Friday's top story: Bundestag approves controversial reduction in air travel tax
Germany’s Bundestag has voted to reduce the air travel tax from July 1st, with ticket taxes set to drop by €2.50 to €11.40 per flight depending on the route.
The measure, supported by CDU/CSU, SPD, and AfD, but opposed by the Greens and The Left, still requires Bundesrat approval. While the government claims the move fulfils a coalition promise and reverses a 2024 tax hike, environmental groups have condemned it as "climate policy madness", arguing it sends the wrong signal and lacks economic sense.
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The German Aviation Association welcomes the change, but experts question whether passengers will benefit, as ticket prices have recently surged due to the war in Iran and rising kerosene costs.
The tax cut is expected to cost the government hundreds of millions of euros annually, and its impact on fares remains uncertain, with many suggesting the reduction is negligible for travellers.
Two bodies found in the rubble of collapsed building in Görlitz
Police said early Thursday that rescuers had found the body of a 25-year-old woman from Romania who was killed in an apartment building collapse three days earlier.
By the afternoon German rescuers digging through rubble had found the body of a second Romanian woman, aged 26.
Emergency response teams using sniffer dogs kept up the search for a third person missing, a 48-year-old man with German and Bulgarian nationality.
Search teams have been working mostly by hand to search for signs of life in the pile of bricks and broken timber after the building housing holiday flats collapsed on Monday afternoon.
One suspicion was that a gas explosion destroyed the building, but police said that "investigations into the cause...are ongoing".
Görlitz -- Germany's easternmost town, on the Polish border -- is known for its historic buildings and has often been used as a location for movie shoots.
The search operation has involved some 140 personnel from the police, fire department, health service and THW disaster relief agency, joined by Polish emergency personnel.
Fountains turned green in protest against Germany's gas power expansion
In protest against the gas policy of the federal government, activists of the protest movement Extinction Rebellion have coloured the water of fountains green in numerous cities.
Fountains in 17 cities were affected, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Dresden and Cologne.
Extinction Rebellion describes it as an art action. The aim is to draw attention to the destructive focus on gas as an energy source.
The action is intended to draw attention to the gas policy of Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU), which the protesters accuse of "greenwashing".
Last week, the cabinet of the federal government launched a bill on the construction of new gas-fired power plants.
READ ALSO: Environmental group challenges Germany's climate plan in court
Reiche, who was previously the CEO of an energy company and has been described by watchdog groups as a "mouthpiece for the corporate lobby", has also spoken in favour of legalising the practice of fracking for gas in Germany.
Fracking, which had led to extensive poisoning of groundwater resources in vast areas of the United States and other regions, has been banned in Germany since 2017.
The luminous dye uranine used for the campaign is non-toxic and is used, among other things, in water management to locate leaks in pipelines, as bait in fishing and for bath salts.
Berlin Olympics bid given go-ahead by House of Representatives
Berlin’s House of Representatives voted on Thursday to submit the city’s bid to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, moving a step closer to becoming Germany’s candidate for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Games.
The motion, supported by CDU, SPD and AfD, but opposed by the Greens and The Left, replaces a public referendum, which have been held in other competing cities such as Munich and Hamburg.
READ ALSO: How Berlin's Olympics bid would reshape the city
The bid must be received by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) by June 4th. DOSB President Thomas Weikert hailed the decision as a “strong international signal,” while IOC member Michael Mronz said it showed Germany was on a promising path.
Critics, particularly from the Greens and The Left, raised concerns over costs, but Berlin’s Mayor Kai Wegner insisted the city has the best chance of prevailing against both domestic and international rivals.
The DOSB will select Germany’s official candidate city in September, with public support thought to be a key factor in the final decision.
SPD renews call for AfD ban ahead of Constitution Day
On the eve of Constitution Day (May 23rd), Schleswig-Holstein’s SPD parliamentary group has reiterated its demand for a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), arguing that democracy must not be naive in the face of its enemies.
Parliamentary group leader Serpil Midyatli stressed that Constitution Day is not only a celebration of Germany’s Basic Law but also a reminder of the mission to uphold human dignity without exception.
READ ALSO: Grundgesetz - What does Germany's 'Basic Law' really mean?
The SPD, alongside the CDU and the Greens has already initiated a constitutional review of the AfD, emphasising that any ban must be prepared carefully and in accordance with the rule of law.
Nationwide campaigns such as “Defend Human Dignity – Ban the AfD Now!” and “Stand Up Against Racism” are planning demonstrations and information events across Schleswig-Holstein, with police expecting around 150 participants in Kiel.
Midyatli warned against weakening democracy projects, stating that damaging these structures undermines civil society as a whole. The Basic Law, Germany’s constitution, marks its 77th anniversary this year.
With reporting by DPA and Paul Krantz.
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