.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that serves as a transport route for around a fifth of the global oil supply, has been virtually stopped by Iran in response to an assault by the US and Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76361624\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76361624_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"J\u00fcrgen Habermas in 2013, white-haired man with glasses in dark jacket and light-colored shirt\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Habermas, seen here in Athens in 2013, was one of the most influential thinkers of our times<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Louisa Gouliamaki\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>UN Secretary General <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antonio-guterres\/t-41524150\">Antonio Guterres<\/a> has expressed his\u00a0deep sorrow at\u00a0the death of German philosopher and sociologist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/celebrated-philosopher-j%C3%BCrgen-habermas-dies-aged-96\/a-76361563\">J\u00fcrgen Habermas, who died on Saturday aged 96.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No philosopher influenced my own thinking throughout my life in politics as much as J\u00fcrgen Habermas,&#8221; Guterres said in a statement released by his press office on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres described Habermas as &#8220;a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual.&#8221;\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8220;[Habermas&#8217;] contributions across political-legal thought, sociology, communication studies, argumentation theory, language and rhetoric, informed and shaped our understanding of the nature and value of democratic societies,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<p>Guterress said that Habermas&#8217; definition\u00a0of democracy as, among other things, &#8220;the permanent interflow of communication between political decision makers and civil societies,&#8221; was\u00a0particularly pertinent to the present time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today more than ever, we need this constant interaction \u2014\u00a0this two-way street between politics and people \u2014\u00a0to better understand the challenges we face, and to forge effective solutions,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 How Habermas shaped political discourse in post-war Germany\" class=\"headline\">How Habermas shaped political discourse in post-war Germany<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76362049\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76362049\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76361908_605.webp\" data-duration=\"03:11\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260314_Obit_Habermas_PH_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>UN Secretary General <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/antonio-guterres\/t-41524150\">Antonio Guterres<\/a> has expressed his\u00a0deep sorrow at\u00a0the death of German philosopher and sociologist <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/celebrated-philosopher-j%C3%BCrgen-habermas-dies-aged-96\/a-76361563\">J\u00fcrgen Habermas, who died on Saturday aged 96.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No philosopher influenced my own thinking throughout my life in politics as much as J\u00fcrgen Habermas,&#8221; Guterres said in a statement released by his press office on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres described Habermas as &#8220;a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual.&#8221;\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8220;[Habermas&#8217;] contributions across political-legal thought, sociology, communication studies, argumentation theory, language and rhetoric, informed and shaped our understanding of the nature and value of democratic societies,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<p>Guterress said that Habermas&#8217; definition\u00a0of democracy as, among other things, &#8220;the permanent interflow of communication between political decision makers and civil societies,&#8221; was\u00a0particularly pertinent to the present time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today more than ever, we need this constant interaction \u2014\u00a0this two-way street between politics and people \u2014\u00a0to better understand the challenges we face, and to forge effective solutions,&#8221; Guterres said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76135165\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76135165_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\" Model of Vladimir Putin in a bath in Ukrainian colors that is full of blood\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Jacques Tilly standing next to one of his float designs<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Oliver Berg\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>An in absentia trial at a Moscow court of German sculptor Jacques Tilly, who is charged with mocking Russian President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/vladimir-putin\/t-17449200\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> in satirical Carnival floats, was to hear closing arguments on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>A verdict and sentence could also be handed down.<\/p>\n<p>Tilly has been charged under Russian libel laws and laws forbidding &#8220;propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other charges relate to respect for religious sensitivities and reports on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/russias-war-in-ukraine\/t-60931789\">actions of the Russian military in Ukraine<\/a> that are deemed as false by authorities.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/choking-on-ukraine-how-jacques-tilly-perceives-putin-through-art\/a-62514039\">Tilly has dedicated several floats to Putin<\/a> that were used in Carnival parades in D\u00fcsseldorf, where he lives.