Skip next section Some in Germany curbing winter travel and leisure in 2025 — study
12/17/2025December 17, 2025
Some in Germany curbing winter travel and leisure in 2025 — study
Winter travel and leisure activities are being wound back by many people in Germany as rising costs and economic uncertainty make themselves increasingly felt, a survey has shown.
The poll by YouGov, commissioned by the DPA news agency, found that 15% of respondents were planning to trim their holiday plans, while another 15% wanted to cut back on leisure activities.
Around 25% said they would not spend as much in restaurants.
However, some 51% said they would keep up their normal winter leisure expenses.
But the survey also found that by far the most people in Germany, 81%, were not planning on any form of winter holiday, although Germans are known for their love of summer travel.
Nonetheless, the drop in spending by Germans could negatively affect the hospitality sector in neighboring countries, with almost half of hotel guests last winter in Austria coming from Germany, for example, and some 12% in Switzerland.
https://p.dw.com/p/55XbK
Skip next section READ: Germany hails launch of EU Galileo satellites
12/17/2025December 17, 2025
READ: Germany hails launch of EU Galileo satellites
The Ariane 6 rocket was launched from Kourou, GuyanaImage: Ronan Lietar/AFP/dpa/picture alliance
Two EU Galileo satellites are headed to space on board a European rocket, marking a break from the reliance on the US — and pre-invasion Russia — for such launches over the past seven years.
The two satellites were built by the German company OHB, a fact highlighted by Germany’s research, technology and space minister.
You can read more about the groundbreaking launch in this article by DW’s Alex Berry: Ariane 6 rocket launches with EU Galileo satellite
https://p.dw.com/p/55X22
Skip next section Wolves could receive less protection
12/17/2025December 17, 2025
Wolves could receive less protection
Wolves have been living again in Germany for some 20 years after 150 years of extinction in the countryImage: Jens Büttner/dpa-Zentralbild/picture alliance
The German government intends to ease the currently strict rules protecting wolves, with the Cabinet discussing the possible inclusion of the animal in the list of permissible hunting targets under certain conditions.
The measures under discussion would mean that states with large wolf populations, such as Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and Saxony, would be permitted to cull wolves if the situation demanded.
Those wolves that have shown themselves capable of getting through protective fences would be able to be shot dead under the proposed measures.
Currently, there are 209 packs of wolves living in Germany. In 2024, some 4,300 livestock animals, mostly sheep and goats, were killed by wolves.
Germany faces wolf crisis: Hunting back on the table
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https://p.dw.com/p/55W22
Skip next section Cabinet set to approve stricter rules for welfare recipients
12/17/2025December 17, 2025
Cabinet set to approve stricter rules for welfare recipients
The federal Cabinet is expected to approve a reform of Germany’s “Bürgergeld” (Citizens’ Income) welfare scheme, including a change of name to “Grundsicherung” (Basic Security).
Under the stricter rules that are proposed, welfare recipients could see their payments reduced or even cut completely if they fail to accept suitable job offers. There would also be reductions if recipients do not turn up to appointments at the job center.
The welfare rights group AWO has criticized the planned reforms, saying the debate about “how to save money at the cost of the poorest” was “shameful for a rich country like Germany.”
AWO President Michael Gross said that the proposals distracted from the real problems facing impoverished families in Germany, noting that food prices had gone up by more than 36% in the past five years.
“So while families are worrying about being able to put a warm meal for their children on the table at the end of the month, the government is looking at punishing missed appointments at the job center by cutting housing payments. That is a catastrophic debate,” he said.
Currently, some 5.5 million people in Germany receive Bürgergeld.
https://p.dw.com/p/55WAH
Skip next section Bundestag set to approve €52 billion in military expenditure
12/17/2025December 17, 2025
Bundestag set to approve €52 billion in military expenditure
The Bundestag budget committee is expected to agree to a €52 billion ($61 billion) military expenditure package as Germany seeks to rapidly rearm in the face of the security threat posed by Russian aggression.
The military equipment to be purchased includes clothing and protective equipment for soldiers to the tune of €21 billion and 200 Puma infantry fighting vehicles worth €4 billion.
Rockets for the missile shield system Arrow 3, developed by Israel and the US, are also on the 29-point list of desired purchases put forward by the German armed forces or Bundeswehr.
The German armaments giant Rheinmetall is also to receive a €1.76 billion order for a satellite-based reconaissance system to support Bundeswehr forces stationed in Lithuania, on NATO’s eastern flank.
The budget committee is in charge of all large-scale arms purchases, which thus do not need fuller parliamentary approval.
The military outlay has been exempted from rules restricting public debt for the next few years as Germany tries to bring its fighting forces back to complete combat readiness following years of underfunding.
https://p.dw.com/p/55VoR
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage12/17/2025December 17, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in a cold and wintry Bonn!
In its probably last meeting before the end of 2025, the federal Cabinet is to discuss welfare and pension reforms, while the Bundestag is expected to sign off on billions in military purchases.
Germany is also trying to come to grips with the growing threat to livestock posed by wolves, currently a strictly protected species.
You can follow here for our round-up of the topics heading the news in Germany on Wednesday, December 17.
https://p.dw.com/p/55VvP
