German Chancellor Merz Advises Against US Study/Work Amid Social Climate Concerns
Mark Hallam | Natalie Muller with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters
Published 05/15/2026Published May 15, 2026
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he wouldn't currently advise young Germans like his children to move to the US to study or work. He cited "the social climate that has suddenly developed."
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dn8Y
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Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Speaking at a Catholic convention, Friedrich Merz said his great admiration of the US was 'not increasing' at the moment
The German chancellor also said he had a 'good phone call' with US President Donald Trump
Germany's government is predicting a clear economic slowdown in the second quarter
Rising energy prices have led to lower production and job losses in Germany's energy-intensive industries
Reports of a dead whale off Denmark have sparked questions about the fate of a humpback that spent weeks stuck off Germany's Baltic Sea coast
These updates are now closed. Below is a roundup of news headlines from Germany on Friday, May 15, 2026:
Skip next section Denmark is testing tissue samples of dead whale
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Denmark is testing tissue samples of dead whale
Danish authorities say they are testing tissue samples from a dead whale found off the island of Anholt to ascertain if it might be a humpback that was rescued off Germany's Baltic Sea coast earlier this month.
The case of the young humpback, dubbed Timmy by the press, has captivated the German public.
Timmy became stranded off Germany last month and spent weeks languishing in shallow waters until an operation resulted in him being guided onto a water-filled barge and transported out to the North Sea.
Experts said at the time that the whale's health was poor and that its chances of survival were slim.
Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency said the humpback carcass found in its waters could be Timmy, and that the tissue samples would hopefully help to provide answers.
"No distinctive characteristics were observed that could confirm that this is the same humpback whale that had previously stranded in Germany and was later transported through Danish waters," the agency said. "However, this possibility cannot be ruled out at this time."
https://p.dw.com/p/5DoyC
Skip next section Antarctic research ship 'Polarstern' returns from 6-month mission
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Antarctic research ship 'Polarstern' returns from 6-month mission
The more than 40-year-old German research vessel Polarstern — Polaris or Pole Star in English — has completed its last half-year mission to Antarctica.
The ship returned to its home port in Bremerhaven in northern Germany on Friday after 183 days in the Antarctic. The research team had been analyzing the melting of Antarctic sea ice, which was long considered colder and therefore more stable than the North Pole's ice caps.
German Research Minster Dorothee Bär called the vessel "the most meaningful ship in our research fleet," saying that the mission's data "is transforming our understanding of the world's oceans."
"It's laying before our eyes that the sea ice of the Antarctic is also being affected by climage change," Bär said. "This affects us all."
Hajo Eicken, the scientific director of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) that operates the ship, said that analysis of the data was ongoing but that the findings already seemed significant.
"The interactions between the ice sheet and the ocean, as well as the ecosystems shaped by the sea ice, now appear to be far more dynamic and variable thant they did when the ship was deployed," Eicken said.
Why scientists are freezing glacier ice in Antarctica
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Researchers used aerial observation to measure the thickness of the sea ice along a stretch about 4,400 kilometers (roughly 2,735 miles) long and also spent 35 days sailing through the ice, according to the AWI.
The Polarstern has sailed on more than 150 expeditions since its first in 1982, covering almost 2 million nautical miles. From 2030 onwards, it will be replaced by the revamped Polarstern II, Research Minister Bär said on Friday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DpD3
Skip next section Merz says he wouldn't advise his kids to go to the US
Published 05/15/2026Published May 15, 2026
Merz says he wouldn't advise his kids to go to the US
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he wouldn't advise his own children or other young Germans to move to the US for study or work.
Speaking at the German Catholic Convention in Würzburg, he referred to "the social climate that has suddenly developed" in the United States and said that "even the best educated in America have great difficulty in finding a job."
"I am a great admirer of America, but right now my admiration is not increasing," he said, to laughter from the 1,600-strong audience — many of them young people. "I wouldn't recommend to my children today that they go to the US, get an education there, and work there."
Merz famously spent much of his career in business traveling to and from the US as part of his work with the Blackrock investment management company.
Merz says he would not advise young people to move to US
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This was Merz's first appearance at the Catholic Convention since he took office in 2025. Seated alongside the 70-year-old Chancellor were 19-year-old student Amy Kirchhoff from Saxony and 29-year-old Lisa Quarch from the Federation of German Catholic Youth.
For just over an hour, the discussion touched on many domestic German issues: anxieties about the future, educational opportunities, and youth centers that have been hollowed out by budget cuts.
The remark regarding the US is one of those signature personal statements from Merz — the kind that has the potential not only to make the German television news but also to be picked up on the other side of the Atlantic.
The comments come after a public spat between Merz and US President Donald Trump after the chancellor said Iran was "humiliating" Washington.
That prompted an angry response from Trump, who said Merz was doing a "terrible" job as leader and subsequently announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dnsu
Skip next section Manuel Neuer extends Bayern Munich contract at 40
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Manuel Neuer extends Bayern Munich contract at 40
Aged 40, Germany's most capped goalkeeper in history Manuel Neuer is not done yet.
The Bayern Munich number 1 extended his contract for another season, the Bundesliga champions said on Friday.
"I took time over this decision and am very happy about it," Neuer said. "All the pieces fit here. We can beat anybody with this team, I enjoy heading to Säbener Straße [Bayern Munich's training facilities] every day and perform at a high level."
After weeks of rumors, the indications are becoming ever clearer that Neuer might also come out of international retirement and return to keep goal for Germany in the World Cup this summer. On Thursday, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann named Neuer among the 55-man preliminary squad for the competition.
What's certain, though, is that the veteran will still be standing between the posts for Bayern next season.
"FC Bayern has a series of absolutely extraordinary goalkeepers in its history — and Manuel Neuer occupies a truly special place among them," club president Herbert Hainer said. "He is the face not just of one generation but of two, and is a captain who is an exemplary role model on and off the pitch."
Club chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen called Neuer one of "the best transfers in our club's history."
Neuer joined Bayern in the summer of 2011 for a fee of €30 million (roughly $35 million at today's exchange rates) from Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04, the Gelsenkirchen native's local team where he had come up as a youngster before bursting into the first team aged 20.
When Neuer made his Bundesliga debut on August 19, 2006, many of Bayern's new generation of players were infants or young children. Teenage rising star Lennart Karl had not even been born.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dp48
Skip next section Frankfurt customs office seizes live animals, 15 tons of drugs in 2025
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Frankfurt customs office seizes live animals, 15 tons of drugs in 2025
The Frankfurt Main Customs Office seized nearly 30,000 rare plants and animals, or products made from them, last year, according to the agency's annual report released Friday.
The office, which oversees Frankfurt Airport, said the items ranged from live iguanas and tortoises to a wolf fur coat, creams made from snake venom and corals.
The report said the items were found in intercepted cargo and mail shipments, as well as in passengers' luggage.
Customs officials also seized nearly 15,000 kilograms (33,000 pounds) of drugs with a street value of around €190 million ($220 million).
The report said 88 suspected drug smugglers were apprehended at the airport, one of whom had swallowed 760 grams of cocaine packed into small capsules.
Officials also discovered almost half a million counterfeit items and 755,000 illegally imported medications, such as erectile dysfunction drugs and hair growth products, that had been primarily shipped by mail.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DoWc
Skip next section German intelligence agency stops Scientology surveillance
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
German intelligence agency stops Scientology surveillance
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has decided to end its surveillance of Scientology, citing the organization's declining relevance.
Scientology was founded in the US in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. The first branch was set up in Germany in 1970 and it had been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency since 1997.
The agency said that while that comprehensive surveillance would be discontinued, it would still continue monitoring anti-constitutional activities by individual members.
Scientology describes itself as a church, but it has been accused of threatening democracy and operating like a cult.
Scientology maintains a number of branches in Germany, including in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, and Stuttgart. According to the domestic intelligence agency, it had about 3,600 members in 2024, a number that has not changed since 2021.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DoA3
Skip next section Merz says he had 'good phone call' with Trump
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Merz says he had 'good phone call' with Trump
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he and US President Donald Trump were in agreement that Iran must come to the negotiating table now and that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open.
"I had a good phone call with @POTUS Donald Trump on his way back from China," Merz wrote on X, adding that they agreed "the US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO."
He said they had also agreed that Tehran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
The comments come amid strained relations between the US and Germany following a recent spat between the two leaders. Merz last month said Iran had "humiliated" the US, prompting Trump to criticize the German leader. The US also subsequently announced it would withdraw 5,000 American troops from bases in Germany.
Meanwhile, Merz said on Friday at a German Catholic event that he wouldn't send his kids to the US to work or study due to the current "social climate," a remark that drew applause from the audience.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DoIk
Skip next section Commerzbank job cuts to be driven by AI
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Commerzbank job cuts to be driven by AI
The head of Commerzbank says artificial intelligence is expected to account for a large share of the roughly 3,000 job cuts planned by the lender.
Germany's second-largest listed bank is seeking to fend off a takeover by Italy's UniCredit and has announced layoffs alongside ambitious profit and return targets through 2030.
"AI is very powerful in various areas," chief executive Bettina Orlopp told German news agency dpa on Friday, adding that the impact of the technology had improved over the past year.
She stressed that Commerzbank aimed to protect its core workforce as much as possible, with cuts focused on external call center capacity and outside IT contractors.
"Given the demographics within our bank, we will make this process as socially responsible as possible," she said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DnsT
Skip next section Merz admits to communication problems, infighting
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Merz admits to communication problems, infighting
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has acknowledged that his government could do better to communicate with the public and deliver results.
The ruling coalition, made up of Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democrats, has struggled to find common ground on key issues such as pension and labor market reforms, and how to shield consumers from the impact of the Iran war.
"Dispute is part of democracy," Merz told an audience at the German Catholic Convention in the southern city of Würzburg. "But the dispute needs to lead to results. And maybe we are currently fighting a bit too much and are not delivering enough results. That may be possible."
Only 13% of Germans are satisfied with the federal government, according to a recent poll, while Merz's approval rating stands at just 16%. At the same time, the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is gaining in popularity.
Merz said it was important to find solutions in the political center to the challenges facing Germany and admitted that he needed to work on his communication skills to convince people it was possible.
"I know that I need to improve my communication so that this message is better understood," he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DnmP
Skip next section Dead whale found off Denmark, minister warns against speculation
05/15/2026May 15, 2026
Dead whale found off Denmark, minister warns against speculation
Following reports of a dead whale off the Danish island of Anholt, the environment minister of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania says it's unclear if it is the same mammal that spent weeks languishing off Germany's northern coast.
"As soon as we have confirmed information on the matter, we will inform the public immediately," State Environment Minister Till Backhaus said Friday.
Danish media reported late Thursday that a suspected humpback whale carcass had been spotted about 75 meters (245 feet) from Anholt's shore.
The reports said authorities had no plans to recover the whale.
In late March, a humpback whale — dubbed Timmy by the German press — became stranded off Germany's Baltic Sea coast. The marine mammal spent weeks stuck i
