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Germany updates: Berlin seeks deportation deal with Taliban
Farah Bahgat with Reuters, dpaPublished 07/03/2025Published July 3, 2025last updated 07/03/2025last updated July 3, 2025
Germany’s interior minister is calling for direct talks to deport Afghan migrants who were convicted of crimes. The German coalition failed to agree on reducing an electricity tax. Follow for more headlines from Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wrs6Last year, Germany flew 45 rejected asylum seekers back to Afghanistan after negotiations mediated by Qatar (FILE: August, 2024)Image: picture alliance/dpaSkip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said that needing third parties to negotiate with Afghanistan’s rulers, the Taliban, is “not a permanent solution.”
His remarks represent a shift in Germany’s policy of not directly talking to the Taliban.
Also dominating the headlines in German media today is the coalition government’s failure to reach a deal on reducing the electricity tax.
Meanwhile, a new survey shows the majority of Germans want a ban of a rule that allows young teens to drink.
Below, you can read a mix of news, analysis and background of what Germany is talking about on Thursday, July 3.
Skip next section Warnings issued in 2 German states due to wildfires07/03/2025July 3, 2025
Warnings issued in 2 German states due to wildfires
Firefighters are still working to extinguish the blazeImage: Jacob Schröter/dpa/picture alliance
Authorities in the eastern state of Thuringia and in Bavaria, in the south, issued warnings of toxic smoke due to wildfires.
Residents in several districts in the two states were advised to close windows and doors and turn off air conditioning.
A forest fire in the Saalfelder Höhe municipality in Thuringia had spread to approximately 250 hectares. Officials say it’s the largest wildfire in the state in the last three decades.
A disaster alert has been issued due to the forest fire in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Saalfelder HöheImage: Daniel Vogl/dpa/picture alliance
A total of around 600 hectares of land are ablaze in eastern Germany.
On Wednesday evening, emergency services evacuated the town of Heidehäuser, in the state of Saxony. The region was used in the past as a military training ground, and some ammunition is believed to be still buried underground.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wseJSkip next section German interior minister seeks direct deal with Taliban07/03/2025July 3, 2025
German interior minister seeks direct deal with Taliban
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has called for a direct agreement with the Taliban to receive Afghan migrants deported from Germany.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan’s government in August 2021 following the NATO withdrawal. Since then, Germany has not had official diplomatic ties with the Taliban government, which it did not recognize as legitimate.
Last year, Germany flew Afghan migrants who were convicted of crimes to Afghanistan. The deportation took place reportedly after secret negotiations with mediator Qatar.
What did Dobrindt say?
“My idea is that we make agreements directly with Afghanistan to enable repatriations,” Dobrindt said in an interview with the German magazine Focus.
“We still need third parties to conduct talks with Afghanistan. This cannot remain a permanent solution,” he added.
Dobrindt is a politician from the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU.
Why now?
Amid the rise of the far right in Germany, migration was a central topic in the CSU and CDU’s election campaign in the February general election.
Merz has vowed to deport people to Afghanistan and Syria, and suspend asylum admission programs for German agencies’ former local staff in Afghanistan.
Dobrindt said Germany was also in contact with Syria for a deal on deporting criminals of Syrian nationality.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wsTDSkip next section Coalition fails to reach agreement on electricity tax reduction07/03/2025July 3, 2025
Coalition fails to reach agreement on electricity tax reduction
A committee of the German coalition government failed to reach an agreement on reducing the electricity tax for private households and small and medium-sized businesses.
Vezi toate știrile de pe germania actualizează situația
The reduction was one of the pledges listed in the coalition agreement between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
An SPD lawmaker said it remained a goal for the coalition and that it would be debated further.
The lawmaker, Matthias Miersch, told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the relief already agreed for larger industries was more important, as jobs in those sectors were at stake.
The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts expressed frustration (ZDH), saying many businesses had been prepared for the planned electricity tax reduction.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wsbeSkip next section Majority of Germans against rule allowing young teens to drink07/03/2025July 3, 2025
Majority of Germans against rule allowing young teens to drink
A Forsa survey commissioned by commercial health insurance company KKH showed that 65% of Germans were in favor of abolishing a rule that allows young teenagers to drink alcohol.
Under the supervised drinking rule, teens as young as 14-year-olds could buy and consume beer and wine if they are with a legal guardian.
According to the poll, 52% also support raising the legal age for drinking beer and wine from 16 to 18.
The survey included more than 1,000 participants aged 18 to 70 from across Germany.
Health Minister Nina Warken has voiced support for an initiative by ministers from German states calling for a ban on supervised drinking.
How important is alcohol in the lives of Germans?
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wrxqSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/03/2025July 3, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Farah Bahgat with Reuters, dpa | Elizabeth Schumacher Editor
Guten Morgen! We’re watching the news in Germany today from Bonn, where the weather has cooled down again after an intense heat wave.
Today, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to speak at a banking conference in Berlin, and the foreign minister is meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
We’ll also highlight in this blog some explainers and analyses from our colleagues across DW.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wrstSend us your feedback
Sursa: DW
