https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin. https://www.thelocal.de/20260302/labour-union-gears-up-to-take-on-tesla-in-germany Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:01:26 +0100 labour-union-gears-up-to-take-on-tesla-in-germany China was long a lucrative market for Germany Inc, but the Asian giant's rise in high-tech fields has put the heat on Europe's industrial powerhouse and its companies, big and small. https://www.thelocal.de/20260212/china-shock-germany-struggles-as-key-market-turns-business-rival Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:40:33 +0100 china-shock-germany-struggles-as-key-market-turns-business-rival German exports to the United States plunged in 2025 amid President Donald Trump's tariff blitz, driving down the trade surplus of Europe's top economy with the crucial US market to a four-year low, data showed Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260206/german-exports-to-us-plunge-as-tariffs-take-toll Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:38:58 +0100 german-exports-to-us-plunge-as-tariffs-take-toll Germany's competition watchdog ordered Amazon on Thursday to stop implementing price controls for retailers on its marketplace and told the US tech giant to return €59 million in what it deemed unfair gains. https://www.thelocal.de/20260205/germany-claws-back-e59-million-from-amazon-over-price-controls Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:10:34 +0100 germany-claws-back-e59-million-from-amazon-over-price-controls German business sentiment held steady at a low level in January, a survey showed Monday, with firms still pessimistic about any sustained recovery in Europe's biggest economy. https://www.thelocal.de/20260126/german-business-morale-still-low-in-january Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:06:27 +0100 german-business-morale-still-low-in-january German online fashion retailer Zalando said Thursday it would close a distribution centre in the eastern city of Erfurt with 2,700 employees to restructure its European logistics network. https://www.thelocal.de/20260108/german-fashion-retailer-zalando-closes-eastern-site-with-2700-staff Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:18:13 +0100 german-fashion-retailer-zalando-closes-eastern-site-with-2700-staff The German government is adding billions of euros into a new fund, and hoping to attract investments worth 100 billion more, in a bid to support new businesses and innovation. https://www.thelocal.de/20251218/germany-fund-launched-to-boost-startups Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:08:55 +0100 germany-fund-launched-to-boost-startups What's it like to launch a business in a country infamous for its intractable bureaucracy? With some good research and money set aside for legal costs, it's not as hard as you think. Here's our step-by-step guide to starting a business in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20241010/explained-6-steps-for-starting-your-own-business-in-germany Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:55:50 +0200 explained-6-steps-for-starting-your-own-business-in-germany As energy costs and intense competition on global markets present challenges for German chemical producers, one company is scaling up efforts to use domestically gown, renewable materials. https://www.thelocal.de/20251204/tree-branches-to-fleece-jackets-chemicals-plant-in-germany-bets-on-biomass Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:47:02 +0100 tree-branches-to-fleece-jackets-chemicals-plant-in-germany-bets-on-biomass European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has said that up to 628 of its A320 planes worldwide may need to be inspected for a metal plate “quality issue” that has come to light. https://www.thelocal.de/20251203/up-to-628-airbus-planes-need-inspection-for-metal-plate-quality-issue Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:59:18 +0100 up-to-628-airbus-planes-need-inspection-for-metal-plate-quality-issue German business sentiment fell more than expected in November, a survey showed Monday, the latest sign that industry is losing faith in the government's plans to revive the economy. https://www.thelocal.de/20251124/morale-falls-at-german-business-as-hopes-for-revival-dim Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:36:15 +0100 morale-falls-at-german-business-as-hopes-for-revival-dim Germany's cabinet on Wednesday voted through a package of measures designed to reduce bureaucracy in a country notorious for its onerous procedures and paperwork. https://www.thelocal.de/20251106/german-cabinet-signs-off-on-plan-to-reduce-bureaucracy Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:57:33 +0100 german-cabinet-signs-off-on-plan-to-reduce-bureaucracy German car manufacturing giant Volkswagen said on Wednesday it would develop an in-house assisted driving chip for its business in China as it seeks to recover from sagging sales in the world's largest auto market. https://www.thelocal.de/20251105/germanys-volkswagen-to-develop-assisted-driving-chip-in-china Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:47:08 +0100 germanys-volkswagen-to-develop-assisted-driving-chip-in-china Germany plans to begin a scheme to slash energy costs for power-hungry manufacturers in January, the economy minister said Monday, part of efforts to revive Europe's struggling industrial powerhouse. https://www.thelocal.de/20251104/german-plans-energy-price-cuts-for-industry-players-from-january Tue, 04 Nov 2025 13:07:22 +0100 german-plans-energy-price-cuts-for-industry-players-from-january German premium carmaker Mercedes-Benz reported plunging third-quarter profit Wednesday, hit by weak sales in China as well as US tariffs. https://www.thelocal.de/20251029/mercedes-benz-profit-plunges-as-german-market-sees-weakened-exports Wed, 29 Oct 2025 10:16:35 +0100 mercedes-benz-profit-plunges-as-german-market-sees-weakened-exports German sports car maker Porsche sunk to a third-quarter loss of almost €1 billion ($1.16 billion), the firm said Friday, as it grappled with the costs returning to petrol and delaying its electric vehicle (EV) rollout. https://www.thelocal.de/20251025/germanys-porsche-loses-almost-e1-billion-on-shift-back-to-petrol Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:22:56 +0200 germanys-porsche-loses-almost-e1-billion-on-shift-back-to-petrol First Deutsche Bank and now Allianz have joined the growing chorus warning against a potential AI bubble. With insolvencies on the rise, a crash in the rapidly growing sector could have major consequences in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20251021/two-of-germanys-largest-firms-are-sounding-the-alarm-about-an-ai-bubble Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:07:24 +0200 two-of-germanys-largest-firms-are-sounding-the-alarm-about-an-ai-bubble At least 14 percent of all patent applications developed in Germany now originate from inventors with foreign roots, with Indians, and women, making particularly dynamic contributions. https://www.thelocal.de/20251014/immigrants-and-women-behind-growing-number-of-patents-in-germany Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:45:57 +0200 immigrants-and-women-behind-growing-number-of-patents-in-germany Lufthansa is planning to cut thousands of administrative staff as the German aviation giant seeks to reduce costs following a fall in earnings, sources close to the matter said Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20250927/lufthansa-planning-thousands-of-job-cuts Sat, 27 Sep 2025 17:57:56 +0200 lufthansa-planning-thousands-of-job-cuts Consumers are more likely to trust a product that bears the label 'made in Germany' than products marked to have come from any other country. https://www.thelocal.de/20250925/made-in-germany-takes-the-lead-as-most-trusted-product-origin-label Thu, 25 Sep 2025 19:01:28 +0200 made-in-germany-takes-the-lead-as-most-trusted-product-origin-label