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The first US presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and the elections in France and the United Kingdom are dominating international headlines this summer.

They're also weighing heavily on the minds of many Germans. These are the findings of the ARD Deutschlandtrend survey, in which infratest-dimap pollsters questioned a representative sample of 1,294 German voters from July 1 to 3.

The future of democracy in the United States is in danger, according to 67% of those polled.

US President Joe Biden is more popular in Germany than his challenger, former President Donald Trump. However, only 28% of those surveyed in the Deutschlandtrend poll think he is the more convincing candidate while 9% say the same of Trump.

The majority, namely 59% of respondents, are not convinced by either candidate for the US election in 2024.

There are major differences though when it comes to which party respondents support. Among Germans who support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, 40% say that Trump would be the better candidate. Biden is backed most by supporters of the Greens, at 45%.

Concerns over developments in France

Following the first round of French National Assembly elections, almost six in 10 Germans are concerned about the future development of democracy in France.

According to 61% of respondents, a government led by Marine Le Pen's right-wing nationalist party would be detrimental to Franco-German relations. Around 19% think that nothing would change, while 5% think that it would be good for relations. Again, answers differ according to party affiliation, with supporters of the populist AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW) the most skeptical. 

Cautious mood in Germany

July is usually relatively relaxed in Germany. It's the end of the school year in many Germany states, business often shut for a summer break, the government is in recess and many people take holidays. 

This year, there is also the Euro 2024, the European football championships. This brings back memories of 2006, when Germany enjoyed a "summer fairy tale" full of lightness and joy during the football World Cup.

But 2024 is not 2006. The German national team has certainly done well up, making into the quarterfinals. According to Deutschlandtrend, the majority of Germans believe that the team will reach the semifinals. Despite this, many Germans aren't feeling that carefree because of global crises and a politically uncertain future. Of those questioned in the Deutschlandtrend survey, 69% are also concerned about the future of democracy in Germany.

Huge dissatisfaction with the federal government

79% of Germans are disappointed with the work of the coalition government and only 19% think the coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the environmental Greens party, and the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) has done a good job. This is reflected in political attitudes.

If general elections were to be held this week, the three coalition parties would fall far short of a majority, receiving little more support than the center-right opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU).

The SPD and the Greens would get 14% (-1) and 13% (-1) of the vote respectively. The FDP would receive 5% (+1). The CDU/CSU, as the largest opposition force, would receive 31% (+/-0), while the AfD would receive 17% (-1). The Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) would enter the Bundestag with 8% (+3), which is above the necessary threshold. The Left Party, on the other hand, would no longer be represented in parliament with 3% (+/-0). 

The feeling of insecurity has increased dramatically 

According to police crime statistics released in the spring, the number of crimes committed in Germany in 2023 reached its highest level since 2016. At the same time, people feel a great sense of insecurity. 40% of people now say they feel unsafe in public spaces compared to 23% seven years ago. In 2017, three-quarters of German citizens reported feeling very safe or safe in public places, streets or on public transport, compared to just over half today.

The most common fears in public are theft and verbal attacks. Fears of being beaten or sexually harassed are less common as are the fear of being the victim of a terrorist attack.

When asked which party could best ensure public safety, most respondents favored the CDU/CSU.

Almost four in 10 respondents believe that the CDU/CSU is the most competent party to fight crime and criminality. Some 16% of eligible voters prefer the AfD and 11% the SPD. At the time of the 2021 federal elections, twice as many people trusted the SPD on this issue.

This article was originally written in German.

Leaders from Germany's three-way ruling coalition on Friday presented a draft budget for 2025 that contains increased payments to families and more investment in kindergartens, along with more money for climate protection.

The successful negotiations have ended months of squabbling that threatened to tear the coalition apart, raising fears of a snap parliamentary election at a time when far-right elements in the country are fast gaining ground.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Economy Minister Robert Habeck from the environment-friendly Greens and Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) negotiated into the early hours of Friday morning before the presentation.

The Cabinet is to decide whether to accept the budget on July 17. After that, the parliament, or Bundestag, will debate the draft, with the budget possibly being passed in November or December.

According to the daily Handelsblatt,  the budget envisages spending of €470 billion ($509 billion) in 2025.

What has been said at the presentation?

Opening the presentation, Scholz said the budget would "create security and stability in times marked by unrest and uncertainty."

Speaking of the nighttime negotiations, he said, "Sleep is overestimated. We went on for a long time and talked a lot to be able to present a draft budget today punctually at the end of this week of meetings."

 He said the parties had worked hard to reach an agreement, as "the alternative is no alternative: losing your nerve, throwing in the towel or running away from responsibility."

He said the budget needed to include measures to underpin support for Ukraine, good pensions, strong armed forces, good roads, economic growth, good wages and secure jobs.

Defense spending is to rise to around €80 billion by 2028, from a current €52 billion, Scholz said at the presentation.

That would mean that Germany would meet the target of 2% of GDP for defense set by NATO in the long term, he said.  

He said €11 billion more in debt would be taken on this year in a supplementary budget.  

Habeck, who is also vice-chancellor, said that the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF), which according to a government website is dedicated to "realizing the transformation toward a sustainable and climate-neutral economy," would receive €34 billion.

Finance Minister Lindner, for his part, rejected criticism that the budget plan was too optimistic.

"I am certain that we have planned with precision," he said, and produced a "solid draft." He pointed to the way there had often been unspent money at the end of the year with previous budgets.

Thorny debt issue

Among the main sticking points was whether to stick to Germany's constitutionally enshrined Schuldenbremse, or debt brake, which means the government can take on new debt only in exceptional circumstances.

The SPD in particular had wanted to suspend the brake once more amid a €10 billion deficit in government expenditure.

But the FDP, which has strongly advocated for the reintroduction of the debt brake after it was suspended several times in the past few years amid the strains of the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, succeeded in pushing for its retention in 2025.

The head of the FDP's parliamentary party, Christian Dürr, hailed the fact that the debt brake was being observed in the draft budget.

"A broad majority of people in Germany is in favor of the debt brake, making it the FDP's duty to implement it as a part of responsible government," he said.

What else does the draft budget contain?

The draft budget foresees a rise in the emergency child allowance for families in need by €5 ($5.40) in 2025.

Monthly child benefits would rise to €255 per child.

The government also plans to invest €2 billion in daycare centers over the next two years.

The tax-deductible sum for children is also to rise by €228 to €9,540, increasing further by €60 the following year.

Under the government plans, employer contributions to pension and unemployment insurance for employees already drawing a pension will be directly paid out as wages in the future to provide incentives for increased employment.

Welfare spending also includes "start-up funding" to encourage long-term unemployed people to keep more of their earnings in their first year in a new job without losing benefits. 

In addition, tax-free allowances are to be increased and the income tax rate adjusted to inflation.

Tax exemption for overtime is also to be introduced. 

Criticism from Bavaria

Leading opposition figure Markus Söder from the Bavarian sister party to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been one voice raised in criticism.

Söder said that despite the apparent success in achieving a consensus within a coalition that has often been seen as severely divided, the deal was not enough to avert disaster.

"The knockout has only been postponed," he said, noting what he said was a lack of any governing philosophy among the coalition parties.

"It's not enough for a fundamental change," he concluded.

tj/kb (Reuters, dpa, AFP, epd)

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing. 

Far-right parties made big gains in EU parliamentary elections this June, shifting the political balance at both the EU and the national levels across the bloc.

A victory by the far-right National Rally (RN) in France, for instance, sent shockwaves through the country, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call new national elections.

While the true strength of the RN within France's national parliament will not be clear until the second round of voting is completed on Sunday, right-wing parties in the European Parliament have begun to forge alliances for the upcoming legislative period — some old, others new.

The right-wing conservative ECR group is growing

To date, far-right, conservative-nationalist, right-wing populist and other parties on the right of the European political spectrum have essentially settled into two camps.

One is the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) parliamentary group, home to, among others, Poland's nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) and Italy's Brothers of Italy (FdI), which grew out of the country's post-fascist movement. Brothers of Italy leader and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni serves as president of the ECR party.

The right-wing conservative ECR has already laid out its priorities for the coming legislative period, namely "to ensure that the EU focuses on its core tasks," as well as "strongly opposing any move towards a supranational superstate."

On immigration, the ECR wants to do more to curb irregular migration as well as creating "regional disembarkation platforms outside the EU" to process asylum applications. At the same time, the group seeks to "tackle the root causes of migration." 

In terms of the environment, the group wants to reverse existing agreements to phase out internal combustion vehicles and has openly questioned efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The ECR has clearly expressed support for further aid to Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Thierry Chopin, a political analyst at the Jacques Delors Institute, a Paris think tank, believes that Meloni's more moderate approach, especially when it comes to Ukraine, is part of a political strategy.

According to the latest statistics, the ECR currently holds 84 seats in the European Parliament, making it the body's third-largest bloc. On Wednesday, the party used its inaugural meeting to distribute posts for the coming legislative period. It is also likely that the ECR will play a key role in reelecting Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission in two weeks.

What is the far-right ID group up to?

The second-largest right-wing group in the European Parliament is Identity and Democracy, or ID. Parties in the group include Italian Matteo Salvini's Lega and Marine Le Pen's RN from France. Just prior to the June EU vote, ID expelled the Alternative for Germany (AfD), parts of which German domestic security services have labeled right-wing extremist.

The AfD expulsion, as well as a meeting between Meloni and Le Pen, have fueled rumors of the formation of a far-right "super group," but that does not seem to be in the works at the moment. Political analyst Chopin said Meloni's and Le Pen's political programs were simply too far apart for that to be a possibility, especially when it came to their attitudes toward Russia.

While Meloni has clearly positioned herself on the side of Ukraine, that has not necessarily been the case with Le Pen. Chopin said RN traditionally aligned itself more closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nevertheless, the party has toned down its rhetoric in the wake of Putin's invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Chopin said the issue would take on greater importance if RN populists emerged victorious in the second round of voting in French parliamentary elections on Sunday. That is because France's parliament has control of the country's budget and thus, over Ukraine aid. Although he was unsure what policies an RN-led parliament would pursue, Chopin said it could very well be problematic for Kyiv.

At the moment, however, the final makeup of the ID group in Brussels remains unclear. That is due in part to the formation of another new far-right group in the European Parliament, the so-called Patriots for Europe.

Patriots for Europe a new right-wing force?

Last Sunday, one day before his country took over the European Council's rotating presidency, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the formation of a new right-wing alliance in the European Parliament. The bloc will be led by Orban, the head of the nationalist-conservative Fidesz party; Andrej Babis, former prime minister of the Czech Republic and head of the liberal-populist ANO (Yes) party; and Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). 

In an online manifesto, the three parties emphasized their desire to create a "Europe of nations," noting that they do not want an EU superstate. Their program puts great emphasis on national sovereignty and the need for countries to be able to exercise veto rights. They also want to protect what they call "European identity, tradition and customs, the fruits of its Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian heritage." Furthermore, the three called for a stop to "illegal migration to protect our cultural identity."

Orban regularly makes headlines in the EU for his use of Hungary's veto powers in the European Council, as has often been the case when it came to support for Ukraine. A vote in favor of opening EU accession talks with Kyiv, for example, was only made possible through the use of a procedural trick — with the vote taken after Orban agreed to temporarily leave the room.

According to media reports, Portugal's right-wing populist Chega party has also signaled interest in joining the bloc, and there has been speculation over the possibility of Salvini's Lega and Le Pen's RN joining — though both are currently still members of the ID Group. According to news agency DPA, Alice Weidel, co-chair of the now unaffiliated AfD, has said the German party will not join the group.

In order for the new group to attain the status of an official European Parliamentary bloc it must have members from at least seven EU states, though by now it will have likely already cleared another hurdle, that of having at least 23 members.

The final future makeup of the right-wing spectrum in Brussels still remains open, but should be clear by the time the European Parliament convenes for its constituent session on July 16.

This article was originally written in German.

The donation account for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was shut down on Wednesday after activists gathered names on a petition in opposition to the populist group, media reported on Thursday.

The civil initiative Omas gegen Rechts, which translates to "grannies against the far right," collected more than 33,000 signatures in an online petition, which they then handed over to the Berliner Volksbank and called for the bank to close the party's donation account.

The German newspaper TAZ first reported on the account closure on Wednesday, with events later being confirmed by other outlets on Thursday.

Bank confirms receipt of petition

The bank confirmed that it had met the activists and received their petition, but would not comment on the status of the account due to privacy rules.

However, a link on the AfD's website that directed supporters to donate money to the bank account had disappeared by Thursday. Donations via other methods were still possible.

The Berliner Volksbank did not deny the closure of the account.

"Since we've handed over the petition, we assume that there are no longer any business relations between the AfD and the Berliner Volksbank," Omas gegen Rechts said on social media.

In their post, they also thanked the Berlin-based bank and the petitioners for their "victory."

Omas gegen Rechts is a civil society platform that was founded on Facebook in November 2017 by Monika Salzer. They operate throughout Germany and their social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram have accumulated tens and thousands of followers.

The German news agency DPA reported that transfers to the bank were still possible amid a transition period during which the account would still be accessible.

AfD's rise met with opposition

Having a far-right party like the AfD as a client was guided by the "principle of political neutrality," the German bank said earlier this year.

According to the bank, it follows the applicable laws with regard to the equal treatment of all bank customers.

This "also applies to political parties that are democratically legitimized in liberal elections and represented in German parliaments," a bank official said.

The AfD has risen to its highest level of support in the polls, especially in Germany's eastern states. In last month's European Parliament elections, it made considerable gains across almost all age groups.

Amid a fear of a resurgent far right, thousands of people have come out in protest against the party. Groups like Omas gegen Rechts have been in frequent opposition.

Earlier this year, the Munich Administrative Court allowed the Bavarian intelligence agency to monitor the regional association of the AfD as a suspected extremist group.

