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Germany news: More people than ever get German citizenship
Germany news: Naturalizations reach record high in 2025
Sean Sinico with AP, AFP, dpa, ReutersPublished 06/03/2026Published June 3, 2026last updated 06/03/2026last updated June 3, 2026Naturalizations have increased for the fifth year in a row. Automotive industry firms turn a bit less pessimistic. And Germany is aiming for a seat on the UN Security Council. Follow DW for more news from Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ElTqWhat you need to know
- Germany saw a jump in naturalizations in 2025, new data show
- Slightly less pessimism about the future of the German auto industry
- Germany loses vote for UN Security Council seat
This blog is now closed. Read below for a wrapup of headlines and analysis out of Germany on Wednesday, June 3, 2026:
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Skip next section Hindu temple opens in Berlin06/03/2026June 3, 2026Hindu temple opens in Berlin
Germany's Hindu community celebrated the opening of the new Hindu temple in the Neukölln district of Berlin on Wednesday. Thousands are expected to visit in its inaugural week.
It is Berlin’s second Hindu temple and has been dedicated to the deity Ganesha, who has an elephant’s head.
The temple was the product of over two decades of planning and construction. The construction of the temple was funded entirely by donations, with a total of about €1.1 million (€1.2 million) were raised. But work was delayed over the years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am very happy. A great dream has come true." said Vilwanathan Krishnamurthy from the temple's sponsoring association.
Inside the building are five smaller shrines, which are similar to small chapels. At the center stands Ganesha, depicted with an elephant’s head and trunk, while the other statues represent Ganesha's parents, Shiva and Parvati, as well as an uncle and a younger brother of Ganesha.
Ten Hindu priests will oversee the five-day temple consecration, under a strictly regulated schedule.
After Sunday, the temple will be officially open to the public.
Doors will open every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the organization said, with Aarti ceremonies morning and evening, without booking or entry fee.
Hindu life in Germany: Inside Berlin's newest Hindu temple
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https://p.dw.com/p/5EoVzSkip next section Germany loses vote for temporary seat on UN Security Council06/03/2026June 3, 2026Germany loses vote for temporary seat on UN Security Council
Germany's bid for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council has failed after a vote at the General Assembly on Wednesday.
Germany had long campaigned for the position and was running against Austria and Portugal for two seats representing the "Western Europe and Others" group.
Click here to read DW's full coverage of the vote at the UN.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EoHhSkip next section Former German Chancellor Schröder spotted in Russia06/03/2026June 3, 2026Former German Chancellor Schröder spotted in Russia
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was seen in Russia, according to reports by Russian state-run news agencies on Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed his visit. It was unclear whether Schröder was still in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously suggested that Schröder could represent Europe in potential talks on the continent's security. Last month, Schröder's office refused to comment on speculation that he could engage in talks with Putin.
The European Union rejected the idea, and the German government called it an empty gesture and part of Russia's hybrid plan to continue its war against Ukraine while trying to create the impression it sought peace talks.
Why Putin turned to ex‑German chancellor as a peace broker
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During his tenure as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, Schröder's Russia-friendly foreign policy attitude aligned with that of many other German politicians, including future chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz as well as current President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, all of whom initially contributed to closer ties between Berlin and Moscow.
Schröder, however, has stuck out for his early support of Putin following Russia's conflict with Ukraine, which started with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and expanded to a full-scale invasion in 2022.
The news of Schröder's appearance in Russia came even as German government officials said Berlin believes talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine could take place in the coming months.
"A window of opportunity is slowly opening for talks between the European side and Russia," government sources told news agencies dpa and Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
"However, the fierce fighting of recent days suggests that it is likely to take months rather than weeks" before such talks could begin, they added.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EnxJSkip next section German police investigate teen suspected of plotting to attack synagogue06/03/2026June 3, 2026German police investigate teen suspected of plotting to attack synagogue
Prosecutors in Munich have been investigating a 15-year-old suspected of planning an attack in Germany and sympathizing with the so-called "Islamic State" militant group.
Authorities say the teenager allegedly targeted a synagogue and stockpiled a large quantity of pyrotechnic materials at home.
Prosecutors in the Bavarian capital say the suspect, currently in pretrial detention, is accused of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, financing terrorism, causing an explosion and grievous bodily harm.
According to the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper, the teenager from the Augsburg district lost two fingers in October while detonating a homemade device, which led investigators to identify him as a suspect. Another person was injured in the same explosion.
Prosecutors declined further details, citing the ongoing investigation and privacy protections.
