Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Lufthansa and subsidiaries to operate some flights amid strikes, youth distrust in German government grows, and more news from around Germany on Tuesday.
Up to a fifth of flights to operate amid airport strike
German airline Lufthansa estimated on Tuesday that 10 to 20 percent of its planned flights will still operate amid a 27-hour strike set to start on Wednesday at 4 am.
Lufthansa will continue to keep passengers informed on its website.
The action, carried out by union Verdi on behalf of some 25,000 ground workers, is the latest in a series of strikes Germany continues to see for better pay and working conditions.
READ ALSO: Over 100,000 passengers affected as Lufthansa ground staff to strike
Young adults increasingly distrust German government: survey
Although trust in democracy is comparatively high among young Germans, many of them distrust the government and parliament.
As a study presented on Tuesday by the Bertelsmann Foundation using survey data from the previous year shows, 59 percent of 18 to 30-year-olds surveyed have more confidence in democracy than those in nine other European countries (with an average of 50 percent).
However, mistrust of politicians is also widespread in Germany: More than one in two young adults stated that they do not trust the government, while 45 percent distrust the Bundestag.
According to the survey, 36 percent of younger people and 42 percent of older people expect things to get worse - for example in terms of climate change or the standard of living. Young adults in Germany are on average more pessimistic than their peers in other countries.
Thousands protest against far-right in Frankfurt
Thousands of people once again took part in a rally against right-wing extremism in Frankfurt on Monday evening. According to a police spokesperson, around 18,000 people responded to the call of a broad social alliance under the motto "Frankfurt stands up for democracy".
The organizers themselves spoke of 25,000 people. Over 130 organizations had joined the call - including companies, trade unions, religious communities, clubs, associations, educational institutions, initiatives and Frankfurt's political parties.
In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets throughout Germany to protest against right-wing extremism. This was triggered by an investigation by the media outlet Correctiv into a meeting between radical right-wingers and individual politicians from the AfD, CDU and Werteunion in Potsdam.
Car sales surge
German car sales rose in January, official data showed Monday, but experts warned that the auto industry still faced a tough year ahead.
A total of 213,553 new cars took to the roads in Germany last month, the KBA federal transport authority said, a 19.1-percent increase on a year earlier.
The surge was however mainly down to the comparison effect with an extremely weak January 2023 when expiring subsidies cratered electric car sales.
E-car purchases had soared at the end of 2022 as customers raced to take advantage of clean energy subsidies before they expired, and demand has since cooled.
Scholz says EU needs 'geostrategic' Mercosur deal for growth
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz underlined the importance of closing a long-stalled EU trade deal with South America's Mercosur bloc, saying it carried strategic significance and would boost Europe's growth prospects.
"We need such agreements because they are of great geostrategic importance. It cannot be that we complain in newspapers that the influence of certain countries is increasing and that of Europe is decreasing, while on the other hand don't find a way to improve the economic growth prospects of our continent," said Scholz.
READ ALSO: Why are German farmers so angry?
But France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, speaking at the same press conference ahead of dinner with Scholz, insisted that "the conditions are not met" for an agreement the Mercosur.
Under negotiations for nearly a quarter of a century, the South America deal has recently run into fierce resistance from farmers across Europe, who have been blocking roads, protesting for better revenues and conditions.
With reporting from AFP.
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Up to a fifth of flights to operate amid airport strike
German airline Lufthansa estimated on Tuesday that 10 to 20 percent of its planned flights will still operate amid a 27-hour strike set to start on Wednesday at 4 am.
Lufthansa will continue to keep passengers informed on its website.
The action, carried out by union Verdi on behalf of some 25,000 ground workers, is the latest in a series of strikes Germany continues to see for better pay and working conditions.
READ ALSO: Over 100,000 passengers affected as Lufthansa ground staff to strike
Young adults increasingly distrust German government: survey
Although trust in democracy is comparatively high among young Germans, many of them distrust the government and parliament.
As a study presented on Tuesday by the Bertelsmann Foundation using survey data from the previous year shows, 59 percent of 18 to 30-year-olds surveyed have more confidence in democracy than those in nine other European countries (with an average of 50 percent).
However, mistrust of politicians is also widespread in Germany: More than one in two young adults stated that they do not trust the government, while 45 percent distrust the Bundestag.
According to the survey, 36 percent of younger people and 42 percent of older people expect things to get worse - for example in terms of climate change or the standard of living. Young adults in Germany are on average more pessimistic than their peers in other countries.
Thousands protest against far-right in Frankfurt
Thousands of people once again took part in a rally against right-wing extremism in Frankfurt on Monday evening. According to a police spokesperson, around 18,000 people responded to the call of a broad social alliance under the motto "Frankfurt stands up for democracy".
The organizers themselves spoke of 25,000 people. Over 130 organizations had joined the call - including companies, trade unions, religious communities, clubs, associations, educational institutions, initiatives and Frankfurt's political parties.
In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets throughout Germany to protest against right-wing extremism. This was triggered by an investigation by the media outlet Correctiv into a meeting between radical right-wingers and individual politicians from the AfD, CDU and Werteunion in Potsdam.
Car sales surge
German car sales rose in January, official data showed Monday, but experts warned that the auto industry still faced a tough year ahead.
A total of 213,553 new cars took to the roads in Germany last month, the KBA federal transport authority said, a 19.1-percent increase on a year earlier.
The surge was however mainly down to the comparison effect with an extremely weak January 2023 when expiring subsidies cratered electric car sales.
E-car purchases had soared at the end of 2022 as customers raced to take advantage of clean energy subsidies before they expired, and demand has since cooled.
Scholz says EU needs 'geostrategic' Mercosur deal for growth
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz underlined the importance of closing a long-stalled EU trade deal with South America's Mercosur bloc, saying it carried strategic significance and would boost Europe's growth prospects.
"We need such agreements because they are of great geostrategic importance. It cannot be that we complain in newspapers that the influence of certain countries is increasing and that of Europe is decreasing, while on the other hand don't find a way to improve the economic growth prospects of our continent," said Scholz.
READ ALSO: Why are German farmers so angry?
But France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, speaking at the same press conference ahead of dinner with Scholz, insisted that "the conditions are not met" for an agreement the Mercosur.
Under negotiations for nearly a quarter of a century, the South America deal has recently run into fierce resistance from farmers across Europe, who have been blocking roads, protesting for better revenues and conditions.
With reporting from AFP.
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