The party did not immediately comment on the account closure.

sp,ab/rmt (dpa, DW sources)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday assured citizens that Germany would not become a party to the war in its defensive fight against Moscow.

While Germany has been one of Ukraine's biggest weapon suppliers, Scholz has always balked at the idea of sending military personnel. The latest comments saw him double down on the premise that Germany should not become embroiled.

What the chancellor said about Ukraine

A socialist Left Party lawmaker had asked Scholz to guarantee that Germany would not be drawn into becoming a "party in the war" at a parliamentary questions session.

"Yes, I give this guarantee," said the center-left Social Democrat politician, referring to his previous rejection of direct involvement. "As chancellor, I stand by that."

Scholz has previously rejected the deployment of German soldiers to the war zone after French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that he wanted to send military trainers to Ukraine.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has long said he views Germany and the Western military alliance NATO as a party to the war for their supply of weapons to Ukraine. However, this has not had any practical consequences so far.

Meanwhile, Scholz warned that Germany should not back any ceasefire in the war that would see Kyiv effectively surrender.

"In my view, a ceasefire that involves Ukraine's capitulation is one that we as Germany must never support."

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month demanded that Ukraine effectively surrender if it even wanted to begin peace talks.

What he said about the budget

The chancellor said Germany could assure NATO partners that it would continue to meet the so-called 2% defense spending target in the coming years.

The draft budget for 2025 would provide clarity with medium-term financial planning on how Germany will respond to the challenges, said Scholz.

The chancellor said measures envisaged for a "growth booster" as part of the budget that contained "a lot of very clever measures," without revealing details. "I like what I already know," he added.

While the three-party coalition was "not quite finished yet" with the consultations, Scholz said, they were in the "final meters" and he expected an agreement before Friday.

rc/ab (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

German and Swedish authorities on Wednesday said they arrested eight men suspected of committing crimes against humanity in Syria.

Germany's  Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that four stateless Syrian Palestinians and a Syrian national are "strongly suspected of killing and attempting to kill civilians, qualified as crimes against humanity and war crimes."

Swedish authorities said three people were arrested for alleged crimes against humanity.

What German authorities said

Prosecutors said three men, Jihad A., Mazhar J. and Sameer S., were arrested in Berlin. Mahmoud A. was arrested in Frankenthal, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Wael S. was taken into custody near Boizenburg in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, Mazhar J. was a member of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service's Branch 235 and was also accused of abusing at least one person in a Syrian prison. 

Jihad A., Mahmoud A., Sameer S. and Wael S. were allegedly affiliated with the Free Palestine Movement (FPM) that controlled  Al Yarmouk, a district in Damascus, on behalf of Bashar Assad's Syrian regime, around the spring of 2011.

The FPM had worked in close collaboration with the Syrian Military Intelligence Service including Branch 227 and 235, the so-called Palestine branch, a statement on the arrests said.

These branches have been accused of committing various atrocities throughout the course of the war, including mass killings and numerous instances of abuse and torture.

All suspects arrested in Germany are alleged to have taken part in a violent crackdown in Al Yarmouk in July 2012 in which civilian protesters were specifically targeted and shot, prosecutors said, with six people dying in that incident.

Four of the suspects "physically abused civilians from Al Yarmouk severely and repeatedly" at checkpoints in the area, the statement said. 

Three civilian victims of a massacre that took place on April 16, 2013, in which 41 people were killed, had allegedly been arrested at one of these checkpoints and turned over to Branch 227 by Mahmoud A, German authorities said.

Suspects expected in court

The suspects detained in Germany shall appear at the Federal Court of Justice shortly. The investigating judge is expected to issue the formal arrest warrant and decide on their pretrial detention on Wednesday.

The men "will face charges in Germany for crimes against humanity and war crimes," German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann stated. 

"I would like to thank all the state criminal investigation offices involved and our Swedish partners for their excellent cooperation," Buschmann said.

Three arrested in Sweden

A further three alleged FPM members suspected of participation in the Al Yarmouk crackdown were arrested in Sweden at the same time.

The Swedish prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Ulrika Bentelius Egelrud, said the suspects were arrested thanks to "good cooperation with Germany, Eurojust and Europol."

Germany has taken in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war which has been ongoing since 2011. 

The case is not the first instance of a German court trying Syrians in the country. In 2022, a court in the western city of Koblenz convicted a Syrian ex-colonel of crimes against humanity. 

AFP material contributed to this report.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

*Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

Marine Le Pen and her right-wing National Rally party came out on top in the first round of elections in France.

For German politicians, this gives rise to fresh concerns about Franco-German relations.

Green Party leader Ricarda Lang and Mario Voigt from the opposition center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) were among those who quickly said that they believe President Emmanuel Macron made a mistake by calling new elections.

What does the shift to the right mean for Franco-German relations? RN party leader Jordan Bardella said shortly before the election that as head of government, he would not change anything in relations with Berlin for the time being.

But the RN has always been "very critical of Germany, at times almost hostile to Germany," said Ronja Kempin, a researcher with the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "They have accused Macron of selling out French interests to Germany and said they want to put a stop to this as soon as they have their chance at power," she told DW.

Until recently, it was stated in the RN's political program that the joint projects of a combined Franco-German fighter aircraft and a combat tank should be terminated. Bardella has now said that France's international commitments should be honored; this might also refer to the two armaments projects.

Marc Ringel, director of the Franco-German Institute in Ludwigsburg, foresees difficulties for bilateral relations if the RN comes to power: "There is the question of whether the new French government will respect the bilateral agreements. Politically, there would be a lot of uncertainty," he told DW.

Among the topics in the RN election platform that could lead to conflict with the EU and Berlin are a cut to France's financial commitment to the EU, an exit from the EU's electricity market, a withdrawal from the migration treaty, and restrictions on travel for non-EU foreigners — although it is, of course, unclear whether such plans could ultimately be implemented. French support for Ukraine could also be scaled back.

Reasons for the RN's rise

Among many French voters there is a "widespread public frustration with politics and a growing feeling of being left behind. The RN has been very clever in tapping into this dissatisfaction," said Ringel.

In addition to the major issues of migration and domestic security, the party has been focusing on economic and social issues. For example, it wants to reduce VAT on energy from 20% to 5.5%.

For years, Le Pen has been working to rebrand her party to appear less extreme. She expelled her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is known for having once relativized the Holocaust, rendering the party unelectable for broad sections of the population. Now, the National Rally has said it is prepared to make political compromises.

In Germany, the traditional parties have a "firewall policy" of refusing to cooperate with the far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD). Such reluctance does not exist in France, where the RN has been the largest opposition party in the National Assembly since 2022. Since then, the president's coalition government has passed numerous laws with the support of the RN, such as tightening immigration laws.

"In France, the RN is much more restrained than the AFD is in Germany," said Kempin. Le Pen has also clearly distanced herself from the AfD and refused to work with it in the European Parliament.

Le Pen has twice lost to Emmanuel Macron in presidential runoffs. He cannot run again in 2027

After the first round of National Assembly elections, the RN is now the strongest party with around 33%. One thing is already certain: the National Rally is no longer an outsider and has become electable for broad sections of the population.

While President Macron will continue in office, his political options will likely be severely limited in the future, as he might find himself having to work with RN party leader Bardella as prime minister.

But if the RN fails to win an absolute majority in the run-off, Macron could face an alternative that could be just as difficult: a stalemate in the National Assembly, with the right-wing and left-wing powers obstructing each other.

For RN leader Bardella, however, becoming prime minister is only the first part of the plan. In the 2027 presidential election, when Macron will no longer be able to run again, Le Pen is planning to run for a fourth time — and has a good chance of winning.

If that happens, "then we would definitely be in a very different Europe," said Kempin.

"Marine Le Pen, like Giorgia Meloni in Italy, would remain in the EU to turn it upside down, to hollow it out, to reshape it according to her ideas," warned Ringel of the Franco-German Institute.

In the months ahead, the German government will see itself forced to prepare for difficult times ahead in relations with its biggest neighbor.

This article was originally written in German.

Since July 1, cannabis enthusiasts in Germany can get together and establish private clubs with up to 500 members to grow cannabis, distribute it among their members and consume it together.

However, as is so often the case in Germany, this new regulation comes with many details — and a lot of bureaucracy. Each member of the club may receive a maximum of 25 grams of cannabis (just under one ounce) on one day and a total of 50 grams per month.

It's as yet unclear which authority is supposed to be monitoring these clubs. In Berlin, for example, observers aren't sure how the city's responsible districts will handle the licensing process.

"The federal states are extremely ill-prepared for this," said Steffen Geyer, the head of the umbrella organization of German Cannabis Social Clubs. "There will certainly be a mid three-digit number of clubs applying for a license. How long this will take and how many of them will be successful is still impossible to predict," he said.

Gradual legalization of cannabis

On April 1, in a first step, Germany legalized the consumption of small amounts of cannabis in public — with many caveats. Since then, people above the age of 18 have been allowed to carry 25 grams of cannabis, and enthusiasts have been allowed to grow three plants and store up to 50 grams of dried cannabis in their homes.

Geyer believes the new regulations have already had an effect. "Far fewer consumption-related criminal offenses have been documented," he said. "In previous years, someone was arrested every three minutes because they had a small amount of cannabis on them."

In general, said Geyer, German society is simply ready for the new freedoms. "The trend in recent years has been toward greater acceptance. What I've noticed in the last three months is that the average age of consumers who identify themselves as such has risen considerably. Consumers have become more middle class and older, more colorful and more peaceful," he said.

"I see people over the age of 50 coming to the Hemp Museum almost every day. They are stocking up on hemp seeds and buying specialist literature for the first time in their lives," added Geyer, who is also one of the organizers of the private museum in Berlin.

"These are all people who wouldn't have thought of setting foot into the museum just one year ago, if only because they thought it was somehow disreputable to be associated with cannabis."

Opposition to legalization

Previously, owning even just 1 gram of hashish was illegal and punishable by law. Since the legalization, however, the German Police Union has said it fears new criminal groups might emerge in the new cannabis clubs.

Alexander Poitz, deputy head of the police union, told the daily Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung: "We fear that criminals from the organized crime sector will use the possibility of growing clubs to expand criminal structures."

The center-right political opposition of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) are staunchly opposed to liberalization and have vowed to roll it back, should they again come to power in the 2025 general election.

The state of Bavaria, which is governed by the CSU party, has announced that it intends to take an extremely restrictive approach to the inspection of cultivation associations.

Since possession of small quantities has been permitted, according to Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, the police have already had to investigate almost 3,000 cases of driving under the influence of cannabis. The public prosecutor's office has initiated criminal proceedings for serious cases in 180 of such traffic offenses.

"In our view, the legalization of cannabis is a major mistake in terms of safety and health policy," said Hermann.

Geyer maintains that the transparent regulations, including registration with the authorities, are intended to prevent criminal groups from developing in the new clubs. He also pointed to the experiences of many countries that have also gone down the path of cautious liberalization.

"We have followed the examples of Canada, the US, Uruguay, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain. We have a lot of regulations that are designed to prevent a mix of black and white market," he said.

Does cannabis cause psychotic disorders?

However, some experts continue to warn about the dangers of consumption. A Canadian study published in the specialist journal Psychological Medicine found that cannabis use is significantly associated with psychotic disorders during adolescence.

Studies suggest not only visual or acoustic hallucinations are possible in adolescents, according to Rainer Thomasius, a childhood addiction expert at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. He said adolescents who use cannabis show a reduced ability to concentrate and learn, and their ability to feel joy or sadness is dulled. In addition, they say they often feel completely overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.

According to a 2021 survey, around 4.5 million people in Germany smoke cannabis at least once a year. Around a third have tried it at least once in their lives.

This article was originally written in German.

"We'll need a bit more space, because I will be screaming soon," Pussy Riot creator Nadya Tolokonnikova said as she and her group of performers lined up in front of Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie, calling on the crowd massed in front of the museum to take a few steps back.

"And you know why I will be screaming?" added Tolokonnikova before launching her performance. "Because we women and queer people are encouraged to be quiet, and that's why we're going to take up our space now."

Among the several hundreds of supporters of the Russian feminist protest art collective gathered to see them perform live, many fans were wearing Pussy Riot's iconic balaclavas for the free event — just like the around 50 performers accompanying Tolokonnikova.

Now an international movement with hundreds of people participating in their protest actions, Pussy Riot first grabbed the world's attention in 2012 after a guerrilla performance in a cathedral in Moscow. Their "Punk Prayer" performed in the collective's trademark colorful balaclavas got the group's founders, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria "Masha" Alyokhina, sentenced to two years in prison for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."

'Rage' as an art show

The Berlin performance was a one-night event promoting Nadya Tolokonnikova's exhibition at the OK Linz, an Austrian contemporary art museum. It is the first time solo exhibit of her works in Europe. 

The title of the exhibition, "Rage," is also the name of Tolokonnikova's last video work filmed in Russia. Police raided the video shoot — as shown in a documentary segment at the end of the music video. Participants were arrested for their involvement in a film shoot that "contains propaganda of homosexuality."

The video was released shortly after Alexei Navalny was arrested upon his return to Russia from Germany in 2021, with Pussy Riot calling for the release of Putin's political opponent.

Following Navalny's death in a Siberian penal colony, rage continues to drive Tolokonnikova's actions.

She said she is also inspired by Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who told her that it is important to not only feel grief following her husband's death but also rage.

"She used the exact word 'rage.' Rage is a very productive emotion. But I think it has to be used in the right way," Tolokonnikova told DW. "If you just have pent-up anger, it keeps bubbling up inside you and can eat you up, but if you let it out, go to a rally or make a gesture of political art, it can be great."

On Russia's most-wanted list

Navalny's famous quote, "Love is stronger than fear," also continues to motivate Tolokonnikova in her work, which remains defined by fearlessness.

