Berlin-Brandenburg Airport said it would cancel all flights and suspend traffic on Wednesday after the Verdi union called a full-day warning strike amid a pay dispute with public-sector employers. The airport urged travelers to contact their airline or tour operator for rebooking and alternative travel options. Verdi said it had rejected an employers’ offer in the second round of negotiations as unacceptable.
The strike call is part of broader industrial action planned by Verdi across Germany. The union has announced warning strikes affecting public transport in several states, with buses and trams due to remain in depots for a full day in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg. Regional branches have signalled possible action in Saarland and Brandenburg, while decisions on Hesse and Bremen were pending. Separately, pilots at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a strike ballot, with 94% of participating members backing strikes; no dates were initially set.
Transport and mobility
– Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) serves the capital region and faced major disruptions after the airport’s announcement. Travelers were told to check with carriers for updates.
– Deutsche Bahn (DB) paid out more than €156 million in compensation for delays and cancellations in 2025, down from almost €197 million the previous year. DB received some 6.2 million compensation claims in 2025, about three times the number in 2019; long-distance punctuality remained weak.
– Germany and Poland signed an agreement to boost and speed up rail connections on major corridors including Warsaw–Berlin, Krakow–Wroclaw–Zielona Gora–Berlin and Gdansk–Szczecin–Berlin. Ministers said the deal aims to increase passenger and freight links and to analyse potential high-speed projects on several cross-border corridors; about 1.2 million passengers travelled by rail between the two countries last year.
Politics and government
– In Brandenburg, Andreas Büttner, the state’s commissioner for antisemitism, resigned from the Left Party citing irreconcilable differences over the party’s stance on antisemitism and internal disputes. Büttner criticised the Left’s rejection of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition in favour of the Jerusalem Declaration, saying it relativises antisemitic narratives.
– The SPD and CDU signed a coalition agreement in Brandenburg, replacing the collapsed SPD–BSW coalition and setting priorities for the next three and a half years. Premier Dietmar Woidke (SPD) and CDU regional chair Jan Redmann signed the deal.
– Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament, denied allegations of cooperation with the far-right AfD after reporting that EPP members had communicated with far-right groups about immigration policy. Bavarian premier Markus Söder said the revelations were disturbing but that assurances from EPP leadership were acceptable for now. German lawmakers were urged to maintain a “firewall” against the AfD.
Foreign and security policy
– The German government said the war in Iran is not NATO’s affair and indicated it would not join military efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. A government spokesman and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said NATO has no mandate for such a deployment and Germany would not participate militarily in keeping the strait open amid the conflict.
– There is broad political consensus in Germany against sending European warships to the Strait of Hormuz, with officials across the spectrum warning that naval units could not secure the waterway against asymmetric threats and that deployment would be perilous.
Society, law and finance
– Church membership in Germany fell by more than a million in 2025. The Protestant Church lost about 580,000 members, with 17.4 million Protestants remaining; the Catholic Church lost about 550,000 members, leaving some 19.2 million Catholics. Baptisms and church weddings also declined.
– Jacques Tilly, a German satirical sculptor, faces an in absentia trial in Moscow on charges including libel and “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations,” after creating Carnival floats critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Closing arguments were heard and a verdict could follow; a guilty verdict would not lead to deportation from Germany but could limit Tilly’s travel to countries without extradition agreements with Russia.
– Italian bank UniCredit submitted a formal takeover bid of about €35 billion for Germany’s Commerzbank, aiming to exceed the 30% threshold under German takeover law. UniCredit is already Commerzbank’s largest shareholder; the move is expected to face resistance from Commerzbank management, employee representatives and German authorities.
Elections and public mood
– Germany’s ruling federal coalition faces a series of state elections in 2026. After a narrow defeat for the CDU in Baden-Württemberg, five state votes will test party standing, with particular focus on the growing support for the far-right AfD, especially in eastern states.
– Partial results from Hesse’s regional elections showed the CDU leading with roughly 29.7% and the SPD at about 20.2%. The AfD made significant gains, overtaking the Greens to become the third-strongest party in the partial count, confirming concern over the far right’s nationwide rise.
Other
– UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to the late German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, calling him “a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual” whose work shaped democratic thought.
(End of report)