<\/p>\n<p>One from 2024 depicted Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill having oral sex, while another showed Putin in a bath of Ukrainian blood, a\u00a0reference to Russia&#8217;s\u00a0invasion of that country.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of a guilty verdict, Tilly would not be deported to Russia by Germany and thus not face imprisonment there, but his future travel could be limited to countries that don&#8217;t have extradition agreements with Moscow.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 German carnival artist charged in Russia for defaming Putin\" class=\"headline\">German carnival artist charged in Russia for defaming Putin<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76129097\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76129097\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75999978_605.webp\" data-duration=\"02:39\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20260226_QTILLY08D_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>An in absentia trial at a Moscow court of German sculptor Jacques Tilly, who is charged with mocking Russian President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/vladimir-putin\/t-17449200\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> in satirical Carnival floats, was to hear closing arguments on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>A verdict and sentence could also be handed down.<\/p>\n<p>Tilly has been charged under Russian libel laws and laws forbidding &#8220;propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other charges relate to respect for religious sensitivities and reports on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/russias-war-in-ukraine\/t-60931789\">actions of the Russian military in Ukraine<\/a> that are deemed as false by authorities.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/choking-on-ukraine-how-jacques-tilly-perceives-putin-through-art\/a-62514039\">Tilly has dedicated several floats to Putin<\/a> that were used in Carnival parades in D\u00fcsseldorf, where he lives.<\/p>\n<p>One from 2024 depicted Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill having oral sex, while another showed Putin in a bath of Ukrainian blood, a\u00a0reference to Russia&#8217;s\u00a0invasion of that country.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of a guilty verdict, Tilly would not be deported to Russia by Germany and thus not face imprisonment there, but his future travel could be limited to countries that don&#8217;t have extradition agreements with Moscow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"70917782\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/70917782_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"A train attendendant holds up a red signaling disk next to high-speed train at a platform\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Long-distance train services are particularly prone to delays, leading to high compensation payments<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Frank Hoermann\/Sven Simon\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s national rail operator <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/deutsche-bahn\/t-19021273\">Deutsche Bahn (DB)<\/a> paid out more than \u20ac156 million ($178.5 million) in compensation to passengers \u2014 or would-be passengers \u2014 for delays and cancelations in 2025, well down on payment of almost \u20ac197 million the previous years.<\/p>\n<p>A DB representative said the smaller sum likely resulted partly from there having been fewer exceptional situations such as strikes in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But it is still a big financial burden for us,&#8221; said Michael Peterson, who is in charge of long-distance services.<\/p>\n<p>DB said that there were some 6.2 million claims for compensation in 2025, three times the number in 2019, when \u20ac52.6 million was paid out in compensation.<\/p>\n<p>For long-distance trains, the punctuality rate in February was 59.4%, meaning that stations along the respective\u00a0route\u00a0were reached with a delay of at least 6 minutes in around 40% of cases.<\/p>\n<p>Just 65.3% of long-distance passengers reached their end destination with less than 15 minutes&#8217; delay.<\/p>\n<p>DB pays a 25% refund on one-way tickets in cases of delays over 60 minutes and 50% when a train is more than 120 minutes late.<\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s railway network is currently undergoing considerable refurbishment after <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/why-german-trains-are-rarely-on-time\/a-75206414\">decades of relative neglect.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, the conservative-led coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-rail-service-dealt-major-blow-by-government\/a-75590884\">walked back several promises in this regard.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s national rail operator <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/deutsche-bahn\/t-19021273\">Deutsche Bahn (DB)<\/a> paid out more than \u20ac156 million ($178.5 million) in compensation to passengers \u2014 or would-be passengers \u2014 for delays and cancelations in 2025, well down on payment of almost \u20ac197 million the previous years.<\/p>\n<p>A DB representative said the smaller sum likely resulted partly from there having been fewer exceptional situations such as strikes in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But it is still a big financial burden for us,&#8221; said Michael Peterson, who is in charge of long-distance services.<\/p>\n<p>DB said that there were some 6.2 million claims for compensation in 2025, three times the number in 2019, when \u20ac52.6 million was paid out in compensation.<\/p>\n<p>For long-distance trains, the punctuality rate in February was 59.4%, meaning that stations along the respective\u00a0route\u00a0were reached with a delay of at least 6 minutes in around 40% of cases.<\/p>\n<p>Just 65.3% of long-distance passengers reached their end destination with less than 15 minutes&#8217; delay.<\/p>\n<p>DB pays a 25% refund on one-way tickets in cases of delays over 60 minutes and 50% when a train is more than 120 minutes late.