Germany: Law & Society

Like at the beginning of every month, new legal changes enter into effect in February 2021. For example, the deadline for tax returns changes and paying for online shopping will become safer. Here’s an overview of the new laws and regulations: —- Submission deadline for tax return extended Some of us are already starting to gather the receipts and information …

The solidarity surcharge will be abolished for most taxpayers and a CO2 tax will make petrol more expensive and there are also new regulations affecting employees, taxpayers, home builders and families. The year 2021 starts with many new laws and regulations.  An overview of the most important changes: Minimum wage The statutory minimum wage will rise from 9.35 euros to …

If a bank card with which contactless payment is possible is lost, the bank customer does not bear the risk of the card’s misuse if the customer had reported the loss of the card. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) made the decision in a case in which an Austrian consumer organisation (VKI) had sued for an injunction against the …

The last month of 2020 will also see many legal changes. In the Corona pandemic, hardly a week goes by without inhabitants of the country having to adapt to new laws or regulations. The partial lockdown has been extended, Deutsche Bahn will raise its prices and the Hartz 4 standard rates will also rise. There will be changes not only …

A German man insults an African colleague at work by calling him a monkey and he was dismissed. Deeming his dismissal a violation of his right to free expression, the man went to court to challenge it. Germany’s highest court on constitutional matters has now delivered a landmark verdict on racist insults against people of African descent versus the right …

According to Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), the Federal Government wants to have the controversial term “race” quickly deleted from the Basic Law, the country’s constitution. “There is complete agreement that there are no different races of people,” the politician told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. “That is why we in the Federal Government have agreed to revise the Basic Law at …

Like in every new month, new laws and regulations enter into force in Germany in November. These affect quarantine rules for travellers, the labelling of food products, vehicle insurance, change of tax class and ID card for EU citizens living in Germany, among others. Here’s an overview of the changes: —– Corona-Lockdown  From 2 November, new corona restrictions will apply …

Numerous legal changes enter into force in Germany in September.  For example, the corona children’s bonus will be paid out, compulsory masks on trains will be more strictly controlled and the new training year starts while lottery players have to dig deeper into their pockets. An overview of all new legal changes in September 2020: ——- Payment of Corona children’s …

The new month begins with a number of legislative changes that you should be aware of. From August 2020, not only corona tests will be mandatory for people returning to Germany from some countries, but there will also be more financial support for pupils, students and employees in further education and training. Moreover, there will be changes affecting government assistance …

The city-state’s new law explicitly bars public authorities, including police, from discriminating based on skin colour, gender and other factors. Lawmakers say the new rules help to address systemic racism in Germany. Rebecca Staudenmaier reports Berlin became the first German state to pass its own anti-discrimination law on Thursday, with a majority of state lawmakers approving the law. The law …

In the era of the coronavirus pandemic, we have to regularly adjust ourselves to new regulations. There are also legislative changes that have nothing to do with the pandemic and have been planned for some time. So that our readers don’t lose sight of new developments, The African Courier has selected important legal changes taking effect from 1 June 2020. …

In order to contain the consequences of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, new measures are adopted almost daily in Germany. But in addition to these short-term new regulations, there are also other laws that will take effect in Germany from May 2020. The African Courier summarises the most important changes here. —— Kurzarbeit: Regulations for additional earnings by short-time …

Usually, new laws and regulations take effect at the beginning of every month in Germany. It’s not different for April 2020 despite the corona crisis. In fact, as a result of government’s emergency relief measures against the pandemic, there’re several additional changes, ranging from new regulations protecting tenants against eviction to those governing welfare benefits as well as support grants to …

According to a ruling by the Osnabrück Social Court (Sozialgericht), asylum-seekers can have their cash benefits cut if they have already applied for asylum in another EU country Cities and counties may reduce cash benefits to an asylum-seeker according to a ruling by the Osnabrück Social Court if they have already applied for asylum in another country. The court in …

March 2020 brings some changes for people living in Germany as a result of new or amended laws and regulations. Some of these changes include mandatory measles vaccination for children, introduction of repeat doctor’s prescriptions, the prohibition of speed camera warning app on your smartphone and easier immigration for skilled workers from non-EU countries, among others.

Foreigners who are in Germany to look for work or study are excluded from Hartz IV social-security benefits, the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has ruled in two cases. In the two verdicts published on Thursday (6 February), the Bundesverfassungsgericht, Germany’s highest court on constitutional matters, dismissed the ruling of the lower Social Court (Sozialgericht), which considers the legal exclusion of …

Berlin’s state parliament has passed a law to freeze rent prices in the capital for five years. The legislators by their decision on Thursday (30 January) cleared the final legal hurdle to the Berlin rent cap initiative. The Senate of Berlin, the executive body governing the city that is also a federal state, had on 22 October approved the rent-freeze …

February brings some changes for people living in Germany as a result of new or amended laws and regulations. Some of these changes have an impact on the pockets of consumers. Here is an overview of the important changes from 1 February 2020, by Sola Jolaoso Cheaper BahnCard 25 and 50 As part of its “Klimapaket” (climate-protection package of policies), …

A new law (Skilled Worker Immigration Act or Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz) that facilitates the recruitment of skilled workers from non-EU countries will enter into effect on 1 March. Germany is currently suffering from labour shortages in many sectors, including health care. Caritas has however warned that the needs of the countries where nurses would be recruited should be considered in the implementation …

Members of the Black community in Germany will hit the streets of Cologne on Saturday, 18 January to register their protest against the controversial decision of a court that describing people of African descent as “neger” is not necessarily derogatory. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) had ruled on 19 December that sanctioning the leader of the AfD …