Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Airport strikes come to an end - for now

After 27 hours of disruptions that managed to cancel 90 percent of Lufthansa’s scheduled flights at several major German airports, Verdi’s latest warning strike came to an end this Thursday at 7 am.

Airports in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf were all affected, and hundreds of flights were called off. Domestic flights connecting Frankfurt and Munich to Düsseldorf and Hamburg were particularly affected.

While those flying on Thursday, can rest assured that the strike has concluded, Verdi has warned that more and longer strikes should be expected if Lufthansa doesn’t make a satisfactory offer to airport ground staff.

Striking workers complained of post-Covid staff shortages, and wages that haven’t kept up with the growing cost of living. 

Verdi chief negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said that the willingness to strike has never been so high in 20 years, expressing a sentiment that is apparently shared not just by airport workers, but also by train and bus drivers, and may ultimately spread to other industries.

Indeed Germany has seen travel chaos unleashed by a wave of strikes in recent weeks, with workers from various unions all expressing discontent over stagnant wages, staff-shortages, and long hours.

Chancellor Scholz warns against assuming Trump victory

Ahead of his trip to the US on Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned against taking Donald Trump's latest election victory for granted.

 "I don't think we should act as if it's a foregone conclusion," said Scholz at a citizens' dialog in Stahnsdorf near Potsdam on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden is someone who has done a lot for the cohesion of American society, he said. "That's why I believe he has a chance."

When asked how Germany should prepare for a Trump victory, however, Scholz called for close cooperation within NATO and the EU. "A strong Europe is the most important national interest we have as Germans in the world."

Scholz wants to meet Biden at the White House on Friday, where talks were set to focus on the escalating conflict in the Middle East and aid to Ukraine.

READ ALSO: Is Germany prepared for another US presidency?

Germany to continue investigations as Sweden ends Nord Stream proceedings

The Swedish prosecutor's office is closing its investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, after concluding that there is no longer any reason to continue.

According to the Swedish intelligence service Säpo, the investigation was able to show that the sabotage was not directed against Sweden and therefore did not pose a threat to Swedish security.

But in Germany, which previously received the majority of its gas imports via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the investigation will continue.

The intelligence gathered by the Swedes may be of interest to the German investigation.

"Basically, we are still very interested in solving this crime," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.

More than 16 months after the explosions on the gas pipelines, it is still unclear which party or parties committed the sabotage. 

Could the CDU join the Greens to lead Germany again?

A year and a half before the next federal election, a debate about government coalition options has flared up after CDU leader Friedrich Merz spoke about the possibility of a CDU/CSU–Green Party alliance.

In current polls, the black-green coalition would likely win 45 percent of Germany’s total votes, but the suggestion has unleashed a barrage of criticism on multiple sides.

In an email sent to supporters this weekend, Merz named the SPD and the Greens as possible coalition partners in the next election. He wrote that a Black-Green alliance would not be “a particularly tempting prospect, but there must be a majority capable of governing." 

But his comments were not viewed favourably by CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt, or by the Junge Union (JU), which is the youth party of the CDU/CSU.

Co-chairwoman of the Greens, Ricarda Lang, reacted amicably to the idea of a black-green coalition, telling TV station Welt, "That's definitely an option." 

But whether Merz’s image can be embraced, or even tolerated, by the majority of the Green party is yet to be seen. 

Last year Merz had to walk back comments about cooperating with the far-right AfD party after members of his own party heavily criticised the idea.

Berlin reportedly examining Rosneft Germany nationalisation

Germany is examining the possibility of nationalising Russian oil giant Rosneft's operations in the
country, government sources said Wednesday, after Berlin took control of them following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In September 2022, the German government seized control of Rosneft's German subsidiaries, which account for about 12 percent of oil refining capacity in the country, and placed them under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency.

The refineries concerned include the key PCK Schwedt site that supplies most of the oil consumed in the capital and the surrounding region, including Berlin-Brandenburg airport.

The trusteeship is valid for six months at a time, and has already been extended twice.

The government sources told AFP that the current trusteeship ends on March 10th and without further state intervention, there were risks to Rosneft Germany's operations.

With reporting by AFP.