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Germany news: Merz, Weidel face off after AfD state win
Germany news: Merz, Weidel face off after AfD state win
Mark Hallam | Richard Connor with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, SID, KNA, epdPublished 09/09/2026Published September 9, 2026last updated 09/09/2026last updated September 9, 2026Alice Weidel and Friedrich Merz traded barbs in the Bundestag days after the AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt put new pressure on the German chancellor.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MIYoWhat you need to know
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Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany from Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
- Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel and Chancellor Friedrich Merz are facing each other in parliament
- The general debate comes days after the AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt's state election
- The result has increased pressure on Merz, who is being blamed by some in his conservative Christian Democratic Union for the party's poor performance
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Skip next section US defense company to manufacture cruise missiles in Leipzig09/09/2026September 9, 2026US defense company to manufacture cruise missiles in Leipzig
US defense company Covenant said Wednesday it aims to produce cruise missiles at a new factory in Germany beginning next year. The move comes as investment in Germany defense industry increases.
The plant, in the eastern German city of Leipzig, would manufacture long-range Anthem missiles, with a payload of 200 kilograms (441 pounds).
The 10,000-square-meter (108,000-square-foot) site will be the group's largest missile production facility, Covenant said in a press release, without mentioning the value of the investment.
The Anthem ground-launched cruise missiles will also be manufactured at sites in the United States and Israel.
Production in Leipzig will begin with around 1,000 units per year, before increasing to 5,000 units, and create many jobs, the firm said, without giving further details.
Can Europe's defense giants come together?
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Anthem is aimed at helping to plug a "capability gap within European armed forces in the field of long-range precision weapons," Covenant said.
"When you look at our adversaries, you see thousands of hardened targets, beyond the range of current capabilities," said Michael Kaufman, Covenant's co-founder and chief executive said in a press release.
"Anthem was built to credibly hold those targets at risk in a prolonged conflict. If our stockpiles run thin, so does our deterrence."
Germany and other European NATO members are looking for long-range weapons as a response to the Russian threat. At the NATO summit in Ankara, the German government agreed with the United States to buy US Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Founded in 2024, Covenant said it has raised more than $250 million from investors in three funding rounds, including investment from a venture capital firm belonging to Peter Thiel, a billionaire and ally of US President Donald Trump.
Last week several hundred people demonstrated in Leipzig against Covenant's plans to open a factory there.
Unpacking Germany's secret ballistic missile test
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MLcsSkip next section Merz again calls for major cuts to EU budget as Costa visits09/09/2026September 9, 2026Merz again calls for major cuts to EU budget as Costa visits
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has again called for cuts to the next EU long-term budget amid a visit to Berlin by European Council President Antonio Costa.
He argued that the plan was unaffordable at a time when domestic spending restraint was increasingly necessary.
The proposed budget put forward by the European Commission is for the 2028-34 period. In total, it envisages spending of almost €2 trillion ($2.33 trillion) across the seven years.
This is a fraction of what individual EU member states combined spend at the national level but then it only covers a small fraction of public sector responsibilities, the largest of which are agricultural spending and so-called "cohesion policy," or regional development and attempts to uplift less prosperous parts of the union.
"Europe needs both realism and reform," Merz said at a press conference with Costa, noting that the current budget it almost 60% larger than its predecessor. "At a time of budget cuts in all member states, this is simply unaffordable."
Merz also called for the next budget to reprioritize issues like competitiveness and defense, saying it would not be possible "to solve 21st century problems with a 20th century budget."
The budget, formally known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), is always difficult to negotiate for two main reasons. It tends to naturally pit net contributors, who often want to keep spending low, against net recipients, who tend to argue the reverse. It also requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states, so a true compromise acceptable to all must be found.
Costa and Merz said they hoped an agreement could be reached by the end of 2026, which would allow for a planning period of one year after the budget is agreed.
Costa is currently touring European capitals seeking common ground on the issue among heads of state and government.
"We cannot ask [for] more from member states," he said. "We need to create new own resources in order to protect the national budgets. All national budgets must be respected."
How risky is the German government's borrowing spree?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MLOFSkip next section Update — Police at Rheinfelden border post give all clear09/09/2026September 9, 2026Update — Police at Rheinfelden border post give all clear
Police in Freiburg near the Swiss border say that their search of a car at the Rheinfelden border crossing is complete.
They confirmed prior reports that suspicion of a potentially dangerous situation arose, initially at around 1 p.m., "as a result of the actions of explosives-detection dogs."
Two German citizens were provisionally detained, a standard safety exclusion zone was set up and federal police specialists responded at the scene, police said.
The incident had led to long queues at the busy boder crossing between Germany and Switzerland across the Rhine River east of Basel.
