Conservative politicians are pushing for more efforts to encourage refugees from Syria to return home. Meanwhile, the Bundestag has launched an inquiry into the country’s COVID-19 response. Follow DW for the latest.
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Lawmakers from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Conservative Democrats are calling for more to be done to make returning home a more attractive prospect for Syrians who have sought refuge in Germany.
So far, only a few refugees from Syria have returned to their homeland since the fall of the Assad regime.
As a result, some conservatives want to promote voluntary departures.
In other news, a Bundestag commission tasked with reviewing Germany’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is meeting for the first time.
Stay tuned for the latest news and analysis on a range of issues connected with Germany on Monday, September 8:
Skip next section Far-right AfD leader predicts 2029 election victory
Far-right AfD leader predicts 2029 election victory
Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), told supporters Monday he was confident the party would top the polls in the next general election set for 2029.
“We will get this ship back into shape,” he said at a rally in Abensberg, Bavaria. The AfD, now the largest opposition party, scored its best-ever national result in February’s parliamentary vote and last year won a state election in Thuringia — the first far-right victory at state level since World War II.
Chrupalla, who leads the party alongside Alice Weidel, pledged to “paint the country blue” in reference to AfD’s colors, and mocked Bavarian conservative leader Markus Söder and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He accused Merz of breaking “every campaign promise ever made since taking office in May.”
Chrupalla and Bavarian AfD leader Katrin Ebner-Steiner also called for mass deportations of migrants without the right to stay. “We will deport, deport, deport until the runways in Munich are glowing,” Ebner-Steiner said.
Skip next section German exports dip in July as US and China demand weakens
German exports dip in July as US and China demand weakens
Germany’s exports fell 0.6% in July 2025 from the previous month, while imports slipped 0.1%, the country’s Federal Statistical Office says.
Compared with July 2024, exports rose 1.4% and imports climbed 4.3%. Seasonally adjusted exports totaled €130.2 billion and imports €115.4 billion, leaving a trade surplus of €14.7 billion. That was down from €15.4 billion in June and €17.7 billion a year earlier.
Trade with EU partners increased, with exports up 2.5% and imports up 1.1% from June. Shipments to the eurozone reached €52.0 billion, while exports to non-euro EU countries stood at €22.8 billion.
By contrast, trade with non-EU states declined sharply. Exports fell 4.5% to €55.3 billion, while imports dropped 1.3% to €55.1 billion.
The United States remained Germany’s top export destination, but stateside sales fell 7.9% from June to €11.1 billion — the lowest since December 2021 and 14.1% below last year’s level. Exports to China slid 7.3% to €6.4 billion, while those to the UK declined 3.1% to €7.0 billion.
On a brighter note, Germany’s industrial production grew in July for the first time in four months, rising 1.3% from June, according to the statistics office.
The rebound was fueled largely by a 9.5% surge in machinery and equipment manufacturing, reversing June’s 0.1% decline.
DW News
