Daily Briefing 04.04.2026, 12:38 (CEST)

German trade union chief calls for scrapping of VAT on food

The head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has called for the reduced rate of value added tax (VAT) on certain goods to be abolished entirely.

"Reducing the reduced VAT...

German foreign minister backs abandoning EU's unanimity principle

The European Union should abandon the unanimity principle that governs most of its decision-making, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has told news outlets of the Funke Media Group in...

Merz government not considering autobahn speed limit to save fuel

The German government is not considering imposing a speed limit on its unrestricted motorways to save fuel but could take fiscal measures to ease the burden on motorists, Economy Minister K...

Germans change holiday plans in face of political crises

Many Germans are changing their travel plans for Easter and the months ahead on account of war, crises and political uncertainty, according to a survey conducted for the tourism sector publ...

German industry sees growing opportunities in defence

German industry is increasingly turning its attention to defence production, according to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

US tariffs raise fears for European pharmaceutical sites

Pharmaceutical manufacturers in Germany and Switzerland view the latest US tariffs on pharmaceutical products as a threat to their European production sites, representatives said on Friday....

Man threatens attack on German high-speed train, 12 lightly injured

A man threatened an attack on a high-speed train in western Germany and lightly injured 12 passengers with firecrackers before being taken into custody in the town of Siegburg near Bonn, po...

EU chat control deal expires, halting mass child pornography scanning

From Saturday, online platforms in the European Union will no longer be permitted to carry out mass scanning of private communications in the fight against child pornography.

German engineering sector 'disappointed' by new US tariff rules

The German mechanical and plant engineering sector has criticized the US government’s revised tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Löw denies he's set to make comeback to take Ghana coaching job

Former Germany coach Joachim Löw has denied he's set to make a comeback to football to take the coaching job at the Ghana national team.