Latest news with #TobiasSCHWARZ
Local Germany
6 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
German businesses worried about sharp drop in incoming asylum-seekers
The number of refugees who have applied for asylum in Germany is down almost 50 percent year on year - at around 73,000 - according to the latest official figures . In comparison, a total of 250,945 people applied for asylum in the whole of 2024. The vast majority of these applications are from asylum-seekers applying for the first time. But with many industries relying on refugees to fill jobs, particularly less skilled ones, this isn't good news for German businesses - especially as the country is already struggling with a shortage of workers . Refugees frequently take up work in manufacturing, trade, logistics, and temporary jobs, with women often working in nursing, the hospitality industry, and education, according to the Federal Employment Agency. READ ALSO: 'Language classes at work' - How Germany could attract foreigners To address the problem, several business leaders have called for targeted labour migration and simplified immigration procedures – including for so-called 'basic' positions. "Relying exclusively on formally qualified specialists is insufficient," Sandra Warden, Managing Director of German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) told specialist migration magazine Migazin , advocating for proper employment contracts for foreign workers. A worker puts hands on a wagon with the logo of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) on September 24, 2024 in Berlin. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) Meanwhile, Germany's national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, maintains that for its continued operations, "immigration is part of the solution". "Every hire for operational positions is important to us," a spokeswoman for the railway told the magazine. Advertisement Foreign workers are known to be important for helping to fill Germany's skills gap, and this includes asylum-seekers as well as highly sought after skilled-workers. A report by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs stated that "many thousands of additional workers" could come onto the market if those with a migrant background were given support with training and integration. A programme in Saxony-Anhalt has proved effective in this regard: 7,775 refugees have found employment since a 'Job Turbo' programme was introduced in October 2023, according to data from the regional arm of the Federal Employment Agency. INTERVIEW: 'Don't let fear deter you from new life in Germany,' minister urges The number of people moving from unemployed to employed between July 2024 and June 2025 was 11.3 percent higher than the same period a year earlier, the data showed. But there is still work to be done as liaising with different immigration authorities can cause bottlenecks and can vary from state to state. "The goal must be to ensure uniform procedures," the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Industry and Commerce told Migazin , explaining that whether and how quickly immigrants were able to enter a company should not depend on the city or district the business was in. Advertisement Many people who seek asylum in Germany are forced to work in jobs below their qualification level to prove they are financially self-sufficient and therefore can obtain permanent residency. READ ALSO: Germany vows to continue migration crackdown at borders despite court setback The number of refugees entering the country has shrunk considerably since May when the new government came into power and ordered increased border controls and rejections on all of its nine borders to neighbouring countries. As of the end of July, 9,506 people had been turned away at the border, according to German police data released on Friday. "Our border controls are working and will continue to be maintained," Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Focus magazine. The border controls are currently set to last until September 15th.
Local Germany
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
IN PICTURES: Hundreds of thousands march at Berlin Pride demonstration
Around 80 floats and more than 100 groups took part in the march to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday. "The demonstration was as large and political as it has been for a long time," the organisers said. Among those who spoke at the opening of the event was Vice President of the Bundestag, Josephine Ortleb. She told AFP that it was a great honour for her: "especially in these times, we simply cannot be neutral when it comes to defending human rights," she said, adding that the queer community was coming under increasing pressure, even in Germany. CSD parade participants, many sporting rainbow flags, take to the streets of Berlin on July 26, 2025 . (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) Thomas Hoffmann, a member of the board of the CSD Berlin association, told AFP that it was especially important now "to take to the streets again with vigour and set an example for freedom, tolerance, and equality." Advertisement For the first time in the history of queer rights, "we are not fighting for new rights, but to defend existing rights," he added. According to authorities, anti-queer crimes have been on the rise for years. A participant of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade poses. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) No flag at the Bundestag A 2024 report from the Criminal Police Office and the Ministry of the Interior showed that the number of crimes in the area of "sexual orientation" and "gender diversity" had increased almost tenfold since 2010, although this was in part due to increasing visibility and willingness to report offences. Advertisement The rally commemorates June 28, 1969, when police stormed the Stonewall Inn gay bar on New York's Christopher Street, sparking days of clashes between activists and security forces. The uprising is considered the birth of the modern Pride movement. A participant of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade holds a poster reading "Show your colours, Mr Merz - don't duck away". Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) But unlike in previous years, no rainbow flag flew on the German Bundestag building as Bundestag President Julia Klöckner had decided not to raise it. "For me, the rainbow flag stands for solidarity, acceptance, but also human rights for all. And for me, these are also the values that the German Bundestag stands for," Vice President Ortleb told AFP. To protest Klöckner's decision, activists unfurled a 400-square-metre flag on the lawn in front of the Bundestag late Friday afternoon. Two CSD parade participants share a kiss. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) Counter protest According to AFP reporters, only around two dozen people participated in a right-wing extremist counter-demonstration against the parade. The person who registered the rally was arrested, a police spokeswoman said. In a preliminary report early Sunday morning, the police announced that a total of 64 arrests had been made at the parade. These included participants in the counter-demonstration as well as those associated with the parade itself, a police spokeswoman told AFP without giving specific numbers. As many as 1,300 police officers were on the scene that day and three sustained injuries, according to reports. A queer pro-Palestinian demonstration also took place on Saturday. Some 10,000 participants marched through Berlin-Kreuzberg, but the protest was broken up by police after officers were attacked and anti-Semitic slogans shouted. According to reports, 17 police officers were injured, and 57 were arrested.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool agree club-record deal to sign Wirtz
Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz is reportedly on his way to Liverpool (Tobias SCHWARZ) Liverpool have agreed a club