"At around 8 p.m. the all-clear could be issued. No dangerous materials were found. The autobahn could be reopened once again," police said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MLRESkip next section Porsche completes sale of Bugatti and Rimac stakes as authorities give green light09/09/2026September 9, 2026Porsche completes sale of Bugatti and Rimac stakes as authorities give green light
Porsche has completed its sale of its remaining stakes in luxury supercar marque Bugatti and Croatian electric supercar maker Rimac.
It had first announced plans to sell its remaining stake in the company to HOF Capital in April of this year, saying it wanted to prioritize its core businesses.
On Wednesday, Porsche said that the sale had been approved by regulators and been completed.
The struggling Stuttgart-based company said it had raised roughly €1 billion ($1.16 billion), €250 million of which would go towards debt repayments and pension funds.
Rimac and Porsche had previously shared ownership of Bugatti — once purely a part of the VW Group, which includes Porsche — in a 55:45 split, while Porsche held a minority 20.6% stake in Rimac.
The VW Group had resurrected the Bugatti brand, already twice deceased, in 1998 and used it for a series of prestige projects making the fastest road-legal cars in a straight line available anywehere in the world — typically selling only a handful of models to the super-rich in a loss-making but headline-grabbing venture.
As it faces up to swingeing cuts and a drastic restructuring scheme, such luxury projects and anything falling beyond the remit of its core business are coming under considerable pressure.
Haribo cancels annual chestnuts for sweets trade-in because of African swine fever
German confectionary giant Haribo has called off a long-running annual autumn promotional event for a second year running.
For decades, the company had run a scheme in which members of the public were invited to bring in chestnuts and acorns that they had gathered, and exchange them for Haribo sweets.
The company said on Wednesday that the prevalence of African swine fever, sometimes called warthog fever, in western Germany made the event too dangerous. Typically Haribo would donate the nuts to animal parks and game reserves. But because of the risk of transmission, via saliva remnants potentially on the nuts, this would pose too great a risk.
It took the same step last year but said on Wednesday that the tradition would have to be shelved "for the foreseeable future."
"We greatly regret that the chestnut actions cannot take place this year," the company said in a press release, saying that it had been a "fixture of the autumn" for generations of families.
"At the same time, we want to show children that their engagement for nature remains important," Haribo stressed.
To this end, the company announced that it was planting a Haribo forest as part of the efforts to repopulate the plant life in the Ahr Valley after the major flooding of 2021 and would be involving local schools in the process.
Rheinfelden border crossing to Switzerland closed, police checking car for explosives
Traffic was halted in both directions along the A861 autobahn bridge linking Germany and Switzerland at Rheinfelden early on Wednesday evening.
"As a result of a police operation, the Rheinfelden-autobahn border crossing is currently closed in both directions," federal police, who are responsible for transport network and border security, said in a public statement.
Speaking to the dpa news agency, a police spokesperson elaborated that the reason was that officers were checking a car suspected of containing explosives. It was not yet clear when the busy border crossing — a bridge over the Rhine River, which serves as the demarcating line in the border town east of Basel — would reopen.
A short while later, police in nearby Freiburg said that two men had been taken into provisional detention. They were in the car during a check when service dogs indicated the presence of explosives, police said. An examination of the car was ongoing.
The A861 is a special highway connecting the A98 on the German side with Switzerland's A3 highway.
Germany's ADAC motoring club said the disruption had led to queues stretching back kilometers in both directions.
Estimates suggest around 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
Switzerland is in the Schengen Zone free travel area so border checks are not obligatory, but still they are fairly common occurrences as cars and other vehicles cross, both because of concrete causes for suspicion and as spot checks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MLAJSkip next section Bayern Munich give teen talent Tim Binder first pro contract09/09/2026September 9, 2026Bayern Munich give teen talent Tim Binder first pro contract
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have put another German teen talent on the books of their senior side.
Attack-minded Tim Binder, who is probably happiest on the right wing, joined Bayern's academy setup as a 12-year-old when he was poached from Augsburg.
The 19-year-old has signed a pro contract with Bayern running until the summer of 2030.
Binder had featured in several pre-season friendlies with Bayern's senior squad this summer and joined the team's training camp after the World Cup. He's currently recovering from a muscle strain and is not available to play.
"Tim brings a lot of potential with him. He's fast, good at dribbling and has a super character. He recently demonstrated his talents in the season preparation with the pros," Bayern's sporting director Christoph Freund said. "Tim is a prime example of the exceptional opportunities for youth development on our campus."
Bayern play newly-promoted Elversberg away from home this Sunday in the Bundesliga.
Thuringia ex-BSW lawmakers form new group, to maintain AfD firewall
Time for a quick update on the other, largely forgotten, almost ungovernable state in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the strongest single party.
