Skip next section Fewer Germans traveling to the US
10/09/2025October 9, 2025
Fewer Germans traveling to the US
Germans are booking significantly fewer trips to the United States this winter, according to the DRV travel association. The group predicted a 27% drop in sales for the November to April season.
Over the summer, bookings to the US had been about one-fifth lower than the previous year, DRV said.
Increasing costs may be a factor, as well as the fact that Germany updated its travel advisory for the US in March. The warning stated that a valid ESTA visa waiver was not a guarantee for entry into the United States after a string of high-profile detentions of ordinary Germans by US immigration authorities.
In contrast, the DRV reported that winter trips to Southeast Asia and Africa are expected to climb by 16% and 25%, respectively.
https://p.dw.com/p/51hmT
Skip next section Reforms slammed as ‘unconstitutional’ by opposition lawmaker
10/09/2025October 9, 2025
Reforms slammed as ‘unconstitutional’ by opposition lawmaker
Britta Hasselmann, parliamentary leader of the opposition Green party, slammed the government’s planned reforms shortly after they were announced. Hasselmann called the proposals “cold-hearted and inhumane” as well as “unconstitutional.”
“The CDU and SPD want to take away everything people need to live,” Hasselmann told the German news agency dpa, saying the reforms take away money for food and housing, including from families with children.
“It would also be unconstitutional,” she said, because the state has “a responsibility and a welfare state that provides for a sociocultural minimum standard of living.”
Those on the right, however, celebrated the news. Markus Söder, the leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the CSU, hailed that a form of basic income for welfare recipients was “history.”
There was also criticism launched at the SPD for abandoning its dedication to a robust social welfare state, but party leadership seemed to have little time for nay-sayers, particularly from the SPD’s left flank.
“We are tightening sanctions to the limit of what is constitutionally permissible,” Minister for Labor and Social Affairs Bärbel Bas of the SPD said.
https://p.dw.com/p/51hgs
Skip next section German coalition to present reform plans
10/09/2025October 9, 2025
German coalition to present reform plans
Germany’s governing coalition presented their final agreement for package of reforms that has been heavily touted by Chancellor Merz for months.
The marathon discussions lasted most of Wednesday and well into the night, amid claims there has been significant opposition to many of Merz’s plans from the more left-leaning members of junior coalition partner the SPD.
However, the parties showed a united front on Thursday morning, announcing tigher restrictions on social welfare payments, changes to the pension system, and new subsidies for electric vehicles in response to competition from China.
“We will significantly strengthen obligations to cooperate and we will also significantly increase the possibilities for sanctions,” Merz said of the changes to the German welfare system.
German coalition disputes welfare state funding
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https://p.dw.com/p/51hKk
Skip next section German chancellor hosts auto summit as car manufacturers make major cuts
10/09/2025October 9, 2025
German chancellor hosts auto summit as car manufacturers make major cuts
Merz has recently come out against an EU plan to ban new combustion engines vehicles a decade from nowImage: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance
German automakers are expected to press for fresh incentives to revive demand for electric vehicles during crunch talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. Sales have slumped and jobs have been slashed amidst increasing competition from China.
Read more: German chancellor calls auto summit as carmakers bleed jobs
https://p.dw.com/p/51hK5
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage10/09/2025October 9, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Sean Sinico
Guten Morgen from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
Today, the German governing coalition is expected to present the results of its closed-door summit amidst rumors of increasing tension between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and their junior coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
Merz will then be holding a major meeting for car industry representatives as he tries to revive Germany’s flagging automotive sector.
Check back here for the latest headlines from across Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/51hIj