Germany has been on alert over potential Islamist attacks in recent years. The case has highlighted concerns about youth radicalization and access to explosive materials.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EnmbSkip next section EU presses Germany on reform and deficits06/03/2026June 3, 2026EU presses Germany on reform and deficits
The European Commission is urging Germany to speed up digital reform and cut red tape as economic pressures mount.
The bloc's executive says Berlin must modernize public administration faster and reduce complexity across government levels.
Brussels also urged stronger action to boost housing investment, warning that high demand and limited supply, especially in major cities, are driving affordability concerns.
In its latest review, published on Wednesday, the commission said Germany's deficit is expected to hit 4.25% of GDP in 2026, well above the EU's 3% limit. However, Berlin is avoiding action by invoking a special rule that allows higher spending for defense.
The commission scrutinizes the economic situation of the bloc's 27 member states every six months.
The twice-yearly assessment monitors fiscal discipline across the eurozone, where countries are required to keep deficits below 3% and debt under 60% of GDP.
Germany's size, as Europe's largest economy, has made its policy choices critical for the wider eurozone outlook.
EU wants to attract European savers to boost bloc's economy
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https://p.dw.com/p/5EnqQSkip next section German hotel apologizes after telling Israeli guest 'no Jews allowed'06/03/2026June 3, 2026German hotel apologizes after telling Israeli guest 'no Jews allowed'
A Bavarian hotel has apologized after rejecting a booking by an Israeli customer by telling them that "there are no Jews allowed in our hotel."
The hotel's junior director, Andreas Vogl, told the dpa news agency that the message does not reflect the establishment's "world view at all."
The case came to light when Israel's consul general to southern Germany, Talya Lador, posted the rejection message sent to an Israeli customer on X.
"Have we returned to the 1930s?" Lador wrote in German.
A screenshot in her post shows an English-language message from the Hotel zum Hirschen in Bavaria telling the recipient that Jews are not allowed at the hotel.
Hotel apologizes for 'regrettable error'
The hotel, located in the Bavarian Forest near the Czech border, has since sent an apology to the guest and offered him and his family a free one-week stay "to get to know us personally, and to prove to you that we are not bad people who discriminate against others."
"It was definitely wrong of us to respond in that way in the chat,” the hotel wrote in the email, which dpa reported was also sent to the office of the Bavarian state premier.
According to the email, the hotel has been struggling with fraudulent bookings and phishing attempts for some time, with customer data said to have been stolen.
The request from Israel had also wrongly been assumed to be a fake booking, the hotel said.
"It is extremely important to us that you understand that this remark was not directed at people of the Jewish faith, but was made out of frustration at the numerous fake bookings," the apology letter stated. "Nevertheless, this was unacceptable and must not happen in a professional business."
Call for antisemitism investigation
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has called for an investigation of the incident.
"Even though I have taken note of the apology for this unacceptable remark, it remains shocking that someone would not only have such thoughts but also put them down in writing and send them out," Council President Josef Schuster told dpa.
The tourist also filed a complaint with the Bavarian Justice Ministry's office for combating antisemitism, newspaper Die Welt reported. A decision on whether the message would lead to formal proceedings had yet to be reached, according to media reports.
In a statement reported by Die Welt, the hotel's owner called the reply to the reservation a "regrettable mistake" and attributed it to human error.
According to the Sperl-Vogl family, the hotel has since received threats and calls for their murder since the incident became public.
Booking.com has removed the hotel from the platform, Vogl said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Enf3Skip next section German industry boss calls for lifting of Russian sanctions06/03/2026June 3, 2026German industry boss calls for lifting of Russian sanctions
The head of one of Germany’s largest chemical industry hubs told DW it is time to "reconsider" sanctions against Russia.
Christof Günther, managing director of InfraLeuna, which operates the Leuna Chemical Site, said the sanctions were causing "irreparable damage" to Germany's chemical industry.
"We have seen that the sanctions have led to the diversion of raw material flows from Russia," he said.
"They no longer come to Europe, but are now going to Asia. That has been a major advantage for our competitors in Asia."
Germany, as part of the European Union, has agreed to sanctions on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as a way to prevent European money from funding the Russian war effort. In recent days, Moscow has launched several missile and drone attacks against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and towns while Kyiv reacts with attacks of its own.
"We have also seen that the 20 rounds of sanctions implemented so far have not had the effect that was originally hoped for," he added.
