Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might’ve missed. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
The days are getting shorter and Germany’s autumn semester stretches endlessly ahead. One of The Local’s most popular articles in recent weeks has featured reader insights on what foreign parents really think of schools in Germany.
Along with the early starts, the lack of uniform, and unfamiliar grading systems, one of the concepts many foreign parents struggle to get their heads around is Schulpflicht – an obligation to ensure their children turn up at school every day. While the law is well-intentioned, the way it’s enforced can feel excessively heavy-handed to parents who are used to having a greater say in how they raise their children.
‘Schulpflicht’: What parents need to know about kids missing school in Germany
Knowing the rules is vital for foreign parents trying to settle in a new school and a new country but so is knowing the right playground lingo.
Personally, as a parent of two in Berlin, I can’t wait for school to start again – and not only because walking past empty schools every day starts to feel a bit eerie after a while!
Of course, it isn’t only school children who are back at their desks. International students who’ve been home or travelling for the summer will also be making their way back to Germany’s various university cities – in greater and greater numbers, according to a new study.
Apparently, two thirds plan to stay on and work in Germany after the graduate.
The final group of German residents getting ready to throw themselves back into the fray is the nation’s politicians who will return to the Bundestag from September 8th.
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Groundhog Day in German politics
Almost since the day that Germany’s coalition government of the conservative CDU and centre-left SPD came to power earlier this year, the two parties seem to have been caught in a doom loop of talking about how well they all get along and then falling out over every conceivable topic.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Barbel Bas attend a press conference following a coalition committee meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on September 3, 2025. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
First was the row over the minimum wage, then arguments about immigration and the country’s environmental goals, then the wild break up over the SPD’s pick for Germany’s Constitutional Court.
READ ALSO: Germany’s bickering coalition government aims to thrash out budget row
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As their long summer break slowly comes to an end, the parties got together to make plans for an “Autumn of Reform.” Sure enough, the meeting was accompanied by numerous declarations about how well the politicians from the two parties work together – and vicious fighting over possible reforms to Germany’s welfare state.
Asked at a state meeting of the “Young Socialists” (Jusos) in North-Rhine Westphalia to comment on arguments put forward by Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Germany can no longer afford the current scale of social spending and needs to cut about 10 percent of the Bürgergeld social welfare budget to keep the system sustainable, Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) replied that they were “bullshit”.
The doom loop looks set to continue, as the parties fight each other and drift further and further from their voters.
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Does Germany have a problem with women?
It’s no secret that women in positions of power are treating differently to men, and not just in Germany.
Further proof, if any were required, also arrived this week when Heidi Reichinnek, a 37-year-old politician from the German left-wing party Die Linke, revealed the extent of the violent threats and explicit sexual insinuations she habitually receives.
READ ALSO: What a push to ban Kanye West’s music reveals about German hate speech laws
And judging by two current legislative initiatives in Germany, the problem extends far beyond armchair warriors infuriated by women who have opinions and hold positions of power.
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach (Green Party) has announced a plan to criminalise ‘voyeuristic photography’ following a petition launched by a woman who was secretly photographed while jogging. The petition has gathered over 80,000 signatures to date.
NRW Minister of Justice Benjamin Limbach accepts a petition from Yanni Gentsch. After a voyeur filmed her jogging, Gentsch launched a petition to change the law which has been signed by around 105,050 people. Photo: picture alliance/dpa / Federico Gambarini
Meanwhile, Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) wants to criminalise catcalling, a form of verbal sexual harassment consisting of sexist comments, whistles, and lewd gestures predominantly targeted at women in public spaces.
READ ALSO: The biggest challenges foreigners face after arriving in Germany
A previous proposal to criminalise catcalling in Lower Saxony failed in the Bundesrat (Federal State Council), with critics arguing that it struck the wrong balance between protecting victims and over-criminalisation and infringed on freedom of speech.