News from Berlin
What Merz’s healthcare cuts will mean for Berlin
On 10 July, Germany passed a new healthcare austerity package, and Berlin’s and Brandenburg’s doctors are not holding back about what it means in practice. In an open letter, the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung (KV) Berlin warned that “the consequences of this law will be noticeable in your everyday life.” KV Brandenburg’s CEO Catrin Steiniger put it plainly: “Ultimately, it won’t be the practices alone who pay the price, but the patients with fewer appointments and longer journeys. Older people and the chronically ill who depend on local care will feel it first.” Source: heist
Berlin election: postal voting materials can already be requested
Anyone wishing to vote by mail in the Berlin election on September 20 can apply for the materials starting on Monday, July 20. According to the State Returning Officer, the materials include a polling certificate and the official ballot papers, a white ballot envelope, a red postal ballot envelope, and an information sheet on postal voting. For the House of Representatives election, there is only one ballot paper this time for both the “first vote” (for a specific candidate) and the “second vote” (for a party list). It will be possible to send the vote by mail from August 10 until 15:00 on September 18. Source: rbb
Overall drop in crimes on Berlin public transport—but rise in sexual offenses
The number of registered crimes on Berlin’s public transport network fell in 2025. In total, police recorded 11,330 offenses last year on BVG buses, trains, and at stops—a decrease of around 12% compared to 2024. These figures come from a response by the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior to a parliamentary inquiry by the Green Party group. On the other hand, MP Antje Kapek (Greens) noted a “shocking” rise of nearly 9% in reported sexual offenses: from 388 cases in 2024 to 421 in 2025. Of these, 364 were women. She added that current measures are “insufficient to protect women from assault.” Source: rbb
Uproar over AfD wreath at Stauffenberg commemoration
A controversy erupted over a wreath during the Federal Government’s commemorative event marking the anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg. Tobias Korenke—a great-nephew of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—attempted to remove a floral arrangement placed by the AfD group at the memorial site in Berlin’s Bendlerblock. Korenke told dpa: “Many descendants—myself included—feel a great deal of anger when we see the AfD laying wreaths here. We will not accept that here.” Götz Frömming, head of the AfD’s history working group, stated that the parliamentary group was invited to these official commemorations as a party represented in the Bundestag. Source: rbb
News from Germany
Surrogacy scandal: Jens Spahn resigns
Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) has announced his resignation amid controversy over a surrogacy arrangement. “I have informed the party leaders of the CDU and CSU, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, that—via this letter—I am resigning from my office as chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag,” stated a message obtained by the news agency AFP on July 18. It recently became known that Spahn and his husband had become parents to a child born to a surrogate mother in the USA. This practice is prohibited in Germany. Furthermore, the CDU party conference had passed a resolution rejecting surrogacy earlier this year. Source: nd
Single mothers urged to work more
Criticism continues regarding the federal government’s plans to limit state child support advances to children up to the age of 16. At his annual summer press conference, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) defended the cuts by pointing out that improved childcare facilities now allow single parents to work more and consequently earn more; this statement provoked fresh opposition. The Association of Single Parents, politicians from the SPD and from other parties complained. Ricarda Lang (Greens), who grew up with a single mother herself, told the Tagesspiegel that Merz’s statements demonstrated just how far removed he is from the realities of family life. Source: tagesspiegel
Tesla is planning expansion in Germany
Demand for electric cars is picking up again, which gives Tesla a boost for its production plans in Germany. Earlier this year, Tesla announced plans to ramp up production in Grünheide to as many as 7,500 vehicles per week, and to expand battery cell manufacturing. A total of 3,500 new jobs are expected to be created. Previously, any expansion of the plant had been contingent on market trends. Tesla is also benefiting from renewed government subsidies. The Tesla plant in Grünheide opened in March 2022. It is Brandenburg’s largest industrial facility. Source: t-online
