Criticism of the chancellor’s distasteful anti-immigration comments continue, biathletes swap skis for skates in Munich, German companies hire huge numbers of people to deal with bureaucracy and more news on Tuesday, October 21st.
Today’s top story: Criticism of Merz continues after he says he has ‘nothing to retract’
Criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has continued since last week when he said that migration is causing a problem with the “image” of German cities.
Merz had defended his comments on Monday, saying he had “nothing to retract”, while also admitting that not everything had gone smoothly in the first few months of his government.
But even from some members of Merz’s own conservative CDU party, thee comments went too far.
The state leader of the Baden-Württemberg CDU, Manuel Hagel, told ZDF’s Heute journal, “In the end, it’s not about people or groups. Above all, it is a matter of solving the problems – internal security, order in our city centres.”
He added that many people with a migrant background share German values, “And that’s why I strongly advise verbally disarming and taking a very differentiated approach to this debate.”
SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf accused Merz of fuelling division: “To keep reducing all [problems] to one question, to the question of migration, and to mix and generalize so much – that divides and destroys trust,” he said on the ntv talk show Pinar Atalay.
READ ALSO: Inside Germany – Deutsche Bahn’s new show, a rightward political shift and so many cranes
The head of the CDU social wing, Dennis Radtke, also criticised Merz of not acting like a chancellor in comments to the Funke media group, saying, “Friedrich Merz is no longer the witty commentator on the side lines who knocks you out, but as chancellor he has a special responsibility for the cohesion of our society, the culture of debate and a positive narrative of the future.”
Biathletes swap skis for skates in a glimpse of winter sport’s future
Many of the world’s best biathletes swapped skis for skates at an exhibition event in Munich on the weekend, offering a glimpse into the future of winter sports in a warming world.
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Biathlon, the mix of cross-country skiing and target shooting that is one of Scandinavia’s most popular winter sports, is one of several disciplines facing a reckoning as climate change and increasingly mild winters pose an existential threat.
Only two weeks after the Munich’s Oktoberfest beer festival, which typically signals the end of warmer weather for another year, the Bavarian city held the Loop One festival for the first time on Saturday and Sunday.
Women on roller skis compete during the qualifying of the new Biathlon Opening Festival “LOOP ONE” at the Olympiapark in Munich. (Photo by Michaela STACHE / AFP)
Unlike typical biathlon events that take place in freezing conditions against a backdrop of gleaming white snow, the lawns of Munich’s Olympic Park were green. The trees are yet to shed their yellow and orange leaves.
But with an estimated 18,000 spectators attending the two-day exhibition event, many in t-shirts, organisers are hoping events like this may help keep the sport — and others like it — alive in some capacity.
In 2024, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) partnered with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to “raise awareness of the bleak future of winter sports and tourism because of climate change”.
“Ruined winter vacations and cancelled sports fixtures are – literally – the tip of the iceberg of climate change,” WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo said, announcing the partnership.
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READ ALSO: Climate change could double summer rainfall in the German Alps
Studies have shown that several of the 21 former Winter Olympic host cities may be unable to hold winter sports events in future without a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Merz calls for deregulation to aid chemicals industry
The European Union needs to soften environmental rules to boost Germany’s chemicals industry and help revive the sluggish economy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday.
Speaking at a trade union event in Hannover, Merz said that he would press the EU to “reduce unnecessary bureaucracy” and fight “to stop new bureaucracy”.
Germany will push for the “simplification” of EU REACH regulations on chemical safety, Merz said, citing “long and complex procedures”.
He also said industry should be given more time to adjust to EU plans for tariffs on carbon-intensive imports such as energy, steel and cement.
The EU’s REACH regulation was introduced to protect human health and the environment from chemical risks, including harmful PFAS ‘forever’ chemicals. But the regulation has been consistently scaled back, delayed and watered down by pro-business politicians and industry interest groups.
In Germany, PFAS contamination is a significant concern, with studies indicating that certain populations may be exposed to levels exceeding health-based guidance values.
You can see a map of known contamination sites in Germany and Europe here.
READ ALSO: Europe’s drinking water contaminated by ‘forever chemical’, NGOs warn
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Burdens of bureaucracy rise for companies in Germany
German companies have hired 325,000 people over the past three years to manage increasing bureaucratic demands, according to a survey by the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
The share of businesses rating their bureaucratic burden as very high rose sharply from four percent in 2022 to 14 percent in 2025, with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) causing the most difficulties.
Larger companies (with 50 or more employees) were more likely to recruit staff for administrative tasks, with about 30 percent adding personnel since 2022, compared to 16 percent of small businesses and seven percent of micro-enterprises.
READ ALSO: The legal steps for starting a business in Germany
The sectors most affected by this rise in bureaucracy include energy supply, public administration, defence, social insurance, education, and teaching. Beyond staffing costs, 80 percent of firms report increased expenses due to bureaucracy that reduce productivity and competitiveness.
Thyssenkrupp spins off warship unit to tap defence boom
Shares in Thyssenkrupp’s naval unit surged Monday as it was spun off from the German industrial giant, highlighting the buzz around European defence firms as the continent rearms amid a growing Russian threat.
Submarine- and warship-maker TKMS, previously known as Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, saw its share price jump from around €60 to over €80 in early trading in Frankfurt, giving the firm a valuation of over €5 billion.
Oliver Burkhard (L), CEO, TKMS and Miguel Lopez, CEO, Thyssenkrupp pose for a picture before ringing the opening bell at the DAX stock exchange. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
Defence budgets have swelled across Europe, with the region spooked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as well as US President Donald Trump urging Europe to take more responsibility for its security.
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As a standalone company focusing on the defence sector, TKMS and its shareholders are benefitting from the investor interest that has driven the share prices of firms like munitions-maker Rheinmetall and tank gearbox-maker Renk to record highs.
With reporting by AFP and DPA.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
