Germany updates: Border checks to be kept beyond September

Authorities in Germany are investigating a 26-year-old man for allegedly performing the banned Hitler salute during a local conference of the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A man taking part in a counter-demonstration against the conference, which took place in the town of Unna in the Western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, documented the incident in a photo.

The man is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional organizations.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency in May reclassified the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group — an assessment that is now under court review after a legal challenge by the party.

Many immigrants complain about Germany's high taxes, housing crisis, bureaucracy and lack of digitalization. And some say they don't find Germans welcoming.

And yet, many still choose to stay. Why?

Here's a look at what makes Germany appealing to skilled immigrants despite some of the challenges and drawbacks associated with living in Europe's biggest economy.

Government plans to grant newly arrived refugees from Ukraine the welfare payments that are due to asylum-seekers rather than the larger benefits received by unemployed German citizens ("Bürgergeld") will not save taxpayers' money, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. 

The plans, which have yet to be approved by parliament, would affect only people from Ukraine who have come to Germany since April 1, 2025, and not those who were already in the country, as several conservative politicians have proposed.

The ministry said that although the change would see estimated savings of some €1.32 billion ($1.54 billion) for the federal government, states and municipalities in 2026, the states and municipalities would have €1.37 billion more to pay under asylum benefit laws — money that would have to be compensated by the federal government.

Ukrainians who fled to Germany from the Russian invasion of their country in 2022 were not considered to be asylum-seekers but entered under an EU guideline regulating "a mass influx of displaced persons."

They were thus free to seek work immediately or were immediately eligible for "Bürgergeld."

Under the new plan, if approved, Ukrainians would still not be forced to make asylum applications despite receiving asylum-seeker benefits and would still be allowed to work.

Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf had been selected by the center-left SPD — part of the ruling coalition — to take up one of three seats on the Federal Constitutional Court.

On Thursday, she withdrew her candidacy, citing the opposition from the center-right CDU/CSU — the other part of the coalition — that saw her election blocked.

The campaign against Brosius-Gersdorf marked the first major rift between the coalition partners.

Read the full story on why the legal professor withdrew her candidacy to join Germany's top court.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying Europe must play a central role in peace efforts.

According to a German government spokesman, Merz and Zelenskyy agreed that "Russia must end its illegal war of aggression" and praised recent mediation efforts by the US president. The two leaders pledged to remain in close coordination with European partners and Washington.

Following the call, Zelenskyy emphasized that "Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes," arguing that Ukraine’s status as part of Europe and its ongoing EU accession talks require its voice be heard in any serious negotiation.

The conversation came just hours after the Kremlin said preparations for a Trump-Putin meeting were underway, with the summit potentially taking place in the coming days.

Zelenskyy also reiterated his willingness to meet directly with Putin and urged Moscow to show the same openness.

A dead body found on Tuesday in Germany's Westerwald region is that of the man thought to have killed three people in their home in the town of Weitefeld in April, state prosecutors said on Thursday.

The disappearance of the suspect following the murders triggered a large-scale manhunt.

A cause of the suspect's death has not yet been identified, but the body was said by police to have been in a relatively advanced state of decomposition, indicating that it had lain for a long period of time.

State prosecutors said a weapon was found not far from the corpse that could be the murder weapon. At the time, police said both a firearm and a stabbing weapon may have been used in the killings.

The victims were a 47-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, who were husband and wife, and their 16-year-old son.

The body of the suspect was found by a passerby around a kilometer (under a mile) from Weitefeld.

You can read more here: Germany: Suspected triple murderer found dead

The number of people who drowned in the sea, rivers or lakes in Germany in the first seven months of 2025 has fallen slightly in comparison to the previous year, but still totals at least 236, according to the DLRG lifesavers' association.

In the same period in 2024, 220 people died in drowning accidents.

DLRG President Ute Vogt said one reason for the lower figure was the rainy weather in Germany in July.

He said rivers were the most dangerous bodies of water for swimmers as measured by the number of people using them, with 85 deaths reported up to the end of July in 2025 as against 90 the year before.

