Medical staff across Germany are protesting against the government's proposed spending cuts in the healthcare sector, which ministers claim are necessary to curb rising costs. The Verdi trade union has voiced strong opposition, calling it a "cost-cutting drive" led by Health Minister Nina Warken. Union board member Sylvia Bühler warned that the measures could compromise patient care and reverse progress on working conditions.
The government's reform package aims to save €16.3 billion ($18.9 billion) in statutory health insurance by 2027. It includes spending caps for hospitals, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as higher co-payments for medicines and limits on free spousal coverage. Hospitals are expected to contribute €4.6 billion in savings through tighter reimbursement limits and reduced coverage of wage increases.
Eastern Germany's economy is at risk of falling further behind, according to a report by the Ifo Institute. Weak private investment and labor shortages are hindering growth. Private investment per capita in the region was only about three-quarters of western German levels between 2019 and 2023. The workforce in the former East is projected to shrink by around 7% by 2035, with sharper declines in states like Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.
German farmers are grappling with a potato surplus after a bumper harvest. The 2025 crop reached approximately 13.9 million metric tons, the largest in 25 years, with about half produced in Lower Saxony. Oversupply has driven prices sharply lower, forcing some farmers to divert potatoes to biogas plants instead of selling them for food.
Germany's state-owned gas importer SEFE has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canadian supplier Ksi Lisims LNG for the annual delivery of 1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas starting in the early 2030s. The 20-year deal is part of Germany's efforts to diversify energy imports following the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine conflict.
A World War II bomb weighing 500 kilograms was detonated in the western town of Moers after thousands were evacuated. The bomb was discovered during construction work and could not be defused due to a damaged fuse. A second smaller bomb was also detonated. Around 3,200 people, including hospital patients and care home residents, were affected by the evacuation.
Source: www.dw.com