Topic analysis

Germany news: People change Easter holiday plans amid crises

Germans are altering their travel plans for Easter and the months ahead due to conflicts, a new survey shows. The economy minister has rejected tax rebates and speed limits to tackle high fuel prices. DW has the latest. Welcome to our roundup of headlines from and about Germany on the Easter weekend: Russia's threat has pushed Germany to carry out the biggest war drill of its kind in decades — testing its readiness for mass evacuations of wounded allied soldiers from NATO's eastern border in Lithuania. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Amid soaring fuel prices, pressure is mounting on the German government to abolish the value-added tax (VAT) on food, especially on healthy food items. The business wing of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) , the junior partner in the current government, has called for scrapping the tax on items such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, bread, pasta, rice and eggs. German policymakers cannot control global oil prices, "but we can ensure that rising energy and food costs don’t hit Germans' wallets unchecked," Esra-Leon Limbacher, an MP and head of the business wing, told the Bild newspaper. "Whether a child eats a healthy diet should not depend on the parents' bank balance," he added. The head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Yasmin Fahimi, echoed the call. She said scrapping the levy — which currently stands at 19% on most goods, and 7% on select food items — would particularly help low-income households far more than a cut in income tax. To finance the measure, Fahimi told the Tagesspiegel daily: "Germany could introduce a much higher VAT on luxury goods, such as extremely expensive watches, yachts, jewelry or luxury cars." The calls came after Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), also recently spoke in favor of such a measure, saying that it would "allow us to do something" to control soaring prices in the wake of the Iran war. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil,  along with his counterparts from Austria, Italy, Portugal and Spain, has called for a tax on windfall profits of energy companies in response to surging fuel prices due to ‌the Middle East conflict. Such a measure would "send a clear message that those who profit from the ​consequences of ‌the war must do their part to ease the burden on the general public," the ministers wrote in a letter to the European Commission . It would also send a signal that "we stand united and are able to take action," they added. The letter gave no details as to how much the tax should be and which companies would be asked to pay. Despite massively expanding its renewable energy capacity, the EU remains heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels. The surging oil and gas prices since the outbreak of the Iran — European gas prices, for instance, have risen over 70% since February 28 — have made affordable energy a top priority for European policymakers. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has rejected calls for tax breaks and speed limits on the nation’s motorways amid spiking fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East.  The minister, from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of a tax rebate. She pointed out that in Italy and Austria, which have reduced taxes, gasoline and diesel have not become cheaper. The same thing happened with Germany’s 2022 fuel rebate. "Billions were spent, but the intended effect fizzled out," Reiche told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. Reiche also rejected imposing speed limits on the country’s famed autobahn network. She believes it would not have any effect on the prices. "The price of gasoline and diesel isn’t determined on German highways, but on the global market. Speed limits and car-free Sundays would have no noticeable impact on that," she said. The surge in gasoline and diesel prices has sparked a public debate in the country about how to ease the impact on consumers. Traditional Easter marches are being held across Germany this weekend. They began on Friday as people took to the streets in several towns to call for peace. The Saturday preceding Easter Sunday is traditionally the main day of the marches, with thousands expected to participate in rallies nationwide. The gatherings are organized locally by trade unions, left-wing, Christian and peace groups. Over 100 events are planned across Germany this year, said Friedenskooperative, a network of the German Peace Movement. The marches this year are being held in the shadow of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East . Many Germans are altering their travel plans for Easter and the months ahead due to conflicts and crises, according to a survey published on Saturday. The survey, conducted by the German Institute for Tourism Research, found that 16% of the 1,124 people polled between March 25 and 30 had changed their plans for the next three months due to geopolitical crises. "Going on holiday is not unpolitical," Julian Reif, the head of the institute, said, adding that political conditions in the destination were a major component of holiday decisions. Still, 72% of Germans are planning to travel on holiday, whether at home or abroad, in the April-June period. Within the country, Bavaria is a popular destination, while Spain and Italy lead the rankings for foreign travel. Frohe Ostern and Guten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn. We are resuming our coverage of all things Germany this Saturday, April 4. Thank you for reading. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest headlines that include annual Easter peace marches scheduled in cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart. While people in Germany debated and even took to the streets to protest the potential reintroduction of mandatory military service for men, a change to the country's conscription law that took effect at the beginning of the year has gone largely unnoticed. The Frankfurter Rundschau reported on Friday about already-enacted amendments to the legislation requiring men between the ages of 18 and 46 to "obtain an approval from the relevant Bundeswehr Career Center if they wish to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for more than three months." The paper went on to say the rule would apply regardless of whether a German man "planned a semester of studying abroad, working in a foreign country or going on a backpacking trip around the world." While the law requires German men to request the permit, it also obliges the military career center to issue it. A Bundeswehr spokesperson told the Ippen.Media group of local papers that, in the event of a war breaking out, it needed to know how many men were living long-term outside the country.  Acknowledging the "profound" impact of the amended conscription law, the Ministry of Defense has said it is working on new rules for exceptions to the exit permit requirement. The ministry did not answer questions regarding consequences for men who leave the country for longer than three months without the proper permit. Peace activists began holding annual peace protests across Germany against the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, military buildup and conscription.   