Germany updates: Finance Minister in Washington for talks – DW – 08/04/2025
Germany's Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is in Washington on his first official visit in office.
He'll meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss trade, global cooperation, and trans-Atlantic ties. The talks follow a key deal easing tariffs between the EU and the US, cutting duties on European imports to 15%.
Back in Germany, just 16% of Germans say they would be willing to take up arms in the event of an attack, a new study has revealed while more than a quarter of those surveyed said they considered a military attack on the country within the next five years to be very or somewhat likely.
Meanwhile, Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder has called for a reduction in benefit rates for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.Lawmakers from Germany's governing coalition are calling for tougher measures against unemployment benefit fraud, amid growing concerns over rising costs.
"Those who exploit the system must be met with clear sanctions," Dirk Wiese, the parliamentary secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) media group.
Wiese said he believes changes to the basic income support scheme, known as Bürgergeld, were necessary. The SPD politician also stressed that the majority of those who seek financial help while not working want to be in employment. Wiese said he wants to see an increase to the minimum wage.
Tilman Kuban, a lawmaker for the conservative Christian Democrats, which leads Germany's coalition along with the SPD, also called for more scrutiny regarding unemployment benefit.
"The new basic income can only be for those who really need help - not for those who don't want to work," he told RND.
In 2024, the state paid out some €46.9 billion ($54.3 billion) in basic unemployment support to around 5.5 million people. That was around €4 billion more than in 2023, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Police and spy agencies are keen to combat criminality and terrorism with artificial intelligence.
But critics say the CIA-funded Palantir surveillance software enables "predictive policing."
Read the full story on the controversial Palantir software being used by German police.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) is in Washington on Monday for talks with his US counterpart Scott Bessent, a week after the EU agreed with the United States on a 15% tariff for most European goods.
The pair are expected to discuss issues related to trade while also maintaining and expanding the transatlantic partnership, the Ministry of Finance said ahead of the trip.
Klingbeil will also meet with World Bank President Ajay Banga and civil society actors to discuss issues of global security and sustainable growth.
The premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, said it is time to reduce the benefits for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
Söder is in favor of offering Ukrainians lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, as opposed to the citizen's allowance, which is currently in place.
In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, Söder said he is in favor of reducing benefits for certain Ukrainian refugees.
Söder said there should be "no more citizen's allowance for all those who have come from Ukraine."
The citizen's allowance in Germany is a state welfare benefit given to those with little or no income to ensure a minimum standard of living.
Around one in six Germans say they would join the military in the event of a conflict or a call to arms, a new survey revealed on Monday.
Conducted by the research institute Forsa for the RND media group, the poll recorded that 16% of participants said they would "definitely" fight, while another 22% said they would "probably" do so.
However, 59% said they would "probably not" or definitely not be willing to defend Germany in the event of an attack. Among women, that reluctance is 72%.
More than one in four respondents (27%) said they considered a military attack on Germany within the next five years to be very or somewhat likely.
Meanwhile, 59% of respondents said they felt it was likely that Germany would have to provide military assistance to another NATO member.
Around 1,000 citizens took part in the survey which was carried out on July 28 and July 29, amid heightened debate regarding Germany's defense preparation and increased spending in this area.
According to Forsa, the results carry a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
In May, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Berlin accepts in principle the demand from the United States that NATO member states increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Currently, Germany spends around 2% of its GDP on defense.
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from the DW newsroom.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is in Washington for talks with his US counterpart Scott Bessent.
Elsewhere, Markus Söder has called for an end to the citizen's allowance for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, preferring to offer lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
A survey of around 1,000 German citizens has been conducted, amid heightened discussion over the country's defense readiness.
Follow us for stories on how Germany is coping with the myriad of challenges faced by many countries today, as well as a general roundup of the major talking points regarding Europe's largest economy.
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