EU bans Russian gas, bypassing holdouts Slovakia, Hungary
As part of the sanctions regime placed on Russia, Germany has phased out imports of Russian gas and oil, leading to higher costs for energy‑intensive industries.
"At the same time, we see that the sanctions are causing severe damage to our industry — irreparable damage that will continue to affect this country in the long term even after the war ends. Against this backdrop, it certainly makes sense to reconsider whether the strategy pursued so far is the right one."
The Leuna chemical site in Saxony-Anhalt is connected to the Druzhba pipeline. In April, Russia announced it would no longer allow Kazakh oil to be transported via the pipeline to the site.
Before Russia began the war against Ukraine, Germany relied on Russian energy for more than half of its natural gas use and roughly a third of its total energy consumption.
Although Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said loosening sanctions on Russia would be wrong, several members of his center-right Christian Democratic Union — and a smaller number of his coalition partners in the center-left Social Democrats — have floated the possibility of again buying Russian gas and oil. They have, however, coupled the possibility with the war in Ukraine first ending.
Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) have also called for renewing gas contracts with Russia, often without mentioning whether the step should come before or after a truce between Moscow and Kyiv.
After starting a war against Iran, US President Donald Trump's administration has eased sanctions on Russian oil.
US waiver boosts Russian oil revenues amid Iran war
Additional reporting from Matthew Moore.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EnAeSkip next section Customs officials confiscate over €500 million worth of cocaine in Wilhelmshaven06/03/2026June 3, 2026Customs officials confiscate over €500 million worth of cocaine in Wilhelmshaven
Authorities in the northern port city of Wilhelmshaven announced one of the biggest seizures of cocaine in Germany in recent years on Wednesday.
Customs officials said they had seized over eight tons of cocaine, worth about €500 million ($581 million), in a shipping container in February but could not make the seizure public earlier due to ongoing investigations.
As part of an international investigation tied to the discovery, Spanish authorities arrested two suspects in May. One of the suspects, the managing director of an import company, has also been linked to an earlier shipment of cocaine that arrived in Spain.
Shipping documents claimed the container from West Africa held cocoa beans destined for Spain. An X-ray of the container, however, turned up several irregularities that German customs officers said required closer investigation.
Those investigations turned up over 400 packages wrapped in black plastic, each containing 20 blocks of hard-pressed cocaine as well as GPS trackers.
"Before the container was transported on to Barcelona, the illegal cargo was destroyed in Germany under extensive security measures," Senior Public Prosecutor Jan Wilken of the Aurich Public Prosecutor's Office, which is handling the case, said in a statement. "This prevents the criminals from forcibly retrieving the seized cocaine at a later date."
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil called the seizure a "major blow to the international drug trade."
Risky business: European dock workers helping drug cartels
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https://p.dw.com/p/5EmyrSkip next section World Cup: Do Germans value sleep over live soccer?06/03/2026June 3, 2026World Cup: Do Germans value sleep over live soccer?
German soccer fans do not appear willing to sacrifice their beauty sleep to watch the men's national team compete in the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
A YouGov survey commissioned by delivery service Wolt found 25% are very unlikely and 16% are unlikely to watch matches played during the German night.
Another 37%, however, are interested in watching matches played at unfamiliar hours.
Due to the six to nine-hour time difference between North America and Germany, many matches start at 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) or later in Germany.
During the initial stages of the June 11 - July 19 tournament, a number of games will kick off at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. German time.
Watching the national team's group stage games, however, will be a bit easier for fans in Germany. The team plays Curacao at 7 p.m. on June 14, Ivory Coast at 10 p.m. on June 20, and Ecuador at 10 p.m. on June 25.
A dark horse pick to reach the tournament's final match, the game would start at 9 p.m. German time.
The survey revealed that 63% most enjoy watching matches on TV with family and friends, while 44% prefer to watch on their own to concentrate on the game.
The poll was conducted April 8-10 among 2,096 Germans who are interested in football, ranging from occasional match watchers to diehard fans.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EmWaSkip next section OECD cuts German economic forecast again06/03/2026June 3, 2026OECD cuts German economic forecast again
For the second time this year, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has lowered its predicted growth for Germany, according to an outlook released on Wednesday.
Germany's gross domestic product is forecast to grow by 0.7% in 2026 — down from the predicted 0.8% in March and 1.0% projected in December.
As war in Iran and inflation continue to weigh on Germany and the world, the OECD also lowered its 2027 growth forecast for Europe's largest economy from 1.5% to 1.1%.
"Uncertainty has increased again," OECD expert Isabell Koske told Reuters news agency, adding that rising energy prices due to the war in Iran are negatively impacting Germany's private consumption and investment.