<\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s railway network is currently undergoing considerable refurbishment after <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/why-german-trains-are-rarely-on-time\/a-75206414\">decades of relative neglect.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, the conservative-led coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-rail-service-dealt-major-blow-by-government\/a-75590884\">walked back several promises in this regard.<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Italian bank UniCredit says has submitted an official takeover bid of \u20ac35 billion ($40 billion) for German lender Commerzbank.<\/p>\n<p>It said the offer aims\u00a0to surpass the 30% threshold stipulated in German takeover law but that it did not expect to gain full control<\/p>\n<p>UniCredit is <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/german-cartel-office-clears-unicredit-stake-in-commerzbank\/a-72239497\">already the largest shareholder in Commerzbank.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The move is likely to be met with <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-decries-unicredit-bid-for-commerzbank-unfriendly\/a-70206639\">fierce resistance\u00a0by\u00a0Commerzbank&#8217;s management, employee representatives and the German government.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Italian bank UniCredit says has submitted an official takeover bid of \u20ac35 billion ($40 billion) for German lender Commerzbank.<\/p>\n<p>It said the offer aims\u00a0to surpass the 30% threshold stipulated in German takeover law but that it did not expect to gain full control<\/p>\n<p>UniCredit is <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/german-cartel-office-clears-unicredit-stake-in-commerzbank\/a-72239497\">already the largest shareholder in Commerzbank.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The move is likely to be met with <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-decries-unicredit-bid-for-commerzbank-unfriendly\/a-70206639\">fierce resistance\u00a0by\u00a0Commerzbank&#8217;s management, employee representatives and the German government.<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>The first of five state elections this year has already taken place in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, where Chancellor Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> lost out narrowly to the Greens.<\/p>\n<p>But there are still four to go, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under particular scrutiny as its popularity grows across the country, particularly in the eastern states that formed part of former communist East Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a rundown of the votes still to come in Germany&#8217;s Super Election Year, with all dates still provisional:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rhineland-Palatinate (March 22):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The western state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/rhineland-palatinate\/t-18967902\">Rhineland-Palatinate<\/a> is currently governed\u00a0by a &#8220;traffic light&#8221; coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD, signature color red), pro-business Free Democrats (FDP, signature color yellow) and environmentalist Greens.<\/p>\n<p>Its premier since 2024 has been\u00a0Alexander Schweitzer, the former state labor minister, who took over from his party colleague Malu Dreyer after she stepped down for health reasons.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2021 elections, the SPD won 35.7%, the CDU 27.7%, the Greens 9.3%, the AfD 8.3% and the FDP 5.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Recent polls have, however, shown a different picture, with the CDU having a narrow lead over the SPD, while the AfD has more than doubled its voter support. The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-neoliberal-fdp-no-chance-for-a-comeback\/a-75847475\">FDP has sunk beneath the 5% hurdle<\/a> needed for parliamentary representation in the surveys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saxony-Anhalt (September 6):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saxony-anhalt\/t-18968033\">Saxony-Anhalt<\/a> is governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD und FDP under CDU Premier\u00a0Sven Schulze, who took over from his party colleague\u00a0Reiner Haseloff in January of this year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the CDU was the strongest party, winning 37.1% of the vote, ahead of the AfD on 20.8%. The SPD received 8.4% behind the Left Party on 11%. The FDP received 6.4%, the Greens 5.9%.<\/p>\n<p>A January poll from Insa showed a different picture, with the AfD well in the lead on 39%, followed by the CDU on 26%. The Left Party had 11%, the SPD 8%, the leftist BSW 6%, while\u00a0the Greens and FDP were both below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Berlin (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The city-state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/berlin\/t-18967759\">Berlin<\/a> has been\u00a0governed since 2023 by what is traditionally dubbed a\u00a0&#8220;grand coalition&#8221; of the\u00a0CDU and SPD under its governing mayor,\u00a0Kai Wegener, who holds the same rank as other state premiers.<\/p>\n<p>In a repeat election held in 2023 after a 2021 was declared invalid, the CDU received 28% of votes, the SPD and Greens 18.4%, the Left Party\u00a012.2 and\u00a0the AfD %9.1. The FDP again slipped below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>A February poll by the Insa institute\u00a0showed that the AfD has grown in popularity and would receive around 17% of the vote if elections were held now, making it the second-strongest party behind the CDU on 22%.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was polling at 16%, followed by the Greens and Left Party on 15%.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes called <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/mecklenburg-western-pomerania\/t-18968236\">Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania<\/a> in English, is currently governed by a leftist coalition of the SPD and the socialist Left Party under SPD premier Manuela Schwesig.