Altogether 87 people died in lakes (2024: 77), while 10 drowned in the sea, this year all in the Baltic Sea. That compares with 13 sea drownings in 2024.

Nine people died in swimming pools.

Bavaria was the state with the most drowning deaths up to the end of July, with 48 deaths compared with 35 in the same period in 2024.

The number of children under 10 who drowned in the time period is eight, one more than the previous year.

Vogt said 5,500 volunteer lifesavers from his association have been on duty at 100 beaches on the North and Baltic Seas in the summer season.

More and more local politicians feel threatened or are experiencing violent attacks — especially from the political right.

A verdict by the European Court of Justice is set to impact Germany's policies aiming to curb irregular immigration.

It will stymie plans to determine 'safe countries of origin' for possible deportations.

Read the full story on debates in Germany about what are considered safe countries.

German industrial production dropped to its lowest level in June since the pandemic in 2020, data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed on Thursday.

The figure highlights how fragile Europe's top economy has been even before the introduction of higher US tariffs.

Factory output in June fell 1.9% month-on-month, a level last seen in May 2020, Destatis said, with particularly steep drops in the machinery and pharmaceutical sectors.

Destatis also sharply revised its May industrial production data, saying the indicator fell 0.1% rather than the 1.2% rise it previously reported.

Data released Thursday also showed that German exports in June to the US — the country's biggest trading partner — fell 2.1%, following a major slump in May. 

Experts say that the baseline US levy of 15% on EU exports that went into effect on Thursday is likely to push exports even lower in the coming months.

However, overall exports in June rose 0.8% month-on-month, Destatis said.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the use of surveillance software by law enforcement agencies to spy on suspected offenders' digital activities and data partially contravenes constitutional law.

It said using such software in cases of suspected crimes where the highest prison sentence was below three years was not allowable.

The ruling can also be brought to bear retrospectively.

"Owing to the very high degree of intrusion involved, the [law allowing such surveillance] must be limited [...] to the investigation of particularly serious crimes," the court said in its ruling.

Since 2017, investigators in Germany have been allowed to use spy software to infiltrate smartphones and computers of suspects to collect data, including encrypted messages on platforms such as WhatsApp.

The ruling came after several complaints to the court about police use of such software, with critics saying, among other things, the security vulnerabilities in digital devices that were necessary for investigators to plant the software could also be exploited by criminals.

Three people suspected of belonging to the far-right "Reichsbürger" group have been arrested, the Bavarian state criminal police in southern Germany said Thursday.

Authorities accuse the suspects of being members of a terrorist organization that aimed to violently overthrow Germany's constitutional order.

Read the full story on the arrest of three suspected "Reichsbürger" by German police.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said Germany will maintain its border controls beyond September and step up efforts to deport people who do not have permission to reside in the country.

He told the podcast "Table Today" that people would also continue to be turned away at the border.

The previously sporadic checks at Germany's borders were tightened by order of Dobrindt on May 8, shortly after the current conservative-led coalition government took office.

The minister, who is a member of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), the sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also gave orders at the time that irregular migrants were to be rejected at the bordereven if they applied for asylum, something that many see as violating Germany's asylum laws.

The border controls, which have now been emulated by Poland, have drawn criticism from neighboring countries as going against the idea of open borders as enshrined in the Schengen agreement.

Dobrindt also said that the government was "working on organizing additional deportation flights to Afghanistan and also to Syria."

Human rights activists consider deportations to both countries problematic in view of their uncertain security status.

Germany is now well into what is called the "Sommerloch" ("summer hole") in German — often known as the "silly season" in English. It's known as a time where there is a lack of newsworthy stories. 

However, DW still has a comprehensive range of important stories from Europe's biggest economy for you here in this Germany updates blog.

On Thursday, the coalition government's stricter migration policies are once more in focus as the interior minister announces an extension of border controls.

And there have been more arrests connected with the "Reichsbürger," or "Reich Citizens," group. The "Reichsbürger" reject the legitimacy of the modern German state. 

Stay tuned for more throughout the day!