Her 2022 performance, "Putin's Ashes," directly confronts the Russian president. It shows Pussy Riot women burning a portrait of Vladimir Putin in the desert. The ashes of the fire are collected in little bottles.

The performers accompanying Tolokonnikova in the video are "12 women from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia who experienced repression and aggression at the hands of the Russian president," according to a press statement by the conceptual performance artist.

Shortly after the video was released, Tolokonnikova landed on Russia's most-wanted list, a fact uncovered by news outlet Mediazona, the independent media outlet focused on anti-Putinist opposition that was founded by Pussy Riot's Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina in 2014.

Support for her Ukrainian friends

Tolokonnikova has since fled Russia, but lives "geo-anonymously" for safety reasons. The artist remains a prominent activist on the global scene.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she founded another organization curating non-fungible tokens (NFT) created by female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists. Through the sale of the organization's NFTs, she raised $7 million to aid Ukraine.

In her 2023 TED Talk, she spelled out why Russia is attacking its neighbor:

"Putin became intimidated by Ukraine choosing the path of freedom and democracy. That's why the Russian army bombs maternity wards, schools, hospitals, rapes and kills civilians and throws their bodies in mass graves. Putin and everyone who supports him are dead inside, and they must be defeated," said Tolokonnikova.

She held her talk shortly after finding out that she was on Russia's most-wanted list. In her speech, she also discussed why Putin sees her as a threat to his dictatorial system.

"Not because of any actual physical power I have, but because courage is contagious," she said. Courage, she added, is a power we all have: "It's a moral act to use this power. You may or may not achieve the results that you wanted, but there is eternal beauty in trying to find truth, in risking everything you've got for what's right."

 

 

Edited by: Brenda Haas

DW's interview with Nadya Tolokonnikova was conducted in Russian by Natalia Smolentceva.

How can you know if this text was really written by a human? I know, because I am writing it right now. But, of course, that previous sentence could have been written by artificial intelligence. It seems we now have to live with this uncertainty of who or what the author of something actually is.

Writing as an end in itself

The difference between man and machine has been a recurring theme since at least the time of the Industrial Revolution. But in this age when robots are programmed to speak of themselves in the first person, it has gained a special urgency. Are human beings replaceable? In some areas, certainly. But how far are we willing to go? British-Australian author Alan Baxter has a decided opinion: "In a world where people are still cleaning toilets and working in mines, I can't believe we've got the robots making our art and stories. I thought robots were supposed to do the sh*tty jobs to allow more people to pursue their passions."

When asked why they write, most writers say it's because it's their passion. It's the process of writing itself that is enjoyable, finding the right words and relating to the world. As literary translator Claudia Hamm explained to DW, "The act itself is the purpose. If we [writers] didn't want to write, then we could live much less precariously.”

'Text-generative AI is a stolen car'

So is the solution just to let those who like it do their own writing and leave the rest to AI? Not at all, says Hamm, who edited "Automatensprache” ("Machine language”), a recently published volume of essays, poems and interviews dealing comprehensively with various aspects of artificial text generation. One hotly-debated topic is copyright. The language-generating computers, also known as LLMs (large language models), only function because they have been fed — free of charge — with millions of existing texts written by humans. Numerous bestselling authors have already filed lawsuits.

Claudia Hamm puts it like this: "Text-generative AI is a stolen car. You can sit in it and drive. You can also drive it to Paris and have fun. But it remains a stolen car.”

Machine language versus human language

Hamm goes on to say that to her, machine language isn't a real language at all, since there is no "I” who speaks, and therefore no intention. "AI has no communicative intent. When we use language, we're trying to find expression as human beings, an expression of a very specific inner world,” she says. But the machine has no inner or outer world. So, according to Hamm, it is unable to create poetry and can only put together unusual combinations of words. "A machine can't make a statement about itself,” she says. "It can't put itself in relation to the world.”

There are also problems when it comes to accuracy and the truth, particularly with the phenomenon of "AI hallucinations,” information more or less "invented” by text-generating AI. Or, as writer Nina George describes it in her contribution to the book "Automatensprache”: "Inaccurate assertions and event falsifications that make text vomit a more unreliable source of information than Putin, BILD [a German tabloid newspaper -ed.] and Wikipedia combined — as if an uptight, know-it-all uncle were blubbering drunkenly to himself in a pointless stream of drivel.”

A simulated counterpart

The problem, says Claudia Hamm, is that LLMs are designed to make humans and machines indistinguishable. Users should get the feeling they are talking to an intelligent counterpart. The fact that AI functions as a substitute for a human counterpart is the big difference to past technological revolutions. "A steamship has never denied that it was a thing," says Hamm.

Beyond that is the question of whose reality is reflected by AI is insufficiently explored. The words published online that serve as training data for LLMs like ChatGPT are overwhelmingly written by white people, especially men and the wealthy. Accordingly, the output generated from them does not reflect diversity.

Publishing and AI

Ultimately, the publishing industry isn't interested in a blanket condemnation of artificial intelligence. It can certainly be useful. Beate Muschler, vice president of digital development at Penguin Random House, says it's now commonplace to use AI for inspiration. In an interview with DW, she says, "We don't publish any AI-generated content. But that doesn't mean we're an AI-free space. The approach is to look at the production processes and define areas where AI tools can be implemented sensibly as a tool where it's unproblematic regarding copyright.”

Muschler says, for instance, that employees are allowed to use ChatGPT to come up with new ideas. But the content that comes out of those ideas — such as book covers — has to be created by a human. She adds that it's the same for authors: Using AI for inspiration is fine, but the final text has to be the writer's own work. "Our contracts clearly stipulate that the author promises that they created the work on their own,” says Muschler.

AI and climate change

The situation is similar in schools and universities. Students are supposed to write their own work, engage with it and get involved in processes — otherwise, say critics of AI, there's no learning and the world would eventually become stultified. And that is certainly not a good prospect.

And so I have got a bit further here. I have researched, reflected, written; I have grappled with myself and the world — and have even protected the environment, because AI uses a great deal of electricity. That's a topic that also deserves attention in this age of climate change.

This article was originally written in German.

There might be no better way to gauge a country's anxieties than by checking in on the companies building panic rooms and private bunkers.

Business has been going worryingly well for BSSD Defence, the Berlin-based company that builds "protection room systems" for private, business and military applications. As well as a range of home security equipment, the company offers everything from "pop-up panic rooms" for around €20,000 ($21,400) to full-scale bunkers for close to €200,000.

Mario Piejde, BSSD's technical director, said the company has had more calls from private citizens, fire services and local councils in recent years, an uptick that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and then was boosted again when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"There's active demand and active interest because there aren't that many suppliers around," said Piejde. "No one could've expected that a conventional war could be waged in Europe again, but history keeps repeating itself, unfortunately. People who had been thinking about it before have now started to actually implement their plans."

No functioning bunkers left in Germany

The feeling appears to have seeped into political circles. At a recent interior ministers' conference in Potsdam in early June, the Federal Interior Ministry presented its state counterparts with a "status report on the development of a modern shelter concept" for the German population.

That report emerged three months after the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, which represents the country's 14,000 local councils, called on the federal government to invest €10 billion over the next 10 years in civilian protection — and use it to revive the country's 2,000 Cold War-era bunkers.

That would be no small undertaking. The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) told DW that only 579 of those bunkers are still designated as public shelters, and they would have space for around 478,000 people (or 0.56% of the German population). And even these bunkers are "neither functional nor ready for use" after the previous shelter system was abandoned in 2007.

A new bunker concept, the BBK said, is in the planning stages — but the government report, leaked to various German media outlets, said protecting the entire German population would require the construction of some 210,100 additional bunkers, which would take 25 years and cost €140.2 billion.

"Construction on population protection has certainly been neglected in the last 35 years," said Piejde. But reviving such shelters should be feasible, he added.

"Not much has changed in the construction in the past 50 decades. There's a certain strength of walls, the thickness of walls and filter systems. All that has changed is the power supply and efficiency of batteries."

But how much protection is a bunker?

Hans-Walter Borries, director of the Institute for Economic and Security Studies FIRMITAS at the University of Witten in western Germany, agrees that the issue of protecting the population has been sorely neglected.

But he questions how much use bunkers would actually be, given the scale of military firepower available in a war between NATO and Russia — if that is indeed the scenario being prepared for. Russia, for example, now has hypersonic missiles that could reach virtually any European city from Kaliningrad in 2 to 5 minutes.

"It's not like in World War II, when warnings of bombers flying over Hannover toward Berlin gave people 15 or 20 minutes to find a bunker," said Borries, also a colonel of the reserve in the Bundeswehr. "With the reaction times now, there's no way to warn the population."

The federal government does recognize this problem. In the case of war, the government report said, large central bunkers would be much less use than decentralized protected spaces inside residential buildings. For that reason, the government is planning to recommend that citizens should acquire cheap and easily available building materials to build safe rooms in their basements to protect themselves.

Money better spent elsewhere, says Borries

Borries isn't convinced, especially given that such a conflict could quickly escalate into a nuclear war, and nuclear weapons are now unfathomably more destructive than the ones used by the US at the end of World War II.

"The effect is no longer comparable to Hiroshima or Nagasaki," he said. "With modern weapons, the entire Federal Republic of Germany could be wiped out with nine to 12 rockets."

Bunkers that could withstand that kind of attack, he said, would need to be buried thousands of meters deep in the Swiss Alps. "And afterward you wouldn't want to come out any more," he said.

Instead of investing billions in building a network of bunkers for the case of war, Borries said governments would be better advised to invest in what he called "normal" population protection. This, he said, could be warning systems for disasters, especially natural ones like the floods that Germany has experienced recently, and creating better training for disaster relief organizations.

"That would mean money for training, exercises and modern equipment," he said. "All that would make more sense than imagining these end-times scenarios in which you basically can't do anything anyway."

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

Who says no man is a prophet in his own land? Just a few weeks ago, the senate of the German state of Hamburg decided to rename a section of a street Karl Lagerfeld Promenade. Although it's only 150 meters (490 feet) long, it is very central and even close to Felix Jud, Lagerfeld's favorite bookshop. The Hamburg native was known to be a book lover.

Meanwhile, the French, who are usually skeptical of German fashion, have dedicated a glossy streaming series to the designer called "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld." 

Behind the project is the venerable French film group Gaumont, which was founded in 1895 and is one of the world's oldest film production companies.

That provenance is a good thing, entertainment reporter Simone Schlosser, one of Germany's leading experts on series, told DW. "It would be strange to do the whole thing from a German perspective — after all, Lagerfeld spent almost his entire life in France," she said.

A German in Paris

The first six episodes have been available on the streaming providers Disney+ and Hulu since the beginning of June. If they're successful, they will be the start of a much longer production.

Director Jerome Salle and the team of screenwriters initially focused on just one decade of Lagerfeld's eventful life, from the early 1970s to the early 1980s. The last episode (for now) ends with a supposed fax in June 1981, in which Lagerfeld is invited to take over the renowned Maison Chanel as the new artistic director.

Some viewers may have preferred to see the Lagerfeld series start with this scene, when his design success really began to take off. Others might find it fascinating to see the young Karl, who was born into a wealthy Hamburg business family in 1933, the year of Hitler's rise to power, as he comes to Paris as a 19-year-old from a less-than-popular Germany and works his way up to become head designer of major houses in the world's fashion capital. 

Intrigue, sex and fashion in the City of Light

At any rate, limiting the focus to Paris in the 1970s makes for an exciting setting. The fashion industry is booming, parties and drugs abound and practically everyone is sleeping with everyone else.

Paloma Picasso, daughter of modern art legend Pablo, sets the tone among the jet set, Andy Warhol drops by and behind the closed doors of her boudoir, Marlene Dietrich (played by Sunnyi Melles) celebrates her self-imposed isolation. And there is an enfant terrible, a genius around whom the fashion world revolves: Yves Saint Laurent, played by Arnaud Valois. Unstable, eccentric, very French — a contrast to the eccentric but business-minded and somehow very German Karl Lagerfeld, played by Daniel Brühl.

Yves and Karl are two opposites who attract each other; they are both adversaries and confidants. They compete with each other and can't let go of each other — especially not when the seductively handsome dandy Jacques de Bascher (Theodore Pellerin) shows up. Bascher, Lagerfeld's great love, also has a passionate affair with Yves Saint Laurent. This love triangle alone would be worth a series.

Are stories about fashion fashionable?

"Becoming Karl Lagerfeld" is the third series about a fashion designer to hit the international streaming market since the beginning of 2024. Productions about the Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga (named after him) and "The New Look," a production focusing on Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, were launched at the beginning of the year. Coincidence?

To some extent, said series expert Schlosser. But only partly, because the productions are following a trend. "They all have an interesting main character who in some way does not embody the mainstream figure of the 'old white man.' These are queer characters, for example. So, you can use them to explore questions of identity," she said.

At the same time, fashion series in particular serve as a form of escapism that is typical of the times, said Schlosser.

"Because they have everything we need — it's a fascination with stories, the historical background, beautiful costumes and sets. You immerse yourself in another world, the world of catwalks and ateliers, which is otherwise far removed from you."

Brühl transforms into Lagerfeld

But, Schlosser pointed out, "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld" has something the other series don't: lead actor Daniel Brühl.

"I think Brühl is simply great as Lagerfeld!" Schlosser enthused, echoing the universal praise directed at the German actor. His casting may seem unlikely at first, as the gentle-looking star of films like "Good Bye, Lenin!" has little in common with the notoriously acerbic fashion czar.

It's that much more fascinating, said Schlosser, to observe Brühl's transformation. "At first, his Lagerfeld doesn't yet have anything iconic about him: no ponytail, fan or sunglasses. Then it starts, slowly. His hair gradually gets longer, his glasses are increasingly tinted," she observed. And then comes the magic of acting and we see Karl Lagerfeld, the man, with all his flaws.

