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Berlin Briefing

A weekly look at German politics

05.09.2023 | 19:00 UTC

In this edition: Political posturing continues as parliament reconvenes after its summer recess; a new symbol for the multicultural German capital: the country’s largest Hindu temple nears completion; violence is on the rise in Germany’s struggling schools; and Plauderbänke (chat benches) help combat loneliness.

Berlin’s Victory Column was inaugurated 150 years ago by Emperor Wilhelm I

Willkommen to DW’s Berlin Briefing

By DW’s Analysis Team

“Wir sind eine Regierung, wo gehämmert und geschraubt wird.” We are a government that hammers and screws, said Finance Minister Christian Lindner last week, adding that this process “may be noisy, but in the end, there is something to show for it.”

This week, the “hammering” continues in the federal parliament, the Bundestag, which resumes after the summer break. The first debate on the budget plans is traditionally an opportunity to exchange blows and for individuals to sharpen their profile.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner kicked the parliamentary session off by presenting and defending his budget for 2024.

Wednesday sees the highlight of the week: the debate on the chancellor’s budget.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be wearing an eye patch due to a minor injury he sustained when he tripped and fell during a weekend run.

Olaf Scholz’s eyepatch…

… sparked countless pirate memes when he posted his photo on social media.

Scholz had suggested his coalition would work without so much audible hammering from now on. That may be no more than wishful thinking.

The latest acrimonious debate surrounds rising electricity costs: The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens suggest a state-subsidized industrial electricity price. The FDP is opposed and has suggested to stop the dismantling of the country’s decommissioned nuclear power plants. Germany ended operations at its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 this year.

The chancellor has stepped in: “Nuclear energy is over. The issue of nuclear energy in Germany is a dead horse,” he told public broadcaster DLF. “Anyone who wanted to build new nuclear power plants would need 15 years and would have to spend €15-20 billion ($16.2-21.6 billion) each,” Scholz said.

Nuclear phaseout leaves radioactive problem

While Germany searches for a permanent storage facility for its nuclear waste, it risks sitting on piles of dangerous waste for decades. The problem drains public finances by hundreds of millions of euros every year.

This week’s political debates offer a stage to the man who leads the largest opposition party and is aiming for the chancellorship in 2025: CDU chairman Friedrich Merz.

On Monday, the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union took the opportunity for a warm-up run at a Bavarian town hall classic: The Gillamoos.

Gillamoos dates back hundreds of years to a market for pilgrims on their way to honor Saint Giles. Now it is a fair, with one day reserved for pithy political speeches held simultaneously by politicians from all parties in separate tents at the fairgrounds. They are regularly explosive in terms of content and media coverage.

Crowds were substantial this year with election campaigning underway, and public scrutiny surrounding Bavaria’s Vice Premier and Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger, who will remain in office despite a political scandal involving antisemitism allegations.

Former Blackrock CEO Merz is seen to be a more natural fit in business boardrooms, sporting a suit and tie rather than a traditional regional outfit in front of a jeering crowd in a Bavarian beer tent. But he garnered applause when he pushed his anti-woke message lashing out at both public and private media, calling out: “Germany is not Berlin Kreuzberg. Germany is Gillamoos!” to frenetic applause from the audience.

The diverse district of Kreuzberg stands out in many ways as a multicultural hub. And now a major event is just around the corner: The completion of Germany’s largest Hindu temple after 20 years of construction.

Berlin gets Germany’s biggest Hindu temple

What do major enterprises such as Amazon have to do with a new place of worship in Berlin? The largest Hindu temple in Germany is due to open in the capital in the coming months.

school woes

Summer vacation was used for construction work on thousands of dilapidated school buildings across Germany.

The municipalities are responsible for financing the construction and renovation work, but their coffers have been emptied by rising refugee numbers and increased energy prices.

Germany’s school system is in a sorry state, lacking tens of thousands of teachers.

Germans are increasingly unhappy about the quality of education. The overwhelming majority of respondents said they believe that education was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and pointed to the lack of funds and a systemic inertia as the most serious problems facing Germany’s schools.

More students are struggling and many fourth graders are unable to read or write properly, especially children with a migrant background, many of whom face systemic marginalization. All-day activities and targeted support would be necessary. But that again would require heavy investment.