Warning strikes begin at German airports

In Hamburg, the strike began a day early on Sunday, now work stoppages have begun at several other German airports.

Thousands of flights are expected to be cancelled at Germany’s major airports, with hundreds of thousands of travellers are affected.

Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight online before heading to the airport.

EXPLAINED: How passengers will be affected by German airport strikes on Monday

Warning strikes are taking place on Monday in: Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

Deutsche Bahn paid almost €200 million in compensation last year

Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) punctuality was worse in 2024 than it had been in over 20 years.

The company had to pay out a large amount of compensation to passengers due to delays and train cancellations.

READ ALSO: Train passengers in Germany see rising number of Deutsche Bahn cancellations

Deutsche Bahn paid out almost €197 million to affected travellers in 2024, as the state-owned railway operator announced.

Strike-related delays and cancellations remain covered under tightened passenger rights regulations. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bodo Marks

Reportedly around 6.9 million compensation applications had been submitted last year. 

In comparison, 5.6 million applications were processed and €132.8 million was paid out in 2023.

More than one in three long-distance DB trains was considered significantly delayed last year: 37.5 percent of the stops were reached with a delay of more than 5:59 minutes.

“If the train is delayed and our passengers are entitled to compensation, then we pay them without ifs and buts,” a DB spokesman told the Bild am Sonntag. 

READ ALSO: How train travellers in Germany can get cheap Deutsche Bahn tickets this March

Advertisement

Merz wants common European approach to asylum

CDU leader and incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz wants a common European approach to asylum and migration policy, but he is not ruling out taking action on his own.

“We are trying to find a path of consensus,” said Merz on Sunday in Deutschlandfunk‘s Interview of the Week.

He said Germany’s security remain his top priority, adding that providing this can guaranteed, he wants to “take a common European path” and avoid “unnecessary conflicts” with neighbouring countries.

READ ALSO:

However, he said that Europe need to make much faster progress with regard to a common asylum and immigration policy.

The CDU/CSU and SPD’s exploratory paper outlines their migration plans, which include plans to reject asylum seekers at the German border. 

Coalition negotiations could start on Thursday

Following on from Saturday’s successful exploratory talks, the CSU and SPD party executives gave the green light for coalition negotiations on Sunday.

The CDU is set to meet on Monday to decide this. Negotiations are then expected to begin on Thursday.

The co-leader of Germany’s SPD party Lars Klingbeil (R), the leader of the CDU party Friedrich Merz (2nd L) and the leader of the CSU Markus Soeder (L) chat after giving a statement in Berlin on March 8, 2025. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)

But while the prospect of a black-red government has now become more likely, it’s not all plain sailing. The parties’ financial policy plans, for example, need to be approved by the Greens, but they have so far rejected the plans, which they say do not solve structural problems.

Advertisement

On Tuesday, the Union and SPD agreed on a comprehensive financial package, which, in addition to far-reaching exemptions from the debt brake for defence spending, also provides for a new special fund of €500 billion for investments in infrastructure.

But the constitutional amendments required for this, which are still to be made by the old Bundestag, require a two-thirds majority in both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, and therefore the approval of the Greens.

Green party co-leader Felix Banaszak said: “We are further away from approval today than in the last few days.”

CDU leader Friedrich Merz named several compromise offers on Sunday in attempt to get the Greens support for the debt plans, such as climate-protection projects to be included in the planned special infrastructure fund and military aid for Ukraine in the defence budget.

“We will have extensive discussions with the Greens, with the parliamentary group and party leadership next week,” said Merz on Deutschlandfunk.

Merz also reiterated his determination to form a government with the SPD. “Failure is not a real option for us,” he said.

Advertisement

Bishop of Münster resigns: Pope accepts resignation

The Bishop of Münster, Felix Genn, has resigned from his post after almost 16 years and Pope Francis has accepted his resignation, the Diocese of Münster announced on Sunday.

The Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, bid farewell to Genn in Münster with a service on the occasion of the bishop’s 75th birthday a few days ago.

Canon law – rules that govern certain Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic church – stipulates that once a bishop turns 75 years old, they must offer their resignation to the Pope.

With additional reporting from DPA and AFP.