NEWS FROM BERLIN
Die Linke launches its election campaign with Elif Eralp
Die Linke Berlin has selected Elif Eralp as its lead candidate for the Berlin elections in 2026. The 44-year-old has been deputy chair of the Berlin Die Linke since May 2025, as well as a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since 2021. There, the lawyer is deputy parliamentary group chair and spokesperson for migration and anti-discrimination. In her speech on November 15, Eralp emphasized her ambition to become Governing Mayor of Berlin and presented housing and rental policy as the most important campaign issue. Source: rbb
Liebknecht-Luxemburg commemoration may not take place in 2026
The traditional commemoration of the assassination of labor leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in 1919 may not take place in 2026, due to construction works. For 107 years, apart from the Nazi era, thousands of people have gathered at the cemetery in Lichtenberg on the second Sunday in January to commemorate those leaders who were murdered. The Lichtenberg district office has now informed the alliance of various left-wing groups, which has been preparing and registering silent commemorations and demonstrations for many years, that no permit might be granted for the large-scale event planned for January 11, 2026. Source: bz
NEWS FROM GERMANY
German rent calculator finds more than 140,000 cases of exploitation in 1 year
Around 146,700 tenants who have used Die Linke’s rent calculator in the past year found out that they were paying illegally high rent. The party is set to propose a Rent Law in the Bundestag. To mark the date, Die Linke has released figures about how many people have used the calculator and what results they found. In the first year, 220,000 tenants across Germany used the Mietwucher and around two-thirds found they were being overcharged. Moreover, among the tenants who found they were paying too much, half found that they were paying 50% over the maximum local comparative rent set by the rent index (Mietspiegel). Source: iamexpat
How many people belong to a trade union in Germany?
Trade union membership across Europe is on the decline, and this holds true for Germany as well. According to a new study from the German Economic Institute (IW), 20.2% of employees in Germany were members of a trade union in 2016, compared to 16,6 % in 2023. On the other side, while the number of union members has declined over that period, the number of people employed in Germany has risen. According to the IW, the decline can be explained, among other aspects, due to the low mobilisation of employees in small businesses, “atypical” modes of employment (such as part-time work), and employees with a migration background. Source: iamexpat
Military service in Germany: all young men must undergo medical examination
According to AFP information, an agreement was reached during consultations between the Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and representatives of the coalition parliamentary groups. The new model will require all 18-year-old men to undergo a medical examination. If there are not enough volunteers among those examined, a lottery will decide who must perform military service. Pistorius’ original model was initially based on voluntary service. Union MPs called for automatic conscription if the planned model failed to meet NATO’s recruitment targets. More recently, a proposal for a lottery to determine who must undergo medical examination has caused a stir. Source: bz
Fridays for Future demands more pressure for climate protection
Fridays for Future is criticising the German government and the EU for their climate policy. Protests happened on November 14 in over 60 cities nationwide, accompanied by actions at the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The movement has called on the German government to exert more international pressure for climate protection. Climate activist Luisa Neubauer criticised the agreement between the CDU, CSU, and SPD to lower the air passenger tax in an interview with RBB and Deutschlandfunk radio. Neubauer spoke of “fossil fuel tax breaks” for airlines. Source: mdr
German government agrees on record debt for 2026
The German parliament’s budget committee has signed off on the budget presented by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). The exploding cost of Germany’s welfare system is supposedly putting pressure on the coffers — along with the billions of euros for rearming the Bundeswehr. The new borrowing of some 180 billion euros is the second highest in the country’s history, beaten only during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be put to a final vote in the Bundestag. Government representatives, nevertheless, clearly looked pleased on November 14, even if, on the day before, the Council of Economic Experts had accused the German government of spending too little money on investment. Source: dw
NS auction in Neuss canceled
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) welcomed the cancellation of the planned auction of Holocaust documents in Neuss. The Felzmann auction house wanted to auction letters from concentration camp inmates, a Jewish star, and Gestapo papers on November 18. Following protests by the International Auschwitz Committee, the auction was canceled. Wadephul said he expects the matter to be clarified. He added that it must be ensured that the crimes of the Shoah are not used for commercial gain in the future. The auction house has not yet made a public statement. Source: wdr
