The federal government plans to cut funding for independent asylum procedure counselling (behördenunabhängige Asylverfahrensberatung, AVB) to €5 million next year, down from €24.5 million in 2026. The draft 2027 budget is still being debated in the Bundestag, and the Interior Ministry says the counselling would in future be available only to especially vulnerable asylum-seekers. What the ministry says According to …

On 1 October the Council of the EU gave its final green light to new rules for more effective returns of people with no legal right to stay in the EU. The regulation is due to come into force in the coming weeks. Because it is a regulation rather than a directive, it applies directly in all 27 member states. …

Ethiopian Airlines will resume direct flights between Addis Ababa and Durban from 11 December 2026, creating a new travel option for passengers from Germany and other European markets travelling to South Africa via the airline’s Addis Ababa hub. The Ethiopian flag carrier announced on 29 September that it will operate the Durban service daily, making the South African city its …