In Thuringia, the lawmakers and former members of the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) have formed a new party, called "Gerecht" or "Just."
They have also formally dissolved the old state BSW chapter, which formally still existed even though they had left the party.
Thuringia's wing of the BSW used to be the party's main electoral success story. After winning 15 seats and 15.8% of the vote in 2024's state election, the lawmakers upset the national party leadership by electing to join a coalition government with the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.
In so doing they upheld the so-called "firewall," the pledge from most German political parties not to work with the AfD.
But the national BSW leadership — most notably party founder Sahra Wagenknecht — questioned their decision and have argued that the party's subsequent dip in popularity can be attributed in part to it.
In August, seemingly eying the series of fresh elections in eastern Germany, the national party leadership demanded that the state lawmakers leave the coalition government.
Most of the members refused and left the party, and 10 of them have now formed a new group and formally rejoined Thuringia's shaky coalition government. Losing some of its members means the coalition in Thuringia is now in the minority and in need of opposition support to legislate.
Three former BSW members have formed a rival group in parliament called Deine Stimme zählt, "your vote (or your voice) counts," while two others intend to remain lawmakers in Thuringia but to become unaffiliated independents.
A similar question faces the five BSW lawmakers elected to Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament on Sunday. They could in theory seek a coalition with the AfD, or offer some kind of confidence and supply arrangement for a minority AfD government.
Seeking to form a "firewall" coalition could prove more complex in Saxony-Anhalt, at least assuming the Christian Democrats continue to rule out cooperation with the socialist Left Party, because such an alliance would be well short of a stable majority.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKzgSkip next section Prosecutors investigate SPD's top candidate for Berlin election09/09/2026September 9, 2026Prosecutors investigate SPD's top candidate for Berlin election
Less than a fortnight before elections, prosecutors have announced that they are investigating the Social Democrats' candidate to become mayor of the city-state of Berlin.
Steffen Krach is under investigation by authorities in Hanover, in connection with his other role as the head of the district authority for the Hanover area. He has held that role since 2021 and only became a key figure in the SPD's Berlin campaign during the past year or so.
A spokesman for prosecutors told the dpa news agency that three propeties in Hanover and Berlin had been searched as part of an investigation into potential corruption. Prosecutors issued similar comments to other German news outlets. They said they could not comment further given an ongoing investigation and stressed that the presumption of innocence always applied.
Krach is currently on gardening leave from his role in Hanover because of the election campaign in Berlin, which is entering its final phase.
"On behalf of the SPD Berlin and in the name of our state chair and lead candidate, Steffen Krach, we categorically reject these baseless allegations," a spokesman from Krach's office told dpa. "We are, of course, cooperating fully with the authorities to clear up these basless allegations."
Unlike Saxony-Anhalt, the vote in the left-leaning German capital is likely to be a close-run contest in which no party looks set to dominate.
Polls are quite volatile and vary quite markedly, but in the most broad strokes they point to a possible five-way fight to emerge as the largest party, with the SPD, Greens, Left Party, CDU and AfD all typically polling somewhere between 10% and 20% support.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKq0Skip next section Leaders of Greens, Left see 'clear attack on our German democracy' from Trump's orbit09/09/2026September 9, 2026Leaders of Greens, Left see 'clear attack on our German democracy' from Trump's orbit
Two senior left-leaning politicians have told DW's Matthew Moore at the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, that they were not very surprised to see US President Donald Trump effectively voicing support for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) online late on Tuesday.
"It's obviously now the first time that the President of the United States is endorsing a far-right extremist party in Germany," the Greens' co-leader Franziska Brantner said. "Elon Musk has done so, JD Vance, but this is a different step."
Brantner called it a "clear attack on our German democracy and respect for our institutions."
"It's no mystery that Trump and his MAGA movement have been supporting AfD here for many years with money, with support of people. And it's one network of those who want to destroy our free world, and we will fight back," she said.
Meanwhile, the co-leader of the socialist Left Party said he was not surprised that Trump "supports those who want to dismantle our democracy," given his own "very authoritarian" regime. He said it was a part of a broader pattern, noting how Elon Musk was "one of the first to congratulate the AfD for its election success" on Sunday night.
"And that clearly shows that we are in a situation where there are attempts to undermine our democracy from outside with a lot of money," Pellmann told DW.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKpwSkip next section Railway bridge falls off transport at building site, likely delaying project09/09/2026September 9, 2026Railway bridge falls off transport at building site, likely delaying project
A major rail construction project in western Germany faces potential delays after a replacement bridge fell off a transport vehicle at the construction site, potentially causing damage.
The moment that one side of the vehicle's supports for the massive piece of bridge suddenly gave way, with the cargo sliding off and then tipping over, was caught on video.
