BND chief warns of violent conflict with Russia

No other country is currently posing such a concrete threat against Germany, says the President of the Federal Intelligence Service. The attempted attack in Leipzig is just one example of this.

All developments in the federal politics news blog

In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our news blog.

Important updates

Ministry of Economics reacts to urgent request from the Left

BND boss: Germany is threatened with violent conflict with Russia

The Left is taking Minister Reiche to court

Steinmeier warns against extremism and calls for the protection of democracy

Bremen at the center of the unity celebrations

Anna Schimpp

BND boss: Germany is threatened with violent conflict with Russia

The President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) Martin Jäger warns against Russia becoming increasingly aggressive. “Germany is in danger of getting into a violent conflict with Russia,” said Jäger on Monday in Berlin at the hearing of the presidents of the intelligence services in the Bundestag.

The attempted attack at Leipzig Airport is just one example of this. “No other country is currently posing such a direct, comprehensive and concrete threat against Germany,” said Jäger. “Germany has become a main obstacle to Russian hegemonic power projection in Europe and thus a target for Russian actions.”

Jäger accused Russia of forcing this confrontation on Germany. The reason is that the federal government supports Ukraine and the Baltic EU and NATO states. Russia is prepared to use force to achieve its own goals. “This is also the background for increasingly aggressive activities by Russian services in and against Germany,” added the BND chief. At the same time, he warned that the war in Ukraine was entering a new, very dangerous phase with increasingly brutal Russian attacks.

The threat from Russia was also a topic at the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the BND on Sunday in Pullach:

Ministry of Economics reacts to urgent request from the Left

A spokesman for the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in relation to the Left's urgent application to the Federal Constitutional Court against Economics Minister Katherina Reiche: "The contribution is an extension of a speech to family entrepreneurs and clearly refers to the effects on and threat to Germany as a business location." The title of the clip on Instagram is “Making a strong business and investment location”.

The Left had submitted an urgent motion against the rich in Karlsruhe. The reason for the urgent application is an Instagram video from the ministry after the Left's election victory in Berlin. In excerpts from a speech on September 23rd, Reiche warns that it is dangerous for the capital and Germany as an investment location that a party talks about expropriation and writes this into its program and “openly practices anti-Semitism that frightens the Jews in this city.” Specifically, the Left argues in the application that Reiche disregarded the neutrality requirement for state organs and violated the Left's right to equal participation in political competition.

Anna Schimpp

Environment Minister Schneider: Large consumers should pay more for water

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has called for a fundamental reorientation of German water policy in view of climate change. “As a country, we have to find a new way of dealing with water: more efficient, more forward-looking, fairer,” said the SPD politician on Monday at a “Future Water” forum in Berlin organized by his ministry.

Instead of draining water quickly as before, it must be retained in the landscape, for example by re-wetting moors. Investments in water infrastructure such as storage and efficient sewage treatment plants are crucial for this. The countries should also use funds from the debt-financed 500 billion euro special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality, demanded Schneider. In addition, the costs must be distributed fairly. Those responsible for micropollutants, such as the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, should contribute to the costs of expanding sewage treatment plants. Schneider said:

“The investments must be financed fairly: not by the consumer, but by the polluter.”

Carsten Schneider (SPD)

As part of the forum, Schneider signed a joint declaration together with EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall. The aim is to accelerate the implementation of European water law and promote the reuse of water.

Barbara Klimke

The Left is taking Minister Reiche to court

The Left is taking Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) to the Federal Constitutional Court. The reason for the urgent application, which the dpa news agency has received, is an Instagram video from the ministry after the Left's election victory in Berlin. In the speech excerpts from September 23rd, Reiche warns that it is dangerous for Germany as an investment location that a party is talking about expropriation. In addition, “anti-Semitism lives openly, which frightens the Jews in this city.”

The Left had asked Reiche through a lawyer to remove the video by September 29th - but it remained online until Sunday evening. Now the party wants to implement this by going to Karlsruhe. Specifically, the Left argues in the application that Reiche disregarded the neutrality requirement for state organs and violated the party's right to equal participation in political competition. Reiche had unlawfully made “one-sided and party-political” statements in her position as Federal Economics Minister and was “part of a systematic campaign” by the CDU against the Left, as stated in the application for an interim injunction.

Other politicians also received mail from left-wing lawyers who accused the party of anti-Semitism and proximity to criminal clans via social media. Some deleted their posts afterwards, others didn't.

Steinmeier warns against extremism and calls for the protection of democracy

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for people to actively defend democracy and social cohesion. In his last speech on German Unity Day, he warned against extremism, populism and a “flood of manipulation and lies” at the central ceremony in Bremen. These developments threatened not only democracy, but also the country's internal unity. According to Steinmeier, an understanding between truth and lies or between argument and demagoguery is not possible.

At the same time, he urges the federal government to adopt reliable and persistent policies. It must address the social and economic causes of uncertainty and help ensure that wealth is distributed more fairly and sustainably. Germany should continue to support Ukraine and at the same time strengthen its diplomatic role. Steinmeier also warns of growing anti-Semitism and of further dividing society along the East-West border.

Also read:

Steinmeier takes stock of his time in office: “Bitter setbacks”

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier took stock personally and politically at the German Unity Day ceremony in Bremen. Looking at the start of his political career in 1989, he said his expectations for the progress of liberal democracy and international cooperation were greater than what had actually been achieved. There were bitter setbacks.