However, an increase in public investment and defense spending is stimulating the German economy, the OECD report found.
Overall, the OECD cut its global GDP growth projection from 3.4% to 2.8%.
OECD projections for GDP growth for 2026 in other countries
- India: 6.3%
- China: 4.5%
- United States: 2.0%
- Canada: 1.2%
- The Netherlands: 1.0%
Germany campaigns for spot on UN Security Council
Germany is in the running for a seat on the Security Council when the UN General Assembly elects new members to the most powerful body within the United Nations on Wednesday.
According to the UN Charter, the 15-member Security Council bears "the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security." Germany's foreign minister says there are good reasons why the country should be on the body.
"I would say the chances are good, but it's a competition, and it's democracy," Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told DW during a visit to UN headquarters in New York in April. "So we can win. We can lose. Both is possible. We have good arguments. We engage in this world. We are engaged in the UN system. [Germany] is the second largest donor. And we have some experience because we have for six times been already as a non-permanent member in the Security Council."
Keep reading here to find out all about Germany's bid for a spot on the UN Security Council.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Em7tSkip next section Mood in German auto industry perks up, a bit06/03/2026June 3, 2026Mood in German auto industry perks up, a bit
Despite the conflicts in the Middle East and simmering trade disputes with the United States, Germany's auto industry is slightly less pessimistic than it had been in April, according to data released Wednesday by the Ifo Institute.
The Munich-based institute's mood indicator rose to -20.8 points from -23.5 points in April, showing that the companies regard their current business situation as slightly better.
"In view of the continuing high level of uncertainty, sentiment in the automotive industry nevertheless remains very subdued," Ifo industry expert Anita Wölfl said in a statement.
The institute added that a renewed US threat of tariffs at the start of May likely contributed to a considerable drop in export expectations from -11.7 points in April to -16.4 points in May. A late-May agreement between the European Union and the United States, however, is likely to improve that figure next month, Ifo wrote.
"However, the US tariffs of 15% on cars and their parts that continue to apply still pose a significant challenge for the German automotive industry," Wölfl added.
EVs back in the fast lane as oil prices surges
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https://p.dw.com/p/5ElXKSkip next section More people than ever receive German citizenship06/03/2026June 3, 2026More people than ever receive German citizenship
About 332,500 residents of Germany acquired citizenship in 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistics Office.
The number represents an increase of 14%, or about 40,500 people, compared with 2024 and marks the fifth straight year that naturalizations have increased in Germany.
A 2024 change to Germany's citizenship laws made it possible for people to be naturalized while retaining their original citizenship, which has led to an increase in applications for naturalization. Data released on Tuesday showed most new German citizens also kept their original nationality.
What does the German naturalization data show about nationalities?
- Syrians were most frequently granted German citizenship in 2025, as has been the case since 2021. Last year, 65,600 Syrian nationals were naturalized. One in five people naturalized in 2025 had previously held Syrian citizenship.
- Compared to 2024, the number of Syrians naturalized in Germany fell by 21%.
- People of Turkish origin received the second-highest number of naturalizations (10% or 34,100) last year.
- Russian nationals were the third largest group to receive German citizenship (6%, 19,700).
- Turks and Russians each saw a 51% increase in naturalizations compared to 2024.
- There was a big jump in year-on-year growth in naturalizations for Bosnian (125% increase to 8,800), US (100% increase to 6,600) and Albanian (97% increase to 6,100) nationals.
What else does the data show about applications for German citizenship?
- 91% of naturalizations were for people who have lived in Germany for at least five years and their partners and children.
- 1,500 people who had lived in Germany for less than five years received German citizenship due to exceptional integration achievements, accounting for less than 1% of naturalizations in 2025.
- The average residency time in Germany before naturalization was 12.4 years, up from 11.8 years in 2024.
- 90% of naturalization applications processed in 2025 resulted in a person receiving German citizenship.
- 5% of applicants rescinded their request for German citizenship, 3% of applications were denied, and 3% resulted in no citizenship due to other reasons, such as death or moving outside the country.
103-year-old Holocaust survivor reclaims German citizenship
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Welcome to our coverage of Germany
Natalie Muller EditorGood morning and welcome to DW's coverage of the news coming out of Germany on Wednesday.
Today, we'll be looking at a rise in naturalizations in Germany as well as a moderate outlook improvement in the country's auto industry.
Later today, focus will shift to New York City, where Berlin is angling to gain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ElTrShow more posts