Opposition politicians and pressure groups have demanded action after it emerged that the vast majority of Germany’s rivers and streams are in a bad ecological condition.
Emboldened by an economy running at full steam, workers in other sectors of the German economy are following the call of the metalworkers' union for higher pay - and Germany's trading partners
are cheering them on from the sidelines.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Germans that European co-operation is "the decisive question of the coming years" in a New Year's Eve broadcast Sunday, as her conservatives eye tricky coalition talks.
The head of Germany's Social Democrats, Martin Schulz, a potential future governing partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel, called Thursday for the creation of a "United States of Europe" by 2025.
Billions of euros will change hands over Black Friday weekend sales across Europe, but despite increasingly accepting the US import, the promotions will be marked by strikes, protests and concerns about over-consumption.
A report published on Thursday by the EU Commission has found that average life expectancy in Germany pales in comparison to countries like Spain, Italy and France.
They might be the capitals of two European powerhouses, but London and Berlin couldn't be more different in style and attitude. Julius Haswell and Jörg Luyken squabble over which is better.
The number of Germans who are satisfied with the EU has increased following Britain's vote to leave, with over 70 percent saying membership is good for the country's economy and security.
A survey by Pew Research Center shows that while Brits may be the ones pushing to split away from the European Union, an equal proportion of Germans also feel negatively towards Brussels.
Media reports in recent months have suggested that the financial capital on the Main could steal London's banking thunder if Britain votes to leave the EU. But it's not the only city in the running.
A photo of a dead migrant baby pulled from the Mediterranean was published by a charity hoping to force European leaders to grant migrants safe passage, after hundreds were presumed to have died at sea last week.
Eurozone finance ministers agreed late on Tuesday night to pay out €10.3 billion to Greece so that it can make debt repayments due in the coming months.
The German government believes Greece should be granted debt relief only in 2018 after it has fully complied with its EU bailout, according to a finance ministry document seen by AFP Thursday.
A German court on Tuesday threw out a bid by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an injunction against the boss of German media giant Axel Springer in a widening row over free speech.
Phoning and surfing while abroad is about to get a lot cheaper in the EU as new rules limiting how much mobile operators can charge come into force on Saturday.
Benjamin Melzer is pushing boundaries: the 29-year-old German model and activist is the first transgender man to adorn the front page of Men's Health in Europe.
European leaders are all behind a plan to "direct all our efforts at reaching a deal with Turkey" to limit refugee arrivals into the EU, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Brussels on Friday.
With large numbers of refugees building up in Greece after Austria and western Balkan nations closed their borders, Vienna has put the ball in Germany's court.
Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted that her chosen course in Germany and Europe's refugee crisis was the right one in a TV interview on Sunday night, despite admitting to moments of doubt.
Greece has failed to live up to the expectations of other European countries in the refugee crisis and must do more to secure its borders, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said in Brussels on Monday.