The Peace Cooperative Network, which coordinates the traditional Easter marches , said it was "cautiously optimistic" that participation could exceed last year's turnout of 40,000 people. In the western city of Gronau, around 150 demonstrators gathered outside the uranium enrichment plant on Good Friday, organizers said. Rallies were also held in several other cities, including Chemnitz, Biberach and Gütersloh. The first protests took place on Thursday in Erfurt, Jena, Königs Wusterhausen, and Regensburg. Thousands of people are expected to take part in the more than 120 events planned throughout the Easter long weekend. Saturday, the main day of action, will see marches in Duisburg, Bonn, Bremen, Hanover, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart. The peace movement is urging the German government to push for diplomatic solutions to end ongoing conflicts and boost support for people affected by war, among other demands. The stranded humpback whale off the island of Poel has not moved and is lying "in an unnatural position, with its back in the sun," a spokesperson for the state Environment Minister in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said on Friday.  In a bid to ease the suffering of a creature that experts believe is in the process of dying, they sprayed water from the Baltic Sea onto its exposed back. The whale is thought to have lost its way, veering into the much-too-shallow Baltic Sea early in March. It has ended up stuck several times since, and has been stationary in or near its current location for most of the week amid clear signs of its deterioration.  "We are working on the firm conviction that the animal is dying there," Burkhard Baschek, the scientific director of the German Oceanographic Musueum said earlier in the week .  To make matters worse, should the experts be mistaken and the creature's condition were to suddenly improve, the water level after a few days of drier weather is currently so low that it would have no realistic chance of moving off into deeper waters. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video More than 100 peace marches and related events are planned around Germany over the course of the Easter weekend. The weekend has always had a strong geopolitical flavor, whether it was during the threat of nuclear war in the Cold War, or this year in the shadow of war in Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East, Sudan and beyond.  But very often there's a domestic tint to proceedings too. DW's Ben Knight caught up with the Network of the German Peace Movement that coordinates the events. More than 20 speakers have registered their intention to discuss the government's plans to partially reintroduce military service . Read the full story here . Bendy bananas, costly kippers, full English breakfasts and greasy spoons under threat: Brexit advocates in Britain rarely let the details get between them and culinary controversies over the years.  The definition of "marmelade" might become a source of similar gripes in the post-Brexit era, with the dastardly Germans at least partly to blame ( quelle surprise! ) A lesser-known perk the UK's lobbyists secured in the 1970s defined marmalade as being solely made from citrus fruits, as fictional character Paddington Bear would require in his sandwiches.  But this ran contrary to traditional German, Austrian, Spanish and Italian concepts of the make-up of "Marmelade" or "mermelada" or "marmellata." Spaniards and Italians often use prunes and figs, while Germans once used the term for more or less any fruity preserve, particularly if it was smooth without real fruit pieces inside. Since the UK's departure from the EU, those lobbying to change the guidelines again now hold the whip hand.  "Marmelade can now also officially be labeled marmelade," a press release from Germany's federal center for food standards proclaimed this week . Previously, it was only permitted for non-citrus products at market stalls, not on supermarket shelves. With Britain's relatively new Labour government now seeking to restore some of the lost regulatory alignment with the EU, this could soon lead to small changes to labels in the UK.  According to a BBC report this week, two solutions are most likely: referring to "citrus marmelade" or picking a specific fruit like Paddington's favorite, "orange marmelade."  Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has tried to strike a balance between concern and confidence in a major newpaper interview when asked about US President Donald Trump questioning the value of NATO.  "Of course such statements concern me," Wadephul told the Funke media group of newspapers.  However, he also said he did not consider a US exit from the alliance likely, despite the Trump administration's repeated expressions of dissatisfaction with US allies in recent days.  "I think that our clear commitment and our determined support for the alliance will convince the United States to continue this success story together," he said.  Wadephul said NATO was of "enormous importance" to German security and that of all other allies, and also argued that the alliance was stronger than ever before. He pointed to Sweden and Finland, neutral throughout the Cold War, joining since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and to European commitments to continue increasing defense spending after pressure from Trump.  Wadephul also said that Trump would need "at least the approval of the Senate" in order to withdraw from NATO. Still, Trump and senior members of his administration have criticized NATO allies for their reticence to get involved in the war with Iran this week. Asked by conservative British newspaper The Telegraph whether he would reconsider membership, Trump said: "Oh yes, I would say [it's] beyond reconsideration." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Union Berlin has announced that Marie-Louise Eta will be the next head coach of their women's football team.  Eta broke new ground with Union's men's team late in 2023 by acting as their assistant coach, becoming the first woman in the role in the German Bundesliga. She later deputized in the lead in the dugout while head coach Nenad Bjelica served a three-game touchline suspension.  The 34-year-old is now graduating to a permanent position at the helm of the senior women's team. She will also retain her position as the head coach of Union's men's under-19s until the end of the current season. "Because of her successful work as a coach in the club, as well as her experience as a Bundesliga player, we are conviced that we can make the next steps together and do justice to our amibtions," Union's business director Jennifer Zietz said.  Eta also has experience in coaching roles in the German national team's junior ranks.  "The club's ambitious goals convinced me just as much as the clear shared oreintation," Eta said of Union. "We will build on this and take the team further."  Union's women are competing in their first season in the top flight Bundesliga, and are sitting ninth, safe from relegation, after 22 fixtures.