The 57-meter (roughly 188-feet) long structure was being moved into position to cross the Hundem River in Kirchhundem, east of Cologne.
Rail operator Deutsche Bahn said it was investigating whether any damage was caused in the accident and said that a delay in the project, which was supposed to be complete by September 15, seemed likely.
"We will now carefully investigate how this accident could have happened at the construction site, and how we can continue our work as quickly as possible," Deutsche Bahn spokesman Fritz Esser told regional broadcaster WDR. "For it's also clear: we want to repeat the bridge installation as quickly as possible."
The affected area Kirchhundem is a major chokepoint in regional rail refurbishment plans with three rail bridges needing replacement.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKawSkip next section German flags lowered for King Harald's funeral09/09/2026September 9, 2026German flags lowered for King Harald's funeral
Flags are flying at half-mast in Berlin's government district for the funeral of Norway's King Harald V in Oslo.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), ordered mourning flags to be flown at the country's highest federal institutions, including the Bundestag, Bundesrat, Chancellery and federal ministries.
Lowering flags to half-mast is, alongside state ceremonies and state funerals for distinguished figures, the only formal expression of state mourning in Germany.
There are no fixed criteria for when it is ordered. Instead, the decision is made on a case-by-case basis.
When the Interior Ministry orders mourning flags, both the German and European Union flags are lowered outside federal government buildings.
Germany also lowered flags to half-mast for the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II four years ago.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKZcSkip next section Germany postpones Merz-Trump call09/09/2026September 9, 2026Germany postpones Merz-Trump call
The German government has postponed a planned phone call between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump, without saying whether the decision was linked to Trump's praise for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after its election victory in Saxony-Anhalt.
Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the German side had postponed the call, which had been due to take place on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States.
No new date has yet been set.
Kornelius declined to say whether the postponement was connected to Trump's comments on the Saxony-Anhalt election.
Two days after the vote, Trump hailed what he called a "really big night" for a "populist party in Germany" and wrote on his Truth Social platform that "they are on the move."
He also used the acronym "MGGA," apparently meaning "Make Germany Great Again," echoing his "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Kornelius pointed instead to Merz's previous position that foreign interventions or commentary on German domestic politics, particularly around elections, were unacceptable.
The planned conversation was intended to mark 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
In a statement read out by Kornelius, Merz said Germany had stood in full solidarity with the United States after the attacks and remained ready to defend shared values.
"That is freedom, democracy and respect," Merz said.
Why MAGA supports Germany's rise of the far-right
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MKapSkip next section US startup to build cruise missiles in Germany09/09/2026September 9, 2026US startup to build cruise missiles in Germany
US defense startup Covenant plans to begin mass-producing low-cost cruise missiles in Germany in early 2027, as European countries seek more long-range weapons amid growing concern over Russia.
The company says it has already secured one European contract for its ground-launched Anthem missile and is in talks with other potential customers, although it has not identified the countries involved.
Covenant plans to manufacture the missiles at a facility in the eastern German state of Saxony.
"Our aim is to reach 5,000 by 2028, or at least a run rate of 5,000 during 2028," co-founder and CEO Michael Kaufman told Reuters.
First deliveries are expected in early 2027.
Why produce them in Europe?
European governments are increasingly looking for weapons that can be produced without relying heavily on US components.
Covenant says most parts used in the Europe-built version of its Anthem missile will be sourced on the continent.
"The supply chain has no reliance on the US," Kaufman said, adding that less than 5% of the missile's components currently come from outside Europe.
"Our goal is to get that down to zero."
Germany and Britain are separately developing a missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), part of a broader push to strengthen Europe's own long-range strike capability.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MKTvSkip next section Greens, SPD reject AfD coalition talks in Saxony-Anhalt09/09/2026September 9, 2026Greens, SPD reject AfD coalition talks in Saxony-Anhalt
The Greens and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) have rejected an invitation from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to hold exploratory talks on forming a government in Saxony-Anhalt.
The move underlines how difficult coalition-building is likely to be after the AfD emerged as the strongest party in Sunday's state election but fell short of an outright majority.
What did the Greens say?
"It is absurd to assume that we would hold talks with the far-right AfD about the future of our state," Greens lead candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz told the the dpa news agency.
Before the election, all other parties had ruled out entering a coalition with the AfD.
Despite that, AfD state secretary-general Tobias Rausch said the party would invite all parties represented in the state parliament to exploratory talks.
What about the SPD?
The SPD also rejected the invitation.
A party spokesperson confirmed that the AfD's letter had arrived by email at the state branch.
"We will not accept the offer of talks," the spokesperson said.
It remains unclear how a stable government can be formed in Magdeburg, with the AfD lacking the numbers to govern alone and other parties maintaining their refusal to join it.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MKI9Show more posts