Series is 'uncomfortably voyeuristic'

That's the result of Brühl's painstaking research into the role, which involved interviewing Lagerfeld's friends and closely studying the designer's gestures and gait.

He and co-star Pellerin became so immersed in their roles that they even posed as a romantic couple off set: Brühl informed his wife that he was "temporarily" in love with a man. And in describing the enormous bouquet of red roses Pellerin sent him, he admitted, "My wife has never received something like that."

"Daniel Brühl's performance is very restrained. He doesn't make it a caricature, but plays the role with great sincerity and appreciation," said Schlosser. His portrayal allows us to see Lagerfeld as a great romantic, and sometimes as a tragic figure.

But Schlosser's praise doesn't extend to the production as a whole. "I think the series doesn't really do justice to the figure of Lagerfeld, and it's often uncomfortably voyeuristic," she said.

There's a lot about the designer's personal life, even though he never revealed much of that. "He was a very discreet person," she said.

Of course, Lagerfeld and de Bascher loved each other, otherwise the real Lagerfeld would not have spent months at the bedside of his AIDS-stricken companion (his beloved "Jaco" died in 1989). "But the series creators keep trying to put the two in sex scenes together, and I don't think that's good, " said Schlosser.

As Lagerfeld himself once said, "I don't like sleeping with people I really love. I don't want to sleep with them because sex cannot last, but affection can last forever."

This article was originally written in German.

Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak were renowned Czech composers who borrowed from the folk music of their homeland in their classical-romantic works.

"Ma Vlast" (My Fatherland) by Smetana, for example, is a homage to what is now the Czech Republic; while the famous "The Vltava" (also known as "The Moldau") references the river that builds up from a trickle from its source over rapids to a large river that then flows into the Elbe in Germany.

The full orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk symphony orchestra that opens the Rheingau Music Festival every year are performing the Czech classics.

When the Armenian-French chief conductor of the orchestra, Alain Altinoglu, conducts music from other countries, he tries to capture the character of the people and their national sound.

"The Czechs are very generous, but also pessimistic. You can feel that in the music," said Altinoglu. "There is also a certain simplicity, and I try to incorporate that into my interpretation."

That interpretation got an enthusiastic response from the audience. And star violinist Christian Tetzlaff, who performed Dvorak's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Opus 53 with the orchestra, was acclaimed for his charisma and energy.

Young artists in focus at Rheingau

The Rheingau Music Festival is known for giving talented newcomers a stage. Founded in 1987, it's one of the most important festivals in Europe, mostly for classical music, but also for pop, jazz and world music. This year until September 7, 155 concerts are scheduled at 25 locations in and around the wineries of the Rheingau region. The participating artists were carefully chosen by program director Timo Buckow.

One of those artists is Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina, who will perform Dvorak's Cello Concerto. She made her Rheingau Music Festival debut in 2022, and the event has helped introduce her to an wider audience in Germany, where she now lives, studying at the Kronberg Academy, a prestigious educational institute for highly gifted musicians.

Another 2022 debut was made by Chinese-Canadian pianist Bruce Liu. Like Kobekina, he'll be demonstrating his prodigious talent in several concerts over the course of the festival.

Diversity a major theme

But Buckow's focus goes beyond choosing the stars of tomorrow. "You also have to look at what social issues are currently in the foreground," he said, adding that diversity is a big topic at the moment.

"It's also important for us to discover new music from this regard."

This year, for the first time, festival organizers are daring to experiment with mixing classical music with sounds from distant countries in what they're calling "diversity concerts."

Chineke! Orchestra bridges gaps

Double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku was born in London in 1957 to an Irish mother and a Nigerian father. When she was asked in 2014 for a study by the British Department for Culture why so few Black musicians could be seen on international stages, she took that as an opportunity to found the Chineke! Orchestra in 2015, consisting exclusively of Black and ethnically diverse musicians. "Chineke" means "God, creator of the world and of good" in the Igbo language, which is spoken by some 18 million Nigerians.

For her program at the Rheingau Music Festival, Nwanoku has chosen mainly pieces by contemporary composers of African descent, such as "African Suite" by Nigerian composer Olufea Sowande, considered the founder of Nigerian art music in the 20th century; and "Handpan Concerto" by young British jazz musician Cassie Kinoshi, who recently relocated to Berlin.

"Nwanoku is also pursuing a feminist approach. It's a diversity project on many levels, you could say," said Buckow. He deliberately included the orchestra in the program. "Even though we know that completely new music outside of the usual repertoire is somewhat difficult for our audience."

To bridge the gap, the Chineke! Orchestra will also play "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi, albeit arranged by Max Richter, with both orchestral and electronic sounds.

Peace-building cooperation

The "diversity concerts" also include a performance by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, made up of Israeli and Palestinian musicians. Daniel Barenboim, co-founder of the ensemble, will conduct the concert in August, with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist.

It's set to be a concert with a star cast and a message of peace. "This joint music-making by Israelis and Palestinians is particularly politically relevant in the current situation," said Marsilius Graf von Ingelheim, the festival's managing director.

Also as part of the diversity concert series, the World Youth Choir and the German National Youth Orchestra will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony under the direction of Chinese conductor and composer Tan Dun. Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony 200 years ago and it has come to stand for the desire for peace and freedom for all peoples. Tan Dun's "Nine," based on the Ninth Symphony, will also be performed as a world premiere. Tan Dun will tour with his work and the two ensembles, and DW will stream the concert in September as part of the Beethovenfest.

Focus on Brazil: Bach meets samba

This year's special focus on Brazil is largely due to 18-year-old violinist Guido Sant'Anna from Sao Paulo. Program director Buckow booked Sant'Anna for last year's Rheingau Music Festival immediately after seeing him a 2022 violin competition. This year, he will also perform with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen .

Sant'Anna has performed with several Brazilian ensembles, including the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with a major tour and will also be a guest in the Rheingau. The orchestra also has music from its homeland on its program, namely the "Suite Vila Rica" by Camargo Guarnieri, who made Brazilian folklore famous in his classical works.

German violinist Linus Roth picks up on that approach with his SamBach project. Together with the Orquestra Johann Sebastian Rio, he combines works by baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach with Brazilian music. At the Rheingau Music Festival, he will play a Bach violin concerto paired with music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, as well as works by greats from the Brazilian bossa nova scene such as Antonio Carlos Jobim or Noel Rosa, who greatly influenced samba music.

Genre-mixing projects, especially ones incorporating South American music, help make classical music more accessible, said Marsilius Graf von Ingelheim. "Our festival also opens up classical music to people who feel excluded from long-established structures such as concert halls," he said.

This article was originally written in German.

US electric vehicle giant Tesla has been granted provisional permission by German authorities to expand its "Gigafactory" just outside Berlin, despite resistance from local residents.

The factory near the small town of Grünheide in Brandenburg, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) beyond the southeastern edge of Berlin, is Tesla's only such site in Europe.

Tesla hopes the expansion will allow it to increase production capacity from around 500,000 vehicles per year to one million.

According to the original plans, more than 100 hectares of woodland were to be cleared. However, after a local referendum, Tesla scaled back the project, including scrapping plans for a new freight depot.

Construction may begin 'at own risk'

The environment ministry of the federal state of Brandenburg, which envelops the city-state of Berlin and where Grünheide is located, said building permission had not yet been officially granted but that Tesla could begin construction "at its own risk" following positive talks.

The approved plans include laying new underground pipes, building new stairwells and installing solar panels on roofs.

A new "asphalted logistics area" for new cars is also planned, as is a new larger production hall.

Tesla, which is owned by Elon Musk, has been operating in Brandenburg since March 2022 and employs around 12,000 people at its Grünheide site – although 400 redundancies were announced in April this year.

In March, unknown saboteurs managed to cause a serious power cut at the plant, prompting public condemnation from senior German politicians concerned that Musk might consider relocating the factory.

In May, climate activists attempted to storm the site, leading to clashes with police.

mf/ab (dpa, AFP)

The Federal German statistics office, Destatis, said Thursday that factory orders fell for a fifth consecutive month in May.

The data showed that German industrial orders dropped 1.6% month-on-month, sharper than the revised 0.6% decrease in April.

Although domestic orders rose slightly by 0.5%, the decline is largely attributed to a 2.8% fall in foreign demand, with orders from the non-eurozone falling by 4.6% and orders from the euro area decreasing by 0.1%.

Destatis recorded a 2.9% drop in orders in the automotive industry, and a sharp decline of 19.2% in the "manufacture of other transport equipment."

What does it mean for the German economy?

The German Economy Ministry said the latest figures and a recent deterioration in business expectations point to "rather subdued" industrial activity in the coming months.

"Order intakes are only likely to stabilize once global trade recovers further and demand for industrial products gradually picks up," it added.

Germany, Europe's biggest economy and a traditional driver of European growth, has struggled to bounce back since Russia launched the war in Ukraine, driving prices up globally. 

The German economy shrank in 2023, partly due to a decline in the manufacturing sector. 

The German government forecasts growth of 0.3% this year, after sharply lowering its projection from 1.3%.

fb/ab (AFP, dpa)

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

The European Commission on Wednesday announced it would impose new tariffs of up to 37.6% on Chinese electric vehicles starting on Friday.

The Commission said the new duties are to counteract what it called "unfair" subsidies Chinese electric vehicle makers receive from the Chinese government. The subsidies, according to the EU, create a “threat of economic harm” to European car manufacturers.

As of Friday, the new provisional tariffs will be added to the existing 10% import duties. A final decision on the tariffs is set for November as Brussels and Beijing aim to resolve the conflict through negotiations. 

What did the EU say?

"There is no basis for China to retaliate after the EU said it will impose tariffs of up to 37.6% on imports of electric vehicles made in China," EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday in an interview with press agency Bloomberg.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Commission's new provisional duties of 17.4% to 37.6% aim to stop a threatened flood of cheap, state-subsidized electric vehicles.

The European Commission last month initially announced provisional tariffs that are almost identical to those being applied from Friday.

Commission authorities, however, made slight adjustments after companies pointed out minor errors in the initial calculations.

Over the next four months, the tariffs will be provisional while both sides continue intensive negotiations, the European Commission said.

The EU's anti-subsidy investigation will continue for nearly four more months. By then, the Commission could suggest "definite duties" for five years, which EU members will vote on.

How did China respond?

Beijing said it plans to take "all necessary measures" to safeguard China's interests. Chinese officials have considered imposing new tariffs on products like cognac and pork imported into China in retaliation.

"So far both sides have held several rounds of technical talks over tariffs on the issue," the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Thursday.

"There is still a four-month window before arbitration, and we hope that the European and Chinese sides will move in the same direction, show sincerity, and push forward with the consultation process as soon as possible," said He Yadong, a ministry spokesperson.

Tesla and BMW face lower tariffs

Not all Chinese EV manufacturers were alarmed by the new EU duties.

"The tariffs will have only a modest impact on the majority of Chinese firms," the Chinese Passenger Car Association said.

Companies that cooperated with the EU's anti-subsidy investigation, including Western companies like Tesla and BMW, will face a 20.8% tariff on vehicles made in China. Companies that did not cooperate will face a 37.6% tariff.

The Commission estimates that Chinese brands have increased their share of the EU market to 8% from less than 1% in 2019 and could reach 15% by 2025. It also pointed out that Chinese EVs are generally priced 20% lower than EU-made vehicles.

European policymakers aim to prevent a repeat of the solar panel crisis from a decade ago when limited EU action on Chinese imports led to the collapse of many European manufacturers. 

The United States plans to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese EV imports starting in August.

How did carmakers react?

Some manufacturers had already said they would pass on the increased costs from the tariffs to consumers. Chinese brands MG and NIO are considering raising their car prices in Europe later this year. US-based Tesla also said it plans to increase the price of its Model 3.

The Chinese carmaker BYD faces the lowest hike of 17.4% on top of the current 10% duty. So far it has revealed no plans to hike its EV prices in the EU.

The threat of duties might drive Chinese automakers to invest in factories in Europe, despite higher labor and manufacturing costs compared to China. 

However, Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, swiftly criticized Thursday's announcement. 

"The negative effects of this decision outweigh any benefits for the European and especially the German automotive industry," a Volkswagen spokesperson said in a statement. 

Auto industry executives have warned that tariffs could hurt their car sales in China, where they already face tough competition from local brands. Chinese cars are usually 20% cheaper than EU-made models, Reuters reported.

sp/sms (AFP, DPA, Reuters)

Granted, the sober facades of Götene's large housing blocks have little in common with the classic ideal of the traditional Swedish cottage in red and white. But on the other hand, with land selling at less than 1 krone (about 10 cents) per square meter, prices in the southeastern Swedish town — population 5,000 — make it attractive.

Buyers looking to procure a 150-square-meter (1,615-square-foot) plot, about the size needed to build a single-family home, can currently get one for less than €15 ($16). That extremely cheap price applies to 30 lots abandoned in Götene decades ago.

But no one seems interested in them, even though the town is located near Sweden's popular Vänern, the largest lake in the European Union.

The town hopes that by selling the plots for so little, it can attract buyers to the region and breathe new life into it. One stipulation, though, is that new owners are required to build a house on the plot within two years.

Even though the lots went on offer so cheap, sales started off sluggish. But then a viral TikTok video and international news coverage by English-language outlets led to a breakthrough, and city administrators were suddenly swamped with inquiries.

"We had prospects from Europe, Asia — mostly India and Pakistan — the US, Australia and even South America," said Mayor Johann Mansson.

Sales have now been paused, with an eye to putting the municipality's remaining lots up for auction in early August.

Europe's rural exodus

The situation in Götene typifies a trend that has been ongoing in Europe for years.

Young people are fleeing towns and villages short on employment opportunities in favor of larger cities, which they find more attractive. That tendency eventually turns into a vicious circle that sees more and more people leaving and infrastructure falling into entropy.

