Germany updates: Berlin boosts security for Jewish sites
Published June 13, 2025last updated June 13, 2025
What you need to know
The German government has increased protection for Jewish and Israeli institutions across the country.
ChancellorFriedrich Merz said Israel's Prime Minister had briefed him by phone, after which he convened Germany's security cabinet.
Berlin reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense but urged both sides to avoid escalation, while Israel's embassy in Berlin remains closed "until further notice."
Meanwhile, a leading economic institute says Germany's economy is showing tentative signs of a recovery.
This blog is now closed. Below is a roundup of the major developments in Germany on Friday, June 13:
Drink driver caught after drunken hotdog order
A drink driver was apprehended in the eastern German state of Saxony late on Thursday night after drunkenly ordering a Bockwurst – a boiled sausage similar to a hotdog (as opposed to the more commonly known Bratwurst, which is fried).
The 46-year-old German man ordered the midnight snack at a gas station in the town of Eilenburg, where his slurred speech raised suspicion.
After he drove off again, witnesses alerted the police, who caught up with and stopped the man a short time later.
A breathalyzer test revealed a blood alcohol level of 1.8 parts per thousand – several times over the limit and constituting a criminal offense potentially punishable by jail time.
Whether the man had ketchup or mustard on his Bockwurst wasn't immediately clear.
German airline stocks tumble after Israel strike, defense shares reboun
Airline and tourism stocks have continued to slide at the end of the week after Israel's strike on Iran early Friday.
Shares in tour operator TUI dropped to €6.22 ($7.18), their lowest since mid-April — marking a nearly 14% weekly decline.
The downward trend had already accelerated on Thursday amid fears of a broader Middle East escalation and news of a deadly passenger plane crash in India that killed over 200 people.
German airline Lufthansa saw a 7% drop over the week, despite briefly hitting its highest share price since March on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, defense stocks rebounded Friday morning.
Shares in Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer, turned slightly positive for the week after recent profit-taking. Defense electronics firm Hensoldt briefly erased its weekly losses, and propulsion specialist RENK was also able to limit its decline.
Digitalization: German certificates to be issued online
German bureaucracy's obsession with paper documents is well known, but the days of physical stamps and signatures could soon be at an end.
The Federal Ministry of Justice on Friday published draft legislation (online!) to enable the digital issuing and signing of certificates and other official documentation.
"It's high time that we introduced digital certification procedures," said Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig of the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior partner in the coalition government.
"Most certificates are generally already stored electronically, but the production of the actual documents still takes place in paper form. This is unnecessarily cumbersome."
The legislation aims to put an end to the laborious and often frustrating necessity of having to print off a digitally-issued document in order to physically sign it before scanning and uploading it again.
The changes would affect all sorts of documentation from property purchase agreements to company articles of association to marriage and birth certificates.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice also wants to digitalize district court proceedings so that hearings can take place online.
"The online process will make citizens' access to the court system easier than ever," promised Hubig.
Berlin left out of Germany's bid to host 2029 Women's Euro
Germany's bid to host the UEFA Women's Euro 2029 will not include matches in the capital, Berlin.
The German Football Association (DFB) has announced that it has selected eight cities for its bid: Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich and Wolfsburg.
Berlin, along with Gelsenkirchen and Rostock, was dropped after the DFB leadership followed recommendations from an expert panel.
"This gives us a momentum and confidence for the international bidding process. We can also say with regard to the venues: we are ready to organize another major football festival in Germany in 2029," DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said.
Germany is aiming to host the tournament for the third time, having previously done so in 1989 and 2001 — both without Berlin as a host city.
"Berlin is not prepared to take financial and contractual risks as part of the bid," said Sabine Beikler, spokesperson for the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior, Digitalization and Sport.
Other bids for the 2029 tournament include individual proposals from Poland, Portugal and Italy, as well as a joint bid from Denmark and Sweden. UEFA is expected to make its final decision in December.
Berlin hosted matches during the 2006 men's World Cup and Euro 2024, with both finals held in the capital’s Olympic Stadium.
Germany’s inflation holds steady in May
Germany’s annual inflation rate remained unchanged at 2.1% in May 2025, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
The rate was the same as in April, following slightly higher figures earlier this year — 2.2% in March and 2.3% in January and February, respectively.
"The inflation rate has stabilized, mainly due to the continued decrease in energy prices", said Destatis President Ruth Brand.
"On the other hand, the rise in food and service prices drove inflation up in May also," she added.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged up 0.1% in May compared with April.
Germany sees early signs of improved growth
Germany's economy is back on a modest growth track, according to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), which has raised its forecasts for 2024 and 2025.
The country's inflation-adjusted GDP is expected to grow by 0.3% this year and 1.7% next year — up from the previous outlook for the two years of 0.1% and 1.1%.
"The surprisingly strong start to the year should spare us from another year of stagnation," said DIW's chief economist Geraldine Dany-Knedlik. She pointed to rising private consumption and a surge in exports in anticipation of upcoming US tariffs as key drivers in the first quarter.
However, Dany-Knedlik warned this rebound would not resolve Germany's structural weaknesses, such as declining competitiveness and a shortage of skilled labor.
One "bright spot," she added, is a new infrastructure investment package expected to deliver a noticeable boost in 2025.
DIW President Marcel Fratzscher cautioned that US trade policy remains a risk, with planned tax cuts in the US potentially increasing debt and triggering market turbulence.
He also cited domestic political gridlock as a concern, urging Germany’s coalition government to finalize its 2025 and 2026 budgets and present a unified long-term vision.
Germany raises security at Israeli, Jewish sites after strikes on Iran
Germany has increased protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions after Israel's latest strikes on Iranian targets, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.
The chancellor said security services had already implemented the necessary measures.
Merz said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed him by phone on Friday morning about the military operation and its objectives. Merz then convened a meeting of the federal government's security cabinet.
Germany reiterated Israel's right to defend its existence and protect its citizens, Merz said, but urged both sides to refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict and destabilize the region. He emphasized that Germany was ready to use all available diplomatic means to influence the warring parties.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt underlined the need for increased security measures for Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany, citing the situation in the Middle East.
"We will take security policy precautions to enable enhanced protection of Israeli and Jewish facilities in Germany," Dobrindt said after an interior ministers’ conference in Bremerhaven. "We see this as a potential initial threat scenario that could arise from the situation in the Middle East."
Meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy in Berlin has closed "until further notice," according to a post on X. The mission is reportedly Israel's second-largest diplomatic representation worldwide.
Germany's Foreign Office said around 3,500 German nationals are registered in Israel through its "Elefand" crisis warning service. About 1,000 are in Lebanon, with lower triple-digit figures in Iran and Iraq, and 200 in Jordan. The ministry urged citizens to follow local authority instructions.
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from Germany's "federal village" of Bonn! DW will bring you the latest development from across Germany, where Berlin says it is ramping up protection at Jewish and Israeli sites.
That comes after Israel launched attacks against a series of targets in Iran, raising fears of a further escalation in the region.
Inside Germany, there appeared to be positive economic news on growth, while inflation also appeared to be easing.
Stay tuned for all the latest headlines, analyses, multimedia content, and DW's on-the-ground reporting on all things Germany.