Chancellor Merz is giving a major policy statement. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian man is going on trial in Hamburg in the case of a 2022 attack on major gas pipelines. DW has more.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is delivering a major policy statement amid sinking popularity and coalition infighting. Serhii K. is believed to be one of several people involved in the September 2022 explosion at the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Germany's foreign minister will meet his Bulgarian counterpart following drone attacks in the Black Sea.
In the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) won recent elections in a landslide, a new alliance has flexed its muscle. The AfD put forward a motion to halt arms deliveries to Ukraine and lift sanctions against Russia. Instead, they argue, peace talks with Russia should be initiated. The Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason (BSW), which holds five seats in the state parliament, again teamed up with the AfD to ensure a majority for the motion. The BSW combines left-leaning economics with right-wing populist positions on immigration and relations with Russia. AfD and BSW also called for an immediate halt to financial support for Ukraine, to the extent that it goes beyond humanitarian aid. The motion by the AfD and BSW has no more than symbolic value, as decisions regarding sanctions against Russia and aid to Ukraine are made not by the federal states, but by the federal government and the European Union. But the new alliance of AfD and BSW has a wider significance. It is seen by observers as a sign of longer-term and closer cooperation between the two parties, which originate from very different ideological camps.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to outline Germany's priorities on Ukraine, European defense and economic competitiveness in a parliamentary address ahead of an EU summit in Brussels. His government statement is scheduled for 14:05 local time (12:05 UTC), followed by a 90-minute debate. EU leaders meet on Thursday and Friday, with the Middle East, the bloc's next long-term budget and EU enlargement also on the agenda. After the speech, the opposition Greens are set to put forward two motions calling for faster bloc enlargement and stronger measures to counter economic coercion and protect the bloc's market. Merz's address follows a more domestic-focused speech on planned reforms at an employers' conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
Germany's annual inflation rate rose to 3.3% in September, its highest level since December 2023, as fuel and heating oil prices surged. The Federal Statistical Office confirmed its preliminary estimate, up from 2.9% in August and 2.8% in July. The increase was again driven by energy prices, said the office's president, Ruth Brand, highlighting higher costs at gas stations and for heating oil. Energy prices rose 14.9% compared with September last year, their steepest annual increase since February 2023. Motor fuel prices jumped 37.1%, while heating oil rose 74.9%.
The trial of a Ukrainian man accused of leading the operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 has begun in Hamburg. The 50-year-old, identified under German privacy rules as Serhii K., faces charges including a war crime, causing explosions, destroying structures and disrupting public services. Prosecutors allege that he planned the attack with other Ukrainian military personnel on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state bodies. They say the aim was to prevent Russia from using gas export revenues to finance its war against Ukraine. Serhii K., who was arrested in Italy last year, denies involvement. Ukraine's government has also denied any role in the attack.
Police in the town of Dorsten, just north of the city of Essen, said that they had detained three people who were blocking the A31 motorway. The group was attempting to stop trucks carrying radioactive waste. After repelling down from a bridge above the highway, they unfurled a banner reading "stop this crap."
The suicide rate in Germany has continued to climb, according to official statistics just released by the Federal Ministry of Health. In 2025, at least 11,334 people killed themselves in Germany. That is a 9.3% increase on the previous year, and 15.6% higher than the average over the past decade. The data shows that this is partly due to more women taking their own lives, though most suicides are still carried out by men. The increase is also due to an increase in assisted suicides for the elderly and infirm, amounting to over 1,000 people.
According to German media reports, the ruling coalition of Chancellor Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) has found a compromise for a planned tax increase on sugar. The law would impact sugar drinks in particular, and is set to come into effect on July 1 of next year. CDU state premier of Hesse, Boris Rhein, slammed the plan on Wednesday, accusing the coalition of pretending the measure was about health when really it was so "the populace can continue to plug up holes in the federal budget at the cash register."