EU programs, initiatives and marketing activities are all designed to end the doom spiral, helping places like Götene before entire rural regions sink into oblivion.

According to experts, the trend of young people gravitating to cities will continue. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, predicts urbanization will grow to 83.7% by 2050. Currently, some 74% of EU residents live in cities.

€1 houses in Italy

Those interested in purchasing houses in Italy have been able to get them cheap since at least 2008. Most abandoned houses are auctioned off for prices starting at the symbolic price of €1 and end up selling for just a few thousand.

Some 50 Italian municipalities are currently offering so-called "Casa a un Euro" (€1 houses) in hopes of reanimating their dwindling villages. Most of these run-down fixer-uppers can be found in Tuscany, Apulia or on the island of Sicily.

However, purchasers must enter an agreement with the municipalities in which they commit to restoring the homes they buy. Some villages even require purchasers to reside in the homes themselves and sign agreements that they will not rent them out as vacation homes. Since many of these structures are in a state of serious disrepair, restoration costs can be extremely steep.

Those who are not intimidated by such prospects can readily find deals on commercial websites, those of the municipalities or via local initiatives. "StreetTo," for instance, describes itself as a collective of young people who want to revitalize the historic city center of Cammarata in Sicily. On their website, the collective says they are looking for people who will actively participate in bringing "new vibes and ideas" to the old alleys of the ancient town.

Dirt cheap prices on the German countryside

In Germany, rural stretches of central and eastern Germany have witnessed severe depopulation since reunification in 1990, whereas its cities have continued to grow during that same time. Over the past few years, however, that trend seems to have stopped.

According to a September 2023 study by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, people between the ages of 30 and 49 are behind the new dynamic, preferring to pack up their kids and leave the city in favor of rural living. The turnaround appears to have been given new impetus by the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibilities of remote work that it ushered in.

But despite the reversal, it is still possible to find deals in the German countryside. Sure, there are no German equivalents to Italy's €1 houses or Sweden's cheap plots, but online commercial sites like ImmoScout24 still regularly feature homes for just a few thousand euros — like one currently listed for auction in Wurzen, Saxony, for a starting price of €6,200, or another in Bobritzsch, Saxony, starting at €9,200.

Still, other prospective buyers are interested in snapping up houses and property for even less—namely for free. Such properties are available because the previous owners have simply given them up without being able to sell them. According to the state's Finance Ministry (as of 2020), there are roughly 1,200 such abandoned properties in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

However, potential buyers should think twice before taking the plunge, as seemingly "free" properties are not always that. Even though a property is abandoned, it may be under lien by municipalities or banks — just because the owner has disappeared that doesn't mean a mortgage has, these simply get transferred to the next owner.

This article was originally published in German and was translated by Jon Shelton.

The European Commission on Wednesday said it approved German national carrier Lufthansa's plans to acquire joint control of Italy's ITA Airways for €325 million ($349.6 million).

"The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the remedies offered by Lufthansa" as well as by the Italian Economy and Finance Ministry, the Commission said in a statement.

"Whilst ITA is performing well today, ITA's long-term sustainability as a stand-alone carrier would have remained highly uncertain absent the transaction," the Commission added.

Competition concerns assessed

Margrethe Vestager, the Commission's executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, said concerns over whether the acquisition would negatively affect competition had been addressed by Lufthansa and Italian officials.

The alternative for connections between Italy and the lucrative central European region was only limited competition from Ryanair, the Commission said. 

To ease EU regulators' concerns, Lufthansa and the Italian government agreed to facilitate the operation of short-haul flights by rival airlines to Central Europe and share landing slots at Milan airport to reduce Lufthansa's potential domination.

"The package of remedies proposed by Lufthansa and the MEF on this cross-border deal fully addresses our competition concerns by ensuring that a sufficient level of competitive pressure remains on all relevant routes, Vestager said.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, said in a statement: "The approval from Brussels is excellent news for ITA Airways and Lufthansa and especially for all passengers flying to and from Italy."

"The decision is also a clear signal for strong air traffic in Europe, which can successfully assert itself in global competition," Spohr went on to say. 

Italy's economy minister welcomes move

"This positive conclusion is truly a success," Italy's Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti told a press conference in Rome. "It is a big Italian success, it is a big German success, it is a big European success."

ITA was formed in 2020 following the restructuring of failed national carrier Alitalia. Last May, Lufthansa agreed to a minority stake of 41% of ITA with the Italian government.

Under certain conditions, the German carrier will then acquire an additional 49% of ITA shares starting from 2025. It may also gain control of the remaining 10% at a later date

kb/sms (dpa, AFP)

German scientists are making significant contributions to research on artificial intelligence. But when it comes to translating that research into practical applications, Germany lags behind AI giants like the US and China — and that gap is growing. That's according to a new analysis by KfW, Germany's state-owned development bank. 

"With AI, as with many other areas of technology, we struggle to translate research into products that can be used by businesses," Fritzi Köhler-Geib, the KfW's chief economist and head of the bank's economics department, told DW.  

According to KfW, Germany imports a significantly larger number of AI-related products and services than it exports. This has made the country increasingly reliant on AI services from a handful of powerful companies abroad, raising concerns about its competitiveness in an increasingly AI-driven world. 

"When it comes to the implementation of AI, other countries are simply faster," said Köhler-Geib. "We have to make sure that Germany doesn't fall further behind." 

From labs to reality 

Work on artificial intelligence dates back to at least the 1950s. For a long time, it was seen primarily as "blue skies research" — scientific endeavors in domains where "real-world" applications are not immediately apparent.

But over the past two decades, advances in computing power and the development of novel techniques have brought AI technology out of the research lab and into society. In recent years, AI-powered programs such as ChatGPT have become everyday tools that people use to create text, images or even computer code.

 

However, despite significant contributions to the field by German scientists, bureaucratic hurdles and relatively low investment have hampered the progress of the German AI industry in developing real-world applications.

Germany 'lagging far behind' China, US in AI patents 

Today, the lag is evident in the number of new patents filed by German organizations, which is seen as a key measure of innovation. "When it comes to patent applications, Germany is lagging far behind China and the United States," said Köhler-Geib.

While China has seen a 100-fold increase in patent applications for AI technology since the early 2000s, Germany's growth has only tripled over the same period. Currently, Germany holds a meager 6% share of global AI patent registrations, far behind China's 29% and the US' 27%. 

"We import far more goods in this area than we export, while China, for example, has a significant export surplus in the field of AI," said Köhler-Geib, describing this trade deficit as "a significant weakness" in the race for AI. 

Germany unable to keep talent 

Her warnings were echoed by Alexander Löser, a professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology. When it comes to the machine-learning-based AI solutions dominating the market today, he said "Germany is increasingly becoming a customer for AI services, most of which are offered from outside of Europe — primarily the US, but also increasingly Saudi Arabia, Dubai and China." 

This trend is exacerbated by Germany's inability to hold on to some of its best AI talent, said Löser. "Many universities here do excellent research and train highly qualified people, but a significant number of them then choose to work abroad." 

At the same time, the strict regulatory environment in Germany and the European Union has put local companies at a disadvantage, said Löser, as they struggle to get access to what is often referred to as the "oil" that fuels most of today's AI systems: data. 

"Regulations are driving up the cost for our local AI ecosystem to acquire training data," he said. To reverse this trend, Löser said Germany should create open-source datasets for commercial use — "high-quality data that reflects our cultural values." 

In its report, Germany's KfW Bank also emphasizes the critical need for "adequate access to training data."

To catch up in the global race for AI, Germany also needs to boost investment in AI research and development, especially in areas where it already has a strong industry, and increase training opportunities for students and workers. 

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

Sweltering summer temperatures are increasingly common, especially in cities where closely packed buildings and paved surfaces trap heat.

When temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), it can be a serious health hazard, especially for the elderly and sick.

And while drawing curtains to block out the sun during the day and ventilating homes during the night when its cooler may help, many turn to power intensive air conditioning units.

Fortunately, the sun itself can help us to stay cool.

Given that the sun generally shines for extended periods during the summer, solar power is ideal for producing the large volumes of electricity needed to cheaply run air conditioning that help make extreme heat more bearable. 

How many solar panels are needed to cool a home? 

This depends on the energy efficiency of the cooling system and the number of sunshine hours. But to given an example, for a well-insulated apartment of around 40 square meters (430 square feet), a small air conditioning unit requiring less than 1,000 watts would be enough.

A standard solar panel of around 2 square meters can generate up to 400 watts of electricity in direct sunlight, although on cloudy days it may only produce around 30% of that amount. But generally speaking for the small flat, electricity from three to four solar panels should be enough to run an air-con unit.

If, however, the home is poorly insulated or there are several devices such as computers running, it will heat up more and therefore require a bigger cooling system with higher power demands. In this case more solar panels could be installed.

How much does solar cost?

Solar energy has plummeted in price, with panels now costing only a tenth of what they did in 2005.

In cities, they are often installed on rooftops or balconies. To run a small air conditioning system, a so-called balcony power station which has four panels (1,600 watts) and costs around €1,000 ($1,080) in Europe, is usually sufficient. The solar power is simply fed into the grid via a normal socket.

Larger roof systems — which are installed by professionals — are more expensive. For a system with 25 panels (10,000 watts), homeowners in Germany can expect to pay between €13,000 to €18,000.

A solar panel of 400 watts which faces the midday sun generates roughly 400-800 kilowatt hours per year. With a service life of 30 years, this results in a solar power price of less than 10 euro cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), which is usually significantly cheaper than electricity from the grid.

Do they still work at night and during power cuts?

Cooler night temperatures often remove the need for cooling systems and the energy required to power them.

But those who do want to use solar power at night will requires a battery unit. A battery with 5-10 kWh for roof solar panels currently costs between €3,000 and €8,000 in Germany, including the price of installation. 

Since solar energy is generally fed into the grid, a home unit is no safeguard against power cuts. Except with the addition of a special control system that comes with a price tag of at least €1,000. 

Edited by: Anke Rasper

Sources:

https://www.mcc-berlin.net/en/news/information/information-detail/article/plummeting-prices-for-solar-power-and-storage-make-global-climate-transition-cheaper-than-expected.html
Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change 
 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31469-z?fromPaywallRec=false
Air-conditioning adoption and electricity demand highlight climate change mitigation–adaptation tradeoffs, report 
 
https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/veroeffentlichungen/studien/aktuelle-fakten-zur-photovoltaik-in-deutschland.html
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar and Energy Systems 
 

The United States, United Kingdom and Germany are seeing small surges in COVID-19 cases this summer, with rates of hospitalizations gently on the rise.

The latest figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show emergency room visits increased more than 23% from June 16 to June 22.

Deaths due to COVID were also up 14.3% in recent weeks. However, the percent of all US deaths from COVID remains low, at 0.8%, and all indicators remain far below past surges.

Media outlets in the UK also reported COVID hospitalizations in England rose by around 20% in June.

Are we seeing a global surge in COVID cases?

Ziyad Al-Aly, a COVID physician-scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, US, said we should take the rise in hospitalizations seriously, as it's "always wise to prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

"The uptick in the US was preceded by a COVID wave in Singapore. Unfortunately, a lot of countries are not tracking and reporting these metrics. So we are flying blind," Al-Aly told DW via email.

The good news is that COVID hospitalizations are still well below levels from last winter. The severity of infections also seems to be lower than it was earlier in the pandemic, according to Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at University of East Anglia in the UK.

However, Hunter stressed that these patterns of COVID surges are now part of normal life given that "SARS-CoV-2 will likely be with us for generations. Rising and falling numbers will be part of our future for our lifetimes at least," he said.

FLiRT COVID variants driving new cases

The recent minor uptick in COVID cases appears to be due to several new subvariants called FLiRTs.

They are descendants of the now-dominant JN.1 variant, which is itself a descendant of omicron but with certain additional mutations. Members of the FLiRT group include KP.2, KP.3 and JN.1.7.1.

"The FLiRT variants are named after their specific mutations — Furin-like cleavage site, L452R, and T478K. Silly I know, but the name has stuck," said Hunter.

While data is limited, Hunter said "there is no evidence so far that these variants are any more harmful than previous variants and may even be less so."

Al-Aly was more cautious, saying it's too early to tell if the new FLiRT variants are more or less harmful than previous variants.

"We are still learning about the new variants KP.1, KP.2, KP.3, LB.1; there is some evidence that some of these are more transmissible and may be more immune evasive. This may explain the growth advantage and the uptick in hospitalizations in some regions. But more data is needed before we have more definitive answers," he said.

What's causing the summer COVID surge?

The evidence so far points to falling population immunity to COVID. 

"Sterilizing immunity following an infection or vaccination only lasts four to six months on average, so immunity gained from infections during winter or the autumn vaccination campaign will have already been lost for the most part," said Hunter.

Most people's immunity to COVID comes from a mix of infections and vaccine. This so-called hybrid immunity has given better protection against infection and severe disease than either alone.

Hunter suspects most current reports of COVID hospitalizations in the UK are older or vulnerable people, because the only testing and reporting done is from people seeking medical care.

Hunter emphasized that elder people, and those at higher risk of severe COVID infections, should take extra precautions to prevent infections.

"So if you are a 75 year old and had your autumn booster last year, avoided infection over winter and then did not to take up the spring booster you would now have very little sterilizing immunity left," he said.

"People ask me all the time: Can one still get long COVID with the new variants and the answer is very likely yes," said Al-Aly.

Edited by: Martin Kuebler

Reading the news about the recent stampede in India, where 121 people died on Tuesday at a Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh in northern India, you may wonder: How does something like that happen?

What was going through the minds of the people in the crowd? How should you react if you find yourself in a similar situation?

Officials have said little about any specific factors that caused the crush on Tuesday 2nd July. But crowd control experts have shared insights from studies on past stampede events.

Probably not mass panic

The situation could have some parallels with the 2010 Love Parade stampede, an overcrowding tragedy that occurred over a decade ago in Germany.