<\/p>\n<p>At 2021, the SPD received 39.6% of the vote, the AfD 16.9%, the CDU 13.3%, the Left Party 9.9%, the Greens 6.3% and the FDP 5.8%.<\/p>\n<p>A recent survey from Forsa\u00a0shows that the AfD has experienced a huge surge in popularity, with 37% support.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was on 23%, the CDU on 13%, the Left Party on 13%, the BSW on11% and Greens on 5%. Again, the FDP was below\u00a0the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>While you&#8217;re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The first of five state elections this year has already taken place in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, where Chancellor Merz&#8217;s <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">CDU<\/a> lost out narrowly to the Greens.<\/p>\n<p>But there are still four to go, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under particular scrutiny as its popularity grows across the country, particularly in the eastern states that formed part of former communist East Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a rundown of the votes still to come in Germany&#8217;s Super Election Year, with all dates still provisional:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rhineland-Palatinate (March 22):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The western state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/rhineland-palatinate\/t-18967902\">Rhineland-Palatinate<\/a> is currently governed\u00a0by a &#8220;traffic light&#8221; coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD, signature color red), pro-business Free Democrats (FDP, signature color yellow) and environmentalist Greens.<\/p>\n<p>Its premier since 2024 has been\u00a0Alexander Schweitzer, the former state labor minister, who took over from his party colleague Malu Dreyer after she stepped down for health reasons.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2021 elections, the SPD won 35.7%, the CDU 27.7%, the Greens 9.3%, the AfD 8.3% and the FDP 5.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Recent polls have, however, shown a different picture, with the CDU having a narrow lead over the SPD, while the AfD has more than doubled its voter support. The <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-neoliberal-fdp-no-chance-for-a-comeback\/a-75847475\">FDP has sunk beneath the 5% hurdle<\/a> needed for parliamentary representation in the surveys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saxony-Anhalt (September 6):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/saxony-anhalt\/t-18968033\">Saxony-Anhalt<\/a> is governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD und FDP under CDU Premier\u00a0Sven Schulze, who took over from his party colleague\u00a0Reiner Haseloff in January of this year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the CDU was the strongest party, winning 37.1% of the vote, ahead of the AfD on 20.8%. The SPD received 8.4% behind the Left Party on 11%. The FDP received 6.4%, the Greens 5.9%.<\/p>\n<p>A January poll from Insa showed a different picture, with the AfD well in the lead on 39%, followed by the CDU on 26%. The Left Party had 11%, the SPD 8%, the leftist BSW 6%, while\u00a0the Greens and FDP were both below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Berlin (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The city-state of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/berlin\/t-18967759\">Berlin<\/a> has been\u00a0governed since 2023 by what is traditionally dubbed a\u00a0&#8220;grand coalition&#8221; of the\u00a0CDU and SPD under its governing mayor,\u00a0Kai Wegener, who holds the same rank as other state premiers.<\/p>\n<p>In a repeat election held in 2023 after a 2021 was declared invalid, the CDU received 28% of votes, the SPD and Greens 18.4%, the Left Party\u00a012.2 and\u00a0the AfD %9.1. The FDP again slipped below the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>A February poll by the Insa institute\u00a0showed that the AfD has grown in popularity and would receive around 17% of the vote if elections were held now, making it the second-strongest party behind the CDU on 22%.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was polling at 16%, followed by the Greens and Left Party on 15%.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (September 20):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes called <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/mecklenburg-western-pomerania\/t-18968236\">Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania<\/a> in English, is currently governed by a leftist coalition of the SPD and the socialist Left Party under SPD premier Manuela Schwesig.<\/p>\n<p>At 2021, the SPD received 39.6% of the vote, the AfD 16.9%, the CDU 13.3%, the Left Party 9.9%, the Greens 6.3% and the FDP 5.8%.<\/p>\n<p>A recent survey from Forsa\u00a0shows that the AfD has experienced a huge surge in popularity, with 37% support.<\/p>\n<p>The SPD was on 23%, the CDU on 13%, the Left Party on 13%, the BSW on11% and Greens on 5%. Again, the FDP was below\u00a0the 5% hurdle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>While you&#8217;re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"post-rich-text c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Partial results from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-merz-faces-new-election-test-in-hesse\/live-76358988\">Sunday&#8217;s regional elections in Germany&#8217;s central state of Hesse<\/a> show that the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> are set to remain the strongest power, receiving 29.7% of the vote,\u00a0with their coalition partners at national level, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>, coming in second place with 20.2%.<\/p>\n<p>This compares with\u00a028.5% and 24% respectively at 2021 elections.