Living in Germany: Budget mayhem, ironing gift wrap and festive public transport

Living in Germany is our weekly look at some of the news and talking points in Germany that you might not have heard about. Members can receive it directly to their inbox on Saturday.

Has Germany finally managed to solve its budget woes?

It’s fair to say it’s been a pretty tense few weeks in German politics, with the government trying to find ways to fill a massive hole in its finances for next year. As The Local has been reporting, the latest crisis all dates back to a bombshell court ruling in November that found the traffic-light coalition had breached some of Germany’s ultra-strict debt rules, which are actually enshrined in the constitution.

It left the government arguing over ways to find an extra €17 billion of lost funding for 2024 - and earlier this week, they seem to have found a solution. The plans for next year include cutting subsidies for e-car buyers and the solar industry, introducing a plastic tax and a tax on paraffin fuels for airlines, and hiking the CO2 tax to €45 rather than the planned €40. 

Though there will be cuts - particularly when it comes to the coalition’s climate plans - higher taxes could also drive up the cost of some goods next year. We broke down what areas of life could get more expensive thanks to the new budget, so be sure to check that out if you want to know what to expect. 

And what will happen to Germany’s controversial debt brake, which caps borrowing at a miniscule 0.35 percent of GDP? Well, that looks set to stay in place for now - though Chancellor Olaf Scholz has hinted he could try and suspend it again if the situation worsens in Ukraine.

Tweet of the week

This picture of ‘Mutti’ Merkel ironing her festive wrapping paper kicked off a big debate on Twitter this week. Do Germans actually iron their gift wrap? And should they? 

Is this a.... thing in Germany? is their much ironing of wrapping paper? still find this quite confusing. pic.twitter.com/yYLB8BhjI0

— Stanley Pignal (@spignal) December 13, 2023

Where is this?

Though you may not recognise it at first, this moody photograph was snapped last week at a children’s playground in Cologne, where heavy rain caused the Rhine to break its banks. 

In western Germany in particular, the snowy scenes in November and early December have been replaced by torrential downpour - and even more rain is expected this week in the run-up to Christmas. 

Did you know?

You may well have heard of German Christmas traditions like baking Stollen and lighting the candles of the Advent wreath, but did you know that the Bundesrepublik also has a penchant for festive public transport?

The tradition of Christmas trams has become hugely popular in recent years, and these days many German cities and towns are running their own seasonal Straßenbahn - complete with festive decorations and music, Glühwein, and even the Weihnachtsmann. 

One of the first Christmas trams was launched in Dresden back in 2008 to give foreigners and international students a chance to celebrate the holidays in good company if they couldn’t go home. These days though, the Christmas trams attract all types of people - especially families looking for a festive ride to their local Christmas markets. 

READ ALSO: The best Christmas markets in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate

In Berlin, there’s even a Christmas S-Bahn that has recently returned after a 15-year hiatus. Passengers can hop on at Grünau and enjoy a ride in a vintage 1920s train all the way to Charlottenburg and back. Just don’t try and use it for your daily commute, as you won’t be able to hop off at any of the stops in between.