In an effort to cut costs, automaker Volkswagen terminated most of its collective wage agreements in Germany. This could reignite disputes with employee representatives. DW has more.
This is a roundup of the top stories from and about Germany on Wednesday, September 30, 2026:
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Another German carmaker, BMW , announced that it plans to simplify its organizational structure and rely more heavily on AI to adapt more quickly to changes in the global market.
To achieve this goal, the company plans to eliminate 20% of its "divisions and associated management roles" by mid-2027.
This change will initially affect relatively senior division heads, though its impact will also be felt at lower management levels. However, it is not linked to a large-scale reduction in headcount, according to BMW.
Earlier this year, BMW announced a voluntary redundancy program for all areas except production.
According to company sources, the total global workforce will be reduced by around 8,000 , with many jobs likely to be cut in administration as well as in research and development in Germany.
German automaker Volkswagen has terminated most of its collective wage agreements in Germany, potentially renewing bitter disputes with employee representatives as the company seeks to cut costs.
Following a meeting with employee representatives in Hanover on Wednesday, the company announced that various provisions in the agreements would need to be adjusted in light of cost pressures.
By terminating the agreements by December 31, 2026, Volkswagen aims to open up room for negotiation. The employment security provisions agreed upon in 2024 and set to last until the end of 2030 will not be affected.
German union leaders have expressed their opposition to Volkswagen, accusing the company of declaring "war" on its staff and threatening strikes in response.
"This is a foul blow against the workforce and once again a shameless attempt to reach into employees' pockets," said IG Metall union official Thorsten Gröger.
Meanwhile, VW works council chair Daniela Cavallo predicted a "bitter dispute at the turn of the year."
Earlier this month, the carmaker and unions reached an agreement to eliminate a total of 100,000 jobs across the entire 10-marque group by the end of the decade. This is the largest restructuring in the history of the global auto industry .
Germany's nationwide Deutschlandticket will cost €66.80 ($78) per month from January 1, 2027, up from the current €63, transport authorities said on Wednesday.
It is the first price increase to be determined using a new cost-based formula rather than through political negotiations between Germany's federal and state governments.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) have just unveiled a series of measures to bolster democracy, including a call for an "immediate" review of whether the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) should be banned .
The draft paper, which DW has seen, says "the time for hesitation is over."
The AfD has emerged as the strongest party in two of three recent regional elections. It is also currently leading national polls at around 27%.
Under Germany’s system of "defensive democracy," political parties can be banned if, according to Article 21 of the Basic Law , they seek to impair or abolish the country’s free democratic basic order, or threaten the existence of the Federal Republic. In previous ban cases, judges has said that proof of an "actively combative, aggressive stance" against democracy is required for a ban to be imposed.
The idea was shaped by the experience of the Nazi era, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime dismantled the Weimar Republic’s democratic system and established a dictatorship.
Fast forward to 2026, and the question of whether the AfD meets the legal criteria for a ban is becoming increasingly prominent among politicians, jurists and other experts.
The SPD draft argues that the AfD "systematically attacks our free society, normalizes racism, and discredits democratic institutions."
Only three constitutional organs can formally apply for a party-ban ruling: the Bundestag, the Bundesrat or the federal government. Whether the AfD is unconstitutional would then ultimately be decided by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.
The SPD believes there is sufficient support in the Bundesrat to begin examining whether the evidence against the AfD would justify taking the next step.
That distinction is important: an initial review or preparatory process would not itself be a ban proceeding. A formal application would ultimately have to go to the Constitutional Court. The process is expected to take years.
SPD sources are optimistic that the review process could be started by the end of the year. That is the most concrete timeframe I have heard yet, and it’s a clear sign that discussion of an AfD ban is moving from a largely theoretical debate toward a more concrete political and legal process.
German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has officially called on the energy company Sefe (a state-owned enterprise) to replenish Germany's gas storage facilities, which are already alarmingly low.
A spokesperson for the minister stated that the main reason lies "in the ongoing geopolitical risks." These risks have existed for some time. The tense situation in the Strait of Hormuz has led to drastically higher energy prices on the world market, causing the private sector to hesitate in purchasing supplies for the winter, waiting for prices to drop.
As a result, according to official figures, the overall fill level of all Germany's gas storage facilities stands at 57.6%. That is significantly lower than during comparable periods in recent years.
Nevertheless, Reiche had long hesitated before taking the step she has now taken.
A remark made at the government press conference — that Reiche’s move had now been taken "...in consultation with Chancellor Friedrich Merz " — caught the attention of journalists. That's because the resolute economy minister, who is skeptical of government intervention in the economy in general, has the power to make such a decision on her own.
So speculation was rife: Was she now instructed by the embattled chancellor to now take action? Of course not, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius was quick to say.
At any rate, the ministry stated that the gas supply for the winter is secure. This is good news for the majority of renters and homeowners in Germany: slightly more than half of all homes are still heated with gas — a fuel that is becoming increasingly expensive.
Police have searched premises in Germany and several other European countries in an operation targeting the distribution of neo-Nazi music.
Authorities in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said raids were carried out across Germany, as well as in Estonia , Italy , Poland and the Czech Republic .
Four of the suspects whose premises were searched are accused of membership in a far-right criminal organization that spreads a "National Socialist (Nazi), antisemitic, racist and dehumanizing ideology" by producing and selling music that promoted it.
Eight further suspects targeted by the operation are believed to have committed hate speech offences linked to the audio recordings produced by the alleged criminal organization.
Another 10 people linked to the suspects also had their homes raided.
More than 390 police officers were deployed during the operation, run by state criminal police office in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
A "Christmas Lullaby" by composer Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) donated by his great-grandson to his birth city of Siegburg has been confirmed to be a previously unknown work.
"For the music world, the find is a sensation," city spokesman Jan Gerull told the DPA news agency.
The one-page manuscript with the work for four-voice male choir was given to the Siegburg city archive by Humperdinck'