<\/p>\n<p>The result\u00a0is likely to come as somewhat of a relief to Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU, whose party was narrowly defeated by the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-greens-more-than-leftist-woke-ecologists\/a-76348924\">Greens<\/a>\u00a0in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg-state-election\/a-76280629\">state\u00a0elections in neighboring Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg<\/a> a week ago.<\/p>\n<p>In the Hesse elections, the Greens did not fare as well, losing their position as third-strongest party at local level to the anti-immigrant <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>, with the\u00a0partial results released by the state statistical office in Wiesbaden giving\u00a0the environmentalist party 14.4% compared with 15.9% for the far-right one.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s result more than doubled that from the last regional elections in the state five years ago, when it received 6.9%.<\/p>\n<p>The party&#8217;s surge to popularity across the country is being watched with concern by many observers who <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/study-germans-broadly-support-democracy-oppose-far-right\/a-74663192\">see the AfD as a danger to democracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s regional chapter in Hesse has been labelled a suspected extremist organization by the domestic intelligence in the state, while the national AfD was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group last year for alleged racist and anti-democratic tendencies.<\/p>\n<p>The party is contesting the label in court.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday&#8217;s vote will decide the make-up of local councils and city parliaments in Hesse, along with several mayoral posts.<\/p>\n<p>Hesse is home to Germany&#8217;s financial hub of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/frankfurt\/t-18968328\">Frankfurt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether 4.7 million people were eligible to vote, including some 430,00 non-German citizens from other European Union member states. Voter turnout was 54.4%, beating 50.4% in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Partial results from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-merz-faces-new-election-test-in-hesse\/live-76358988\">Sunday&#8217;s regional elections in Germany&#8217;s central state of Hesse<\/a> show that the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/christian-democratic-union-cdu\/t-17351950\">Christian Democrats (CDU)<\/a> are set to remain the strongest power, receiving 29.7% of the vote,\u00a0with their coalition partners at national level, the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/social-democratic-party-spd\/t-17437818\">Social Democrats (SPD)<\/a>, coming in second place with 20.2%.<\/p>\n<p>This compares with\u00a028.5% and 24% respectively at 2021 elections.<\/p>\n<p>The result\u00a0is likely to come as somewhat of a relief to Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU, whose party was narrowly defeated by the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-greens-more-than-leftist-woke-ecologists\/a-76348924\">Greens<\/a>\u00a0in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg-state-election\/a-76280629\">state\u00a0elections in neighboring Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg<\/a> a week ago.<\/p>\n<p>In the Hesse elections, the Greens did not fare as well, losing their position as third-strongest party at local level to the anti-immigrant <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/alternative-for-germany-afd\/t-17455253\">Alternative for Germany (AfD)<\/a>, with the\u00a0partial results released by the state statistical office in Wiesbaden giving\u00a0the environmentalist party 14.4% compared with 15.9% for the far-right one.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s result more than doubled that from the last regional elections in the state five years ago, when it received 6.9%.<\/p>\n<p>The party&#8217;s surge to popularity across the country is being watched with concern by many observers who <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/study-germans-broadly-support-democracy-oppose-far-right\/a-74663192\">see the AfD as a danger to democracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The AfD&#8217;s regional chapter in Hesse has been labelled a suspected extremist organization by the domestic intelligence in the state, while the national AfD was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group last year for alleged racist and anti-democratic tendencies.<\/p>\n<p>The party is contesting the label in court.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday&#8217;s vote will decide the make-up of local councils and city parliaments in Hesse, along with several mayoral posts.<\/p>\n<p>Hesse is home to Germany&#8217;s financial hub of <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/frankfurt\/t-18968328\">Frankfurt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether 4.7 million people were eligible to vote, including some 430,00 non-German citizens from other European Union member states. Voter turnout was 54.4%, beating 50.4% in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-strike-to-block-all-flights-at-berlin-airport\/live-76372772&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75842875_6.jpg&#8221;] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AS2u The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport serves the German capital and surrounding areaImage: Liesa Johannssen\/REUTERS Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Berlin airport will close for passengers amid a strike on Wednesday Public transport strikes have been called for various parts of Germany this week Germany&#8217;s two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1829693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1829693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829693\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1829693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1829693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1829693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}