Germany news: Raids on DFB, host cities over Euro 2024 perks

Germany has pledged to step up defense spending and take on a greater leadership role within NATO, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a "more European” alliance with less reliance on the United States.

Germany will "decisively" increase spending and reach NATO's 3.5% target by 2029, "many years earlier" than planned, he added.

"We do not want national go-it-alone approaches within NATO. We want more cooperation, both transatlantic and European," Merz said.

"Our neighbors should feel safer when Germany is strong — when Germany firmly embeds its armed forces and its alliance obligations within the alliance and within NATO."

Following a Cabinet meeting attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Merz said the government had approved measures to accelerate military infrastructure, strengthen reserves and update security laws.

"That may sound a little cumbersome, but in truth it is what we understand as a comprehensive security concept," he said.

Renewable energy has covered a record share of Germany's electricity consumption in the first half of the year.

Renewables accounted for 58% of power use, up nearly three percentage points year on year, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW).

Total renewable generation reached 152.2 billion kWh, driven mainly by strong gains in offshore wind, which rose by 28.3%. Onshore wind output increased 7%, while solar generation climbed 3.7%.

Hydropower fell by 7.7% due to low rainfall, while biomass output was largely unchanged.

Capacity expansion continued, led by solar installations with an additional 8.3 gigawatts. Onshore wind added 2.5 GW and offshore wind 0.9 GW.

"These positive figures are only possible thanks to massive investments by the energy industry," said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae, who warned that faster progress on key legislation was needed to sustain momentum.

Flight operations at Munich Airport have been temporarily suspended due to severe weather warnings.

The airport said ground handling was halted, with disruptions to air traffic expected.

It was not immediately clear how many flights or passengers were affected.

The German Weather Service warned of thunderstorms with heavy rain of up to 35 liters per square meter per hour, as well as strong winds and hail in areas northeast of Munich.

The German Football Federation (DFB) is no stranger to raids, with its Frankfurt headquarters searched several times over the past 15 years in tax and governance probes:

• 2011: Tax officials searched the DFB headquarters over suspected tax evasion by referees. The DFB said the probe concerned referee income, not the association’s own activities.
• 2015: Police and tax investigators raided the DFB in the 2006 World Cup affair, centered on a disputed €6.7 million ($7.6 million) payment to FIFA. The controversy led to DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach resigning.
• 2020: Prosecutors and tax authorities searched DFB offices and homes of current and former officials over suspected tax evasion linked to advertising income from national team matches in 2014 and 2015
• 2022: Frankfurt prosecutors searched DFB offices in a breach-of-trust investigation involving a former DFB official

German authorities have carried out nationwide raids over suspected improper perks linked to Euro 2024, police have said in a statement.

More than 150 officers from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Criminal Police Office searched the headquarters of the German Football Association (DFB) as well as city halls in multiple host cities.

Investigators are probing whether officials received unauthorized benefits, including match tickets, travel and hotel stays, potentially amounting to bribery.

The case focuses on two suspects, a 66-year-old German and a 46-year-old French national, linked to the tournament’s organizing body, Euro 2024 GmbH.

Authorities are examining whether host city officials were offered exclusive access to tickets, including for high-profile matches such as the Spain-France semi-final in Munich.

"A football ticket is not part of a salary," Interior Minister Herbert Reul told German tabloid Bild.

"Anyone in public service who holds out their hand can expect a visit from us."

Searches were also carried out in cities including Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, as well as at several companies

Leaders of Germany's ruling coalition are gathering today for a key meeting to push forward major reforms ahead of their summer vacations.

Center-right Christian Democrat (CDU) Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting the coalition committee at the chancellery, with a "major package" of measures on the agenda.

Talks are expected to focus on income tax reform, pensions, labor market flexibility and cutting bureaucracy, with the aim of agreeing concrete steps or at least a timeline.

Income tax reform is considered among the biggest hurdles. The coalition aims to provide tax relief, primarily for low and middle income, from the start of next year. The crucial question is how to fund the measures.

Participants include Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Labour Minister Bärbel Bas, both from the center-left Social Democrats. The leader of the Christian Social Union, the CDU's sister party in Bavaria, Markus Söder, is also set to attend.

Given the scope of issues, the meeting could extend beyond a single day.

A court in the Bavarian capital, Munich, is examining whether personal border checks between Germany and Austria are unlawful.

The case was brought by a commuter who regularly travels to Innsbruck and was questioned by federal police on a train in June last year.

After refusing to show identification documents, his bag was searched. He is now seeking a ruling that the check was illegal.

The plaintiff argues the measures breach European Union law, saying systematic checks violate the Schengen Agreement, which abolished internal border controls.

With the Schengen area, countries can temporarily reintroduce checks if there is a serious threat to public order or internal security. Berlin has repeatedly extended these checks.

Guten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn.

You join us as a court in Munich is examining whether personal border checks between Germany and Austria are unlawful.

The case was brought by a commuter from the Bavarian capital who regularly travels across the border.

In Berlin, Germany’s coalition leaders are meeting at the chancellery today for one last big reform push before the summer break.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants movement on tax cuts, pensions, labor rules and red tape — but the hardest question is still how to pay for it all.

Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about.