Anna Sieben, an associate professor of cultural and social psychology at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, has been researching crowd dynamics for years, including the overcrowding event at the festival which killed 21 people and injured more than 600.

Research from Sieben shows that what happened there — and probably in India — likely wasn't as a result of "mass panic," although that's what one might assume after reading about the situation.

Rather, said Sieben, people who find themselves in a stampede event often don't realize anything is wrong until it's too late.

Dirk Helbing, a professor of computational social science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, agreed.

"A widespread view of crowd disasters is that they result from panic," Helbing said. "That is considered to be a state of mind determined by anxiety and fear, which would come with an increased level of adrenaline. As a consequence, the flight and fight instinct might be activated. That would cause people to run away in panic relentlessly, perhaps even trampling other people that are in their way. While such a thing can happen, most crowd disasters are not of this kind."

Helbing said that rather than a psychological state of mind, physical forces are more likely to cause stampede tragedies due to a phenomenon called "crowd turbulence."

What is crowd turbulence?

Helbing said that crowd turbulence happens when many people move into a space, where there is little room to move and a high density of people, and where people are squeezed in between each other.

This can cause what Helbing calls a "transmission of forces" between bodies.

"Those forces add up and push people around in unpredictable ways, sometimes over distances of several meters. In such conditions, it is very difficult to keep balance and stay on one's feet," said Helbing.

Eventually, someone may stumble and fall, which creates a hole in the crowd. When a hole emerges, people directly next to the person who fell lack a counterforce to keep them from falling down in response to the pushing.

This can make them fall, too, Helbing said, potentially causing a "deadly domino effect."

"Given the weight of others on top, it is then difficult to breathe. Hence, many people may die of asphyxia, as it was observed before during stampedes in many places," he said.

But how does it ever get that bad in a crowd?

Sieben said there are three important components that can contribute to an out-of-control stampede situation in a crowd.

The first is somewhat obvious but deserves recognition, said Sieben: It's too crowded. This kind of overcrowding can occur in response to poor event organization or miscalculation of the number of people in attendance.

Next, said Sieben, stampede events can happen when all or most of the people who make up an already dense crowd want to get somewhere at the same time.

This can happen in emergency situations — when there is a fire, for example, and everyone is pushing to a safe exit — but it doesn't necessarily have to be anything that dramatic, she said.

"It can just be a minor impulse people have," Sieben said, like everyone wanting to get into the same bar at the same time.

Information moves slow in a crowd

The third factor that can be observed in overcrowding situations is the slow travel of information, Sieben said — people in the back don't realize what is going on in the front.

Unlike what one might assume when they hear about a stampede situation, people who are part of it may not even know what's happening until they are directly confronted with people lying on the ground.

"The mass panic idea implies that people all receive information very quickly and then act in the same way, which would imply that there's information being transmitted through the crowd," said Sieben. "But I think, on the contrary, a crowd is, in a way, very silent and doesn't transport information well."

Sieben said that if you think about your own experiences in crowds, this should make sense. Crowds are generally very noisy and people often can't see beyond the backs of the people in front of them. Ever had that experience?

"You have people in the front who cannot go anywhere because it's blocked, and they are pushed against the wall or piling up — something super dangerous — but people in the back, like two or three meters [6.6 to 9.8 feet] away, don't even realize," she said.

People in the back might think that the pushing they are feeling is normal and might even push a little themselves. But many people pushing a little bit at the same time can create a dynamic that is very dangerous further in the front, said Sieben.

"None of these people want to hurt anyone, I mean, they're there to party," she said. "And I think they're also not panicking, not until maybe the moment they are in a life threatening situation themselves."

What if I find myself in a similar situation?

Stampede events are rare, and as Sieben said, it's often difficult to understand you are part of one until it's too late. However, she said, there's one sign that could potentially predict the start of a stampede event or the potential for one: Uncontrollable swaying in all directions.

This can be a sign of high pressure in the crowd, said Sieben.

If you find yourself in a situation of this nature, or confronted by what you feel is the start of a crush event, Sieben said it's important to make yourself heard and try to find a safe way out.

Sometimes people will stay silent in crush situations until it's too late because they don't want to cause a mass panic by yelling for help, she said, but being loud early could help information about the crush transmit faster throughout the crowd.

"Everyone's focusing in the same direction, and sometimes — not always — they might not realize that there is a way out, or a less crowded situation in the back or at the sides of the crowd," Sieben said.

Even when exits are available, people often don't think to look for them because they have become hyper-fixated on moving forward.

Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany.
The article was originally published 3.11.2022 and has been updated 3.7.2024

Many first memories of trees might be of clambering among their branches or seeing the fruit that grows on their boughs. But while they are familiar to us all, what exactly are trees?

Biologically speaking, they are perennial plants with a woody trunk and branches that can grow to be spectacularly tall.

And they are vital for our survival. This is because trees provide many so-called "ecosystem services," which are defined as "direct or indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being."

Ecosystem services of trees

Trees supply us with a huge variety of food, including apples, avocados, dates, nuts, olives and citrus fruits, to name but a few.

And their wood has been central to the development of human civilization — without it we wouldn't have come very far. Even Ötzi, the famous 5,300-year-old ice mummy found in the Italian Alps, carried a bow made from a yew tree. Wood has long been used as a fuel and building material, as well as a resource to make furniture, musical instruments, paper and textile fibers such as viscose.

Trees provide air, water and reduce noise

But their greatest service is that they help us to breathe. In order to grow, trees carry out what is known as photosynthesis.

During this process they absorb the climate-damaging greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and, with the help of sunlight, convert it into sugar which provides energy to grow. A by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen, without which we could not survive on our planet.

Exactly how much oxygen is produced depends on the type and age of the tree: evergreen conifers produce oxygen continuously, deciduous trees only when they have leaves. According to several sources, a mature beech tree can supply 10 people with oxygen per year. Its leaves also filter a significant amount of dust, bacteria and fungal spores from the air.

Natural air conditioners and CO2 stores

Come the heat of the summer, the leaves of a tree provide us with much-needed shade, as well as protecting against UV radiation and cooling the air around them.

For example, beech trees evaporate 400-500 liters of water per day through their leaves, cooling their surroundings by 3-6 degrees Celsius (about 5-11 degrees Fahrenheit). Those same leaves can dampen noise in cities.

And then there are the roots, which not only allow trees to store rain in the soil and filter it to ensure clean groundwater. They also help to keep the ground firm, even on a slope or during heavy rainfall.

Wood isn't only a renewable raw material — trees play a major role in sequestering emissions by storing climate-damaging CO2, which they absorb from the air during photosynthesis and also keep in the ground via their roots.

According to scientific estimates, around 4.3 billion tons of CO2 is currently stored in Germany's forests alone. Woodlands also actively remove around 52 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. 

Some trees absorb more CO2 than others. According to the environmental organization Greenpeace, beech trees can store almost 1 ton more CO2 over the course of 100 years than spruce trees of the same size. And the older a tree is, the more carbon dioxide it can absorb.

When wood is burned or rots, however, the greenhouse gas escapes back into the atmosphere.

No trees, no squirrels — and vice versa

A single tree can be a home to many creatures.

Around 200 different species such as insects and spiders live on an old oak or beech tree. These in turn serve as food for birds, bats and squirrels, which also find nesting and roosting sites on trees.

In other words: without trees, we would likely not hear birds singing or be able to see squirrels playfully chasing each other. And without squirrels or birds, fewer trees would grow, since they play a role in seed distribution. 

Forest bathing: how trees reduce stress

It's not yet known exactly how it works, but spending time around trees — also known as forest bathing — is good for us.

According to some scientific studies, it can lift our mood, reduce stress, improve our cognitive function and even strengthen our cardiovascular and immune systems. Our whole body seems to regenerate in the forest.

This positive effect might have something to do with organic compounds known as phytoncides, which we absorb from the forest air through our lungs.

Studies have suggested they may be able to inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells and increase the activity of natural killer cells, which are critical to the body's defenses. Although the studies are not yet fully conclusive, it has been repeatedly shown that the forest and its trees have a positive effect on human health.

And if that isn't enough evidence of how amazing trees are, there's also this: the tallest tree is currently a giant redwood in California, which measures a staggering 115.55 meters (about 380 feet), and the oldest tree, a spruce on Mount Fulu in Sweden, is estimated to be 9,550 years old. Aren't trees just great?

This article was originally written in German.

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

Sources:

https://naturwald-akademie.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/baum6_druck.pdf
Naturwald Akademie 

https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/naturschutz/vielfaltleben/aktiv/baum.html 
German Ministry for Climate Action, Environment and Energy

https://www.umwelt-im-unterricht.de/hintergrund/die-bedeutung-und-funktionen-des-waldes
German Ministry for Environment, Conservation, Nuclear Security and Consumer Protection 

Germany is a fantastic holiday destination year-round. With more medieval castles than you can count, vibrant cities, a rich history, famously hearty fare and Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival, Germany offers something for everyone. Plus, this summer, it's playing host to the UEFA 2024 European Football Championship. So that's plenty of good reasons to spend a vacation in Germany.

But what documents do tourists need to visit the country? Will a valid identity card or passport do? And is any additional paperwork needed?

Well, that depends on your nationality.

Last year, most foreign tourists staying in German holiday accommodation hailed from the Netherlands.

Dutch tourists, like all EU nationals, can visit Germany without any particular visa.

EU tourists

That is because EU citizens have the right to freedom of movement within the bloc, meaning they can enter and stay in any member state they choose for up to three months, provided they hold a valid identity card or passport.

That makes it very easy for any citizen of the EU's 27 member states — which include France, Italy, Spain, Poland and others — to spend a holiday in Germany.

Swiss tourists 

What about Swiss nationals? After all, last year, Swiss citizens made up the second-largest group of tourists in Germany, according to holiday accommodation stays.

Although Switzerland isn't a member of the EU, its nationals enjoy freedom of movement in the bloc and vice versa. This means they, too, don't need a visa to visit Germany. 

US tourists

In 2023, US nationals constituted the third-largest group of tourists in Germany. Do they need a visa to enter the country? No, all that's required is a valid US passport.

This document is enough to freely enter and stay in any European Schengen area state — including Germany — for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

The Schengen area currently comprises 29 European countries that do not conduct checks at their internal borders, thereby enabling easy cross-border travel. 

US tourists should check, however, that their passports are valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from Germany.

UK tourists

Although Britain left the EU in 2020, British passport holders may still visit any European Schengen area state — including Germany — without needing a visa, provided they do not stay for more than 90 days in a 180-day period.

Chinese tourists

Last year, Germany was also very popular with Chinese visitors, who made up the largest group of Asian tourists in the country.

Chinese nationals, however, require a Schengen area visa.

To apply, Chinese nationals need a range of documents, including two recent passport-style photos, a Chinese passport that has been issued in the last 10 years, proof of medical travel insurance and proof of sufficient financial means for the entire stay, a travel itinerary and proof of accommodation.

A Schengen visa costs €80 ($85) for adults and usually takes 15 to 30 days to be processed.

For a full list of visa requirements, please consult the VFS Global website.

What about tourists from other non-EU countries? 

Many other nationalities, such as Indian and Indonesian citizens, must also obtain a Schengen visa if they want to visit Germany.

 Germany's foreign office website has a comprehensive overview of visa requirements and exemptions for many more countries.

Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

Marte van der Graaf does not hold back when it comes to criticizing airlines' efforts to protect the environment.

"It's difficult to take the aviation industry's net-zero targets seriously," she said. Graf is an aviation policy officer in Germany for the NGO Transport & Environment, which focuses on promoting sustainable transportation. "The aviation sector must significantly reduce its consumption of fossil fuels in the next decades. But things are going in the opposite direction at the moment," she said.

More and more people flying

As climate change threatens the planet, the industry's CO2 emissions continue to rise. And according to future projections, more and more people will be flying in the coming years. That has environmental groups worried. "Green growth and CO2-neutral air traffic remain an illusion," said the Stay Grounded network, which campaigns for less air traffic.

Nevertheless, the aviation industry has set ambitious goals for itself.

"The goal is to be climate-neutral by 2050," said Wolf-Dietrich Kindt, head of climate and environmental protection at the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry. German airlines have invested billions of euros in renewing their fleets in recent decades, he added, making it possible to drastically reduce jet fuel use and emissions.

"That is a very significant achievement," said Kindt.

New planes are more efficient

The most achievable way to reduce emissions at the moment is simply to make planes more fuel efficient. And according to experts, fuel efficiency can be increased by 20% with each new generation of aircraft.

The EU has imposed regulations for airlines in the bloc, including blending quotas for more climate-friendly fuels, which come with a higher price tag. Additionally, the EU emissions trading system, an air traffic tax in Germany as well as a possible jet fuel tax have put European airlines at a disadvantage against competing non-EU airlines. As a result, there isn't as much investment in newer aircraft as there should be.

Markus Fischer, director of the aerospace division at the German Aerospace Center, also believes in the innovative power of the aviation sector. "The industry has made a big effort to increase its efficiency through better engines and aerodynamics," he said.

He pointed out that the average fuel consumption per seat and kilometer today is only a third of what it was 50 years ago, though admitted that this still wasn't enough. The solution is alternative, non-fossil fuels.

Alternative fuels only available in small quantities

But this is precisely where the industry is struggling. Some airlines are promising electric aircraft for short-haul flights. Airbus, meanwhile, has announced a hydrogen-powered aircraft that will be ready to fly in 2035.

Yet sustainable fuels produced from renewable energy or biomass, which could replace fossil jet fuel in the short term and are less harmful to the climate, will only be available in small quantities — and at very high prices — for the foreseeable future. "There are currently no revolutionary and immediately available solutions for emission-free aviation due to major technological challenges," according to the German Aerospace Center.

Michael Haid wants to change that. He's head of EDL Anlagenbau, a company that is planning one of the world's first factories for the industrial production of green jet fuel near Leipzig.

"It will be very difficult to reach the goal of climate-neutral flying by 2050," he said. "Especially when you see how long it all takes." He blames the EU for imposing complicated regulations, which have caused delays. They've been planning the production of their fuel, called HyKero, since 2021, but production will not start before the end of 2027.

Is climate-neutral air travel even possible?

There are additional barriers to achieving climate-neutral aviation. CO2 accounts for only a portion of the climate-damaging emissions from an aircraft.

Markus Fischer of the German Aerospace Center estimates that the "non-CO2 effects" are responsible for at least 50% of the environmental impact of flying. Contrails, for example, contribute to global warming.

"Even without alternative fuels, you can do a lot to help the environment," he said. Negative effects of flying can be reduced simply by modifying flight speed, altitude and routes, for example.

And yet the industry itself does not seem to believe it will reach the goal of climate-neutral aviation by 2050. The International Air Transport Association, for example, speaks of CO2 neutrality that is likely to only be achieved through carbon offsetting.

"Compensation measures are a bogus solution for the environment," said Marte van der Graaf of Transport & Environment. "Airlines should stop using them as an excuse to postpone real climate protection measures."

She put it bluntly: "The only truly green flight is the one that stays on the ground."

This article was originally written in German.

Europe's football governing body UEFA on Friday handed a two-match ban to Turkish player Merih Demiral for making a controversial political gesture.

Demiral made the shape of a wolf's head with his fingers after his second goal in a 2-1 victory over Austria on Tuesday. The gesture is associated with the Turkish far right.

What else do we know about the incident?

UEFA said that it sanctioned Demiral "for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute."

Demiral will miss Turkey's game against the Netherlands on Saturday and a potential semi-final against England or Switzerland if Turkey wins.

Demiral said that he only wanted to express that he was proud to be Turkish and there was no other message behind it.

Demiral posted an image of the celebration on the platform X, formerly Twitter, and said, "How happy is the one who says 'I am a Turk'."

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said that the decision to ban Demiral was unacceptable.

"The beauty and excitement of football should not be overshadowed with political decisions," Yilmaz said in a post on X.

Demiral controversy causes diplomatic row

Turkey summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday over politicians' reactions to Demiral's gesture.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry accused German authorities of "xenophobia." It also cited a German intelligence report that stated that "not every person making the gray wolf sign can be described as a far-right extremist."

German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir, who himself has Turkish roots, said that "nothing about the wolf salute is hidden," adding that it "stands for terror [and] fascism."

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned that the "symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums."

Several ministers and the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP party condemned Faeser's reaction.

Erdogan is set to attend Turkey's game against the Netherlands this weekend.

The Gray Wolves extremist group used violence in the 1980s against leftists, as well as against Kurds, Armenians, Greeks and other ethnic minority groups

The group has been banned in Austria and France. It has not been banned in Germany.

The Gray Wolves were labeled a terrorist organization by the European Parliament in 2021.

sdi/kb (dpa, Reuters, AP, AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attending Turkey's football game against the Netherlands this weekend, following controversy over a Turkish footballer's celebratory gesture.

Merih Demiral celebrated his second goal against Austria in a group of 16 knockout game in the Euro 2024 earlier this week by a gesture associated with an ultra-nationalist group.

The tournament organizer, UEFA, said it was investigating the gesture for "inappropriate behavior," while host Germany slammed the player's actions.

Ankara has defended the Turkish player, describing Berlin's reaction as "xenophobia."

How has Ankara reacted?

Ankara summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday over the reaction to Demiral's gesture.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry later defended Demiral, saying the gesture he made was a historical and cultural symbol that did not target anyone during his celebration of joy.

The 26-year-old defender had made the so-called wolf salute — a symbol of Turkey's far-right "Gray Wolves" — with both hands. The player also denied his gesture had a "hidden message," stressing it was purely an expression of his "Turkish identity."

Erdogan did not directly comment on the controversy. However, the presidency confirmed to the French AFP news agency that he will attend the Saturday quarter-final game.

Presidential sources told the German DPA news agency that the Turkish president has canceled a planned trip to Azerbaijan scheduled for the same day.

DW correspondent in Istanbul Julia Hahn said Erdogan was likely using the sports disagreement as an opportunity "to score a goal" domestically, describing the Turkish president as "someone who knows both football and politics very well."

Hahn speculated that Erdogan's last-minute change of schedule aimed to "demonstrate power in this diplomatic row with Germany, while at the same time he wants to appease nationalist voters here in Turkey who've been very unhappy with how Erdogan manages the economy and other issues, especially migration."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he also makes this wolf gesture from the VIP box in Berlin in the stadium," Hahn said.

Germany summons Turkish ambassador

Berlin has meanwhile blasted Demiral's salute. On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry announced summoning the Turkish envoy.

"As Euro 2024 hosts, we hope that sports brings people together," the ministry said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Earlier, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned that "the symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums" and said that "using the European football championships as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable."

What is the 'Gray Wolf salute'?

Right-wing extremists have claimed the wolf as their symbol, in reference to a gray wolf from Turkish mythology.

The Gray Wolves, who adopted this symbol as their own, are regarded as the military wing of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of Erdogan's AK party. The group was established in the late 1960s and became prominent amid political violence in the late 1970s.

German authorities characterize the group's ideology as ultranationalist, anti-Semitic and racist.

The group holds hostile views toward Kurdish, Armenian, Jewish and Christian people, and believes in the superiority of the Turkish nation. In the past, members of the Gray Wolves committed numerous acts of violence, including murder, particularly in the 1970s.

The Gray Wolf gesture is legally prohibited in Austria but not in Germany, but a similar ban is being discussed.

DW Chief Political Correspondent Nina Haase said that the latest controversy due to Demiral's wolf salute has reignited a decades-long debate in Germany, home to the biggest Turkish diaspora, regarding the Gray Wolves.

"Several political groups, including members from parties in the government, are now calling for the Gray Wolves and their symbols to be banned here after this incident," she said.

rmt/ab (AFP, dpa)

The great sustainability pledge made by UEFA, European football's governing body, was never going to be an easy one to fulfill. Large international sporting events tend to come with a built-in carbon footprint, and Euro 2024 is no exception.

"I think the problem of sport is that it would be most environmentally friendly when there would be no sporting event," said Pamela Wicker, a professor for sport management and sport sociology at Germany's Bielefeld University. Yet, given their positive social impacts, she advocates for running them "in a way that is more environmentally sustainable and economically sustainable."

But how easy is that? Germany's environmental think tank, Öko-Institute, predicts that by the time the final Euro 2024 whistle blows in mid-July, the month-long tournament will have produced around 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to the annual emissions of 120,000 cars.

Some 80% of that final carbon footprint is expected to be transport-related, two-thirds of it from the air traffic that has flown fans and players to and from matches. This is despite Germany's efforts as the host nation to move fans off planes and onto trains.

Discounts and showing the way

Leading by example and joined by Switzerland and Portugal, Germany pledged its national team would keep flying to a minimum throughout the contest. Organizers also teamed up with continental and domestic rail providers to incentivize the traveling public to stay on the ground.

"The Interrail pass Euro 2024 is a special pass, an exclusive product, for match ticket orders and is valid for a roundtrip journey from 32 European countries,” said Silvia Festa, Senior Business Development Manager with Eurail, which markets Interrail passes.

And once actually in Germany, no matter how they arrived, all Euro 2024 ticketholders have been able to make free use of Germany's regional public transport network for 12 hours a day.

"I think that's a really, really good first step," said Benja Faecks, carbon market expert with nonprofit watchdog Carbon Market Watch. But Öko-Institute researcher Hartmut Stahl said while it was a "good idea," organizers had missed a trick.

"What obviously would be the best solution to have," he said, was "free tickets all over Germany. That would be real progress."

In some venue cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig, there is no public parking near the stadium, potentially making driving to matches less appealing. 

Infrastructure and energy

UEFA has also been pushing for sustainable football infrastructure, including using renewable energy to power football arenas and reduce energy-intensive floodlight usage. Emissions aside, efforts have been made to reduce water use by introducing gray water — untreated household wastewater that has not been contaminated by sewage.

The final analysis on the success of these measures won't be known until after after the final and everyone has gone home. However, it's not only fan behavior that will determine whether this has, in fact, been a sustainable tournament. Infrastructure is also part of the equation.

"To make these major sporting events more sustainable, one key aspect is to use existing infrastructure, existing stadiums, or to have a follow-up usage for anything that is built," Pamela Wicker, a professor for sports management and sports sociology at Germany's Bielefeld University, told DW.

Germany scores highly for hosting all Euro 2024 matches in 10 preexisting arenas that will be in use for many more years to come. By contrast, Qatar built seven brand new stadiums for the 2022 World Cup, which, according to research by Carbon Market Watch, generated CO2 emissions to the tune of 1.6 million tons. That's three times the predicted carbon footprint of the entire UEFA Euro 2024.

Funding the future sustainability of football

In a novel move, UEFA also set up a carbon fund into which it is paying €25 ($26.78) for every ton of CO2 emissions produced during the tournament.  

The fund, which, based on pre-tournament projections, will amount to €7 million, will be used to help German amateur football teams become more sustainable through installing things like like energy-efficient LED floodlights, solar panels and heat pumps.

Hartmut Stahl praised the initiative as an alternative to carbon off-setting schemes that compensate for emissions generated by buying into sustainability projects elsewhere in the world.

"The idea is that the money is no longer spent for buying certificates," he said. "But instead, the funds are given to clubs in Germany because there are so many that have problems with their facilities; they have to make renovations. Energy efficiency is a big issue there."

Critics, however, argue that €7 million is nothing compared to UEFA's expected revenue of over €2 billion from the tournament.

Showing the way forward

Beyond the immediate impact of the tournament, where on UEFA's recommendation, plant-based food is on sale alongside meat products with a higher carbon footprint, Alice Ainsworth of the nonprofit Carbon Trust said athletes also play a role in inspiring fans to adopt more eco-friendly lifestyles.

"If you see your sporting hero choosing to consume less meat or opting to avoid domestic travel or lead a more sustainable life, that can have a really significant positive impact on an individual's lifestyle choices," Ainsworth said.

But Wicker doesn’t think it’s realistic to expect a four-week tournament to stir great social and environmental changes.

"It cannot make everybody more sustainable during this period of time. But it can, of course, create some initial changes," she said. "It can be a starting point for many people when it's in the media and on television for one month."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker
This story was adapted from an episode of DW's Living Planet podcast.

Sources:

Carbon Market Watch study
https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/poor-tackling-yellow-card-for-2022-fifa-world-cups-carbon-neutrality-claim/

Öko Institute study
https://www.oeko.de/fileadmin/oekodoc/Climate-Neutral_EURO2024_en.pdf

 

The most lasting impact of Euro 2024 is likely to come far away from the football pitch.

This year's tournament has already seen plenty of young stars make a name for themselves and a glut of "David vs. Goliath" moments — most notably Georgia pulling off an impressive victory over 2016 winners Portugal.

But UEFA's decision to adopt a human rights declaration just ahead of the start of the competition could prove to be far more significant for players, fans and workers alike.

An online form has been created to report any human rights issues and, importantly, provide an immediate response and resolution from a law firm hired by UEFA to deal with the complaints.

Previously, fans, journalists and workers faced an uphill battle to be heard, as there was no clear information on which the correct institution was to deal with a specific concern. As a result, fans impacted by issues during UEFA events like the 2021 Euros final at Wembley and the 2022 Champions League final in Paris struggled with knowing how and where to file complaints over treatment or abuse they suffered. 

Andrea Florence, director of Sport & Rights Alliance, highlighted the importance of UEFA's including stakeholders — clubs, leagues, national associations, players unions and European institutions — to create an effective grievance mechanism.

"It allowed us to provide our expertise to try and help users of the system know how to access it and get remedy," Florence told DW.

Fan voices at heart of mechanism

Crucially for Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters of Europe, the inclusion of fans in the consultation period meant more peace of mind coming into the tournament than ever before.

Across the 10 stadiums hosting matches during Euro 2024 and the Fan Zones in the host cities, posters directing people on how to report grievances, along with QR codes, have been advertised. 

Additionally, a specific "safe room" in every stadium has been set up for stewards to direct people to who feel under immediate threat or discriminated against.

"Human rights are universal, and as fans we need to fight for universal human rights," Evain told DW. "For us fans it's about fair treatment, and what UEFA has newly implemented is that there is a rapid response mechanism and there is a grievance mechanism."

"It's very important because everybody should feel safe in the stadium, regardless of their background, gender, sexual orientation, capacity," Evain said. "This is a way to ensure that everybody can feel as safe as possible in any crowd." 

Independent law firm receiving complaints

To ensure the independence of the reporting and resolution process, UEFA hired German law firm Rettenmaier to process any grievances that come in through the online tool.

The inclusion of the law firm has helped ensure the ability to file complaints anonymously as well as the possibility of immediate resolutions.

"What's equally important is, as the complaints are being managed by a law firm and not by UEFA, you know you will receive a response," Evain said.

"That is an assessment of whether your rights have been abused," he said, "and crucially it will mean accountability of the tournament organizers, which is something we've welcomed."

"We know a number of people, whether they are fans, workers, journalists, have filed complaints through the grievance mechanism," he added.

Late implementation an issue

The implantation process has not been without its issues or flaws, namely how late the grievance mechanism was put into force. This has meant workers, for example, had no instrument to report issues in the lead up to the tournament. 

Equally, though posters at grounds have instructed people on how they can report problems, UEFA opted against putting up a link on its homepage.

Though she praised the work UEFA has done to ensure that human rights are respected during Euro 2024, Florence lamented a lack of publicity.

"There were undoubtedly impacts that happened before the tournament started," she said. "For instance, workers' rights or people that might have been forcibly removed from cities because of the event."

"People need to know that all of that can be reported, even things that happened before the mechanism was set up," she added.

And Evain said the "biggest weakness of the tournament" was how late a lot of things were set up.

"Honestly, I don't know why things happened so late," Evain said. "I don't know if it's down to governance or the way the preparation was done."

"The human rights declaration could have been adopted significantly earlier, and that would have had a broader impact on the preparation," Evain said.

"Nevertheless, when the engagement started, it was genuine, and it was a meaningful consultation," he added. "UEFA sought an ambitious human rights policy, which was not at all the case for previous tournaments. All in all, it's progress and it's also a lesson learned for future tournaments."

Edited by: Matt Pearson

Expecting efficiency? Think twice

Perhaps the most talked-about takeaway from the tournament so far has been this: German efficiency isn't what it's cracked up to be. Surprised? Well, while locals are well accustomed to a rail network characterized by caprice and chaos, transport headaches came as an unwelcome shock to tens of thousands of visiting fans.

The country that many supporters expected to find – where things work as advertised and the trains run on time – has turned out to be a mirage. Many have faced delays, overcrowding, or unexplained cancellations, in various locations right across the country.

Some cities have managed to handle the pressure — Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig among them — but Cologne, Düsseldorf, Munich, and above all Gelsenkirchen have made energetic contributions to the dismantling of the German efficiency myth.

On the walk to the Cologne Stadium on Wednesday evening, one supporter told DW of his disbelief and dismay. A veteran of previous tournaments, he summoned wistful memories of happier days. "I was here in 2006, and there wasn't a late train all summer!"

Old-school football enjoying a renaissance 

The clipboard-wielders, data nerds, statisticians and tacticians might have taken over in the world of club football, but it seems there's still space for anarchy in the international game. Several matches so far have delivered a welcome shot of old-school, high-octane energy.

Take Turkey's opener against Georgia, arguably the standout fixture of the group stage. It was anaerobic football; don't pause for breath, dash, sprint, charge! Panicked attacking was preferred to patience in possession, all-or-nothing dice throws to damage limitation in defense, and arrogant shots from distance to intricately crafted passing moves.

These were the makings of a rich, unforgettable encounter, a remarkable first-ever appearance at a European Championships for Georgia, which they were made to play in a deeply inhospitable setting. The noise of the Turkish supporters was ear-splitting, their power fearsome. A riotously loud BVB Stadium in Dortmund was the spectacular stage that this fixture deserved, and the football was fitting too; chaotic, electric, captivating.

Politics can't be kept at bay

The motto of Euro 2024 is "United by Football," and in the sense that 24 countries have been brought together in one country to play the beautiful game, it is apt.

The case of Mirlind Daku, though, is one of many that speaks of discord under the surface. Daku was suspended for two games by UEFA after initiating nationalist chants with Albanian supporters after their 2-2 draw with Croatia. UEFA said that the songs in question brought football into disrepute. The Albanian federation was ordered to pay a total of $50,000 (€46,800) in fines after supporters reportedly chanted "Kill the Serb," during the same fixture.

There have also been reports that Croatian supporters chanted the same thing. At Serbia's opening match, English supporters held aloft the flag of independent Kosovo during the singing of the national anthems.

Opposite them, Serbians raised a banner on which the inscription "No Surrender" was emblazoned across a map of Serbia incorporating Kosovo. Ahead of their subsequent game, a group of supporters was reportedly heard chanting "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" as they marched across Munich's Marienplatz.

With so many sources of tension discoloring relations between Balkan nations, and so many of those in attendance at the tournament, it ought to come as no surprise that politics have forced their way into view at the Euros.

A whole host of hosts

Back in 2018, Germany won the right to host Euro 2024 against one other bid. Funny then, that six years down the line, the unsuccessful applicant should end up competing in a home tournament regardless. Then again, given that between two and a half and three million people living in Germany have Turkish roots, it's no wonder that their fans at these Euros have been so formidable.

Twice in Dortmund and once in Hamburg, the Turkish 11 have walked out of the tunnel feeling right at home, with tens of thousands of raucous supporters puffing wind into their sails. Their poor opponents have had to endure the cauldron, suffering deafening concerts of whistles during every spell of possession.

Germany's neighbors to the northwest, the Netherlands, might also have a claim to the title of honorary host nation. The Oranje invasions of Hamburg, Berlin, and Leipzig were little short of seismic.

And while we're on the topic of special supporters, the Scots also won plenty of German hearts during their short sojourn at the tournament. So endearing were the Tartan Army that an online petition calling for Germany and Scotland to play an annual friendly has gathered close to 50,000 signatures.

Nothing like a 'proper' tournament

As many fans from many different countries have told DW, the attraction of a "proper" tournament — in summer, in one place, in a time without pandemic woes — is immense, particularly after such a long time without one.

Transport woes and first-week weather aside, Germany has been a perfect host. The stadiums are world class and the atmospheres they've helped create have been exceptional. Security fears have so far been allayed and crowd trouble has been almost entirely absent.

Those long-guarded local hopes of a second "summer fairytale" feel like they're being fulfilled — that is, as far as it's possible to measure a phenomenon so nebulous and elusive.

It certainly won't hurt in that regard if Germany stick around in the competition a little while longer. But even if they vacate the stage, whoever is left will be given a gracious welcome. It's a credit to the host nation that so many visitors have felt so at home here, too. 

Edited by: Matt Pearson

Who are the favorites?

The bookmakers have 2020 Euro runners-up England as favorites ahead of World Cup runners-up France and hosts Germany. Defending champions Italy are only sixth in the betting.

Albania, Slovakia and European Championship newcomers Georgia look to be the biggest outsiders.

Based on the FIFA world rankings, the title should go to France, who are No. 2 behind world champions Argentina. The best-placed Euro 2024 participants behind them are Belgium (3rd), England (4th) and Portugal (6th). Germany (16th) are currently only the ninth-best team in Europe according to the rankings. Debutants Georgia (75th) are the lowest-ranked European Championship participants.

Which format will be used?

The tournament format is the same as the last two men's Euros, with 24 nations taking part. Initially, four teams will play each other in six groups. The group winners and runners-up, as well as the four best third-placed teams, advance to the round of 16. If teams in the same group are on the same points, the first tiebreaker is the head-to-head result of the two teams. If two third-placed teams in different groups are tied on points, goal difference comes into play.

The knockout system then continues through the quarterfinals and semifinals to the final. If there is no winner in the 90 minutes, knockout games are decided via two 15-minute periods of extra time or a penalty shootout.

Where will the games be played?

There are a total of 10 venues for the 51 matches. The Olympiastadion in Berlin (71,000 spectators), Munich (66,000) and Dortmund (62,000) will host the most matches, namely six. In Berlin, the largest of the 10 stadiums, a quarterfinal, a round of 16 match and three group matches are on the program in addition to the final on July 14. Euro 2024 opens on June 14 in Munich with the match between Germany and Scotland.

Five matches each are scheduled in stadiums in Stuttgart (51,000), Hamburg (49,000), Düsseldorf (47,000), Frankfurt (47,000) and Cologne (43,000), and four each in Leipzig (40,000) and Gelsenkirchen (50,000). Düsseldorf is the one city that did not host games at the 2006 men's World Cup.Nuremberg, Hanover and Kaiserslautern miss out this time.

Where can fans watch matches outside stadiums?

There will be fan zones in all host cities, where the matches will be shown on big screens. Admission to the fan zones and other public viewing areas is free. As was the case during the 2006 World Cup, tens of thousands of football fans are expected to gather at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, in Munich's Olympic Park or on the banks of the Main river in Frankfurt to watch the games together. A huge artifical "pitch" for fans to stand on has already been laid out on the avenue leading to the Brandenburg Gate.

What is the security situation?

"The security of the European Football Championship in our country is a top priority," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. "The police will have a strong presence at all venues and wherever there are large numbers of people."

Border controls are planned during the tournament. Above all, the security authorities are aiming to prevent terrorists and hooligans from entering Germany. The British government, for example, has imposed an exit ban on 1,600 fans deemed as potentially violent for the duration of the European Championship.

Germany's Federal Police, who are responsible for the borders, will have about 22,000 officers on duty across the country every day. They will also be supported by several hundred colleagues from abroad. Cooperation with the French security forces is particularly close — also in view of the two major sporting events in Paris after the European Championship — the Olympic Games (July 26 to August 11) and the Paralympic Games (August 28 to September 8).

According to the German Interior Ministry, the security risk will be reassessed every day. No matter how tight the security, terrorist attacks or other acts of violence cannot be ruled out.

This was demonstrated in 2023, when a terrorist shot two Sweden fans in Brussels on the sidelines of the Euro qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden. In 2015, suicide bombers struck outside France's match with Germany in Paris as part of the wider attacks that rocked the French capital.

This article was originally published in German.

An inconspicuous mountain road in the north of Spain. The ribbon of asphalt winds its way from the Alto de Olaeta down into the valley. The road descends at a gradient of up to 14% — steep, but nothing out of the ordinary for professional cyclists. And yet the small mountain road in the Basque Country could be a deciding factor in this year's Tour de France. Not because a mountain stage ends there, but because it was the scene of a distressing incident during one of the preparatory races.

In April, three of the four favorites for the Tour de France raced down the Alto de Olaeta during the Tour of the Basque Country and were involved in serious crashes. Primoz Roglic (Slovenia), Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) fell from their bikes, partially hit a concrete drain and suffered numerous broken bones. The cause: uneven road surfaces and excessive speed. The only favorite not to have crashed is Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia), who dominated the Giro d'Italia and is now aiming for the Giro-Tour double.

Are the riders to blame for the crashes?

Crashes have always been a part of cycling, but why do they seem to be becoming more frequent?

One reason is the pressure to perform, says Adam Hansen, president of the CPA riders' association and a former professional cyclist.

"Risk is part of the job. If you show weakness or don't take the necessary risk, there are 20 other riders behind you who would," the Australian told DW.  "And the sporting directors remember that. If you're not prepared to take risks, then you'll lose your place in the team."

In other words, at least part of what is making things more dangerous is the human factor.

"Based on the UCI (cycling's world governing body) database that we work with, half of the crashes in professional cycling are caused by the riders," Hansen said.

He also believes that the pros themselves have a responsibility to avoid fatal crashes and to ride more risk-consciously. This is why he is pushing for the introduction of disciplinary measures in the form of yellow and red cards.

"That will bring a big improvement, because so far no one has been held accountable for misconduct," Hansen said. However, the new system won't go into testing until August – after the Tour.

A measure that has already been decided is the extension of the three-kilometer rule. In stages with flat finishes, all riders who crashed or broke down in the last three kilometers were previously counted with the same time as the group they belonged to at the time of the crash. This will now be extended to five kilometers before the finish.

"That was something the riders had been calling for," Hansen said.

Many classification riders were afraid of losing time in the finale. The resulting rivalry between sprint teams and teams focused on overall classification can lead to a lot of heated battles in the final push for the finish line.

Enter artifical intelligence

However, the data shows that the riskiest part of races starts earlier.

"The majority of crashes happen within the last 20 to 30 kilometers," Steven Verstockt, computer scientist and data analyst from the University of Ghent in Belgium said. In his Course project, he has recorded and scientifically analyzed more than 1,000 crashes in professional cycling – with the aid of artificial intelligence. The UCI is already using Verstockt's data, but the researcher is also calling for more openness to technology from organizers of races like the Tour de France.

"My suggestion would be for every rider to gets a sensor that records their data. This would help us to better understand the race and also to punish incorrect behavior," he said.

One aim of the project is to provide associations and event organizers with data-based answers as to which sections of the route are particularly dangerous. Among other things, onboard cameras and GPS data from the riders are analyzed. According to the AI-based analysis, the most common causes of crashes include fast and narrow descents as well as changing or poor road surfaces.

However, it is precisely these sections of the route that fascinate fans: high mountain stages with steep climbs and fast descents as well as cobbled sections are crowd pullers. However, the spectacular passages can have fatal consequences in the worst case. Time and again, athletes have crashed so badly at high speed that they did not survive the accident. Wouter Weylandt in 2011, Chad Young in 2017, Bjorg Lambrecht in 2019 and Gino Mäder in 2023 - tragic racing accidents that reignited the debate about rider safety. The Tour responds with additional safety measures: dangerous bends are secured with padded barriers, and acoustic signals warn riders of dicey sections of the route. But is there such a thing as safe cycling?

Ever faster due to new technology

In view of speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour (81 miles per hour) on mountain descents, ridden on 25- to 32-millimeter-wide tires, making things completely safe is an illusion.

"The willingness of each individual rider to take risks is even higher in the Tour than in other races, because there is a lot at stake for every team and every rider," German sprinter Phil Bauhaus told DW.

That's why every detail counts, the bike, the clothing, the helmets and even socks that have been aerodynamically optimized in the wind tunnel have long been standard in the peloton. Added to this are ever-flatter seating positions on the bike, tires with reduced roll resistance and optimized nutrition and recovery for the riders. Every team is looking for the "marginal gains" once introduced by the successful Sky team, the small gains that make the difference – and in turn make the race faster and faster.

The Tour set a record in 2022 with an average speed of 42.1 km/h, and this year, fabulous values were achieved in the classics Milan – San Remo (46.1 km/h) and Paris – Roubaix (47.8 km/h). What does this mean for the races? 

"The reaction time is shorter and the braking distance is longer, which makes it more difficult to avoid a fall," said Bauhaus, who made his debut at the Tour last year. He's calling for adjustments to the routes, more wide main roads. That would mean less danger for riders. Because there is no way back: "The bike manufacturers and clothing manufacturers naturally want to present and sell the best material. We professionals are the people who promote it. I don't believe that the sponsors want to give us worse material so that we ride slower. I don't see how you could slow the sport down again."

This article was originally published in German. 

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