“I was not prepared as a democratic politician to have to defend constitutional democracy itself, our pluralism and the fundamental rights of our constitution,” admitted Steinmeier. He believed that the lessons of history had been learned. Today, however, he has to experience that right-wing extremists are questioning the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and that democracy is being challenged again.

With a view to his successor, Steinmeier said that the office of Federal President will become more demanding in the coming years. The next office holder must strengthen social cohesion and the unity of the country. It is important to meet people directly and support those who are committed to a friendly and helpful country.

Bremen at the center of the unity celebrations

The central nationwide celebrations for German Unity Day will take place this Saturday in Bremen. An ecumenical service began at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Cathedral, followed by the ceremony at 12 p.m. in the “Die Glocke” concert hall. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Council President Andreas Bovenschulte are scheduled to give speeches there. Also expected are Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner and other federal and state leaders.

During the celebrations, leading Christian clergy call for social cohesion and the protection of human dignity. The Protestant Bremen Church President Bernd Kuschnerus and the Catholic Osnabrück Bishop Dominicus Meier warned at the ecumenical celebratory service in Bremen's St. Peter's Cathedral against excluding weaker people and exacerbating social contradictions.

Politicians warn against extremism, social division and digital propaganda. At the same time, Bundestag Vice President Bodo Ramelow points to ongoing inequalities between East and West and calls for political debates to be geared more towards concrete solutions to social and economic problems. Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse calls for more tolerance and to tolerate differences between regions.

In addition to all 16 federal states, the Bundestag, Bundesrat, Federal Government and Federal Constitutional Court will also be present at the citizens' festival. Outside Bremen, peace demonstrations have been announced in Berlin and Stuttgart. The action alliance “Never again war – put down your weapons!” calls for protests against rearmament, conscription and war at 1 p.m. A demonstration is also planned in Fürstenwalde against an appearance by the Thuringian AfD state chairman Björn Höcke.

Before the unity celebrations, several hundred people demonstrated in Bremen against nationalism, militarization and social cuts. The police counted around 700 participants, the organizers around 1,000; During the procession, individual Bengalos and firecrackers were set off; initially there were no injuries. In the evening there were riots on the Sielwall: According to the police, people threw stones, bottles and pyrotechnics at emergency services. A police officer was injured and several people were arrested.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (front r-l), his wife Elke Büdenbender, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU), Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and his wife Charlotte Merz take part in the ecumenical service in Bremen's St. Petri Cathedral. Moritz Frankenberg/dpa-Pool/dpa

“Time is ripe”: Kaiser for East German Federal President

The Federal Government's Eastern Commissioner, Elisabeth Kaiser, has criticized the existing inequality between East and West and called for an East German Federal President. “I think the time is ripe for an East German head of state again,” Kaiser told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on the occasion of German Unity Day. “Why shouldn’t the next Federal President be a smart woman from East Germany?”

According to Kaiser, October 3rd is a moving day. He reminds us that living together in freedom and without borders is not a given. "For many East Germans, this was a time of great biographical upheaval and existential worries. These experiences continue to shape East Germans to this day," said Kaiser.

Since then, however, a lot has been achieved: "East Germany is now an economic innovation region, an important science location and the bridge to Eastern Europe. Many East Germans have now earned a modest fortune," emphasized the Eastern Commissioner.

Nevertheless, there are still large differences in income and wealth between East and West. East Germans are still not sufficiently represented in leadership positions. These differences must be overcome in order to actually complete unity. This is also why Kaiser is calling for more top East German political staff

Carim Soliman

Merz's satisfaction ratings are at a record low

For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the mood continues to decline. Only one in ten is satisfied or very satisfied with the work of the CDU politician in the ARD “Germany Trend”. This is the lowest value for a chancellor in the history of the “Germany Trend” since 1997, as WDR announced. Almost nine out of ten people, however, say they are less or not at all satisfied. At the beginning of September, Merz had received approval from 13 percent.

The survey also offers little that is encouraging for the Union. If there were a federal election on Sunday, the CDU and CSU would get 20 percent - that's one point less than at the beginning of September. The AfD would remain unchanged at 27 percent. The Greens would finish with 16 percent, ahead of the SPD with 13 percent. The Left would get 11 percent, the FDP would not get over the five percent hurdle with 4 percent.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) achieved significantly higher satisfaction ratings than the Chancellor. One in two people are very satisfied or satisfied with their work. 34 percent are satisfied with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), and 27 percent are satisfied with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). One in five people is satisfied with Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), and around one in six people is satisfied with Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD).

For the ARD “Germany Trend”, the opinion research institute Infratest dimap surveyed a total of 1,303 eligible voters aged 18 and over in Germany from Monday to Wednesday. The survey is representative.

Carim Soliman

Federal President intervenes in coalition dispute

Concerned about a “state crisis,” Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) and Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) on Tuesday. This is what Der Spiegel reports, citing people “in the know”.

Accordingly, Steinmeier is said to have been seriously worried that the coalition would collapse due to the dispute over nursing care reform and wanted to mediate on the matter. The reason for the concern was a conversation between him and Chancellor Merz during the ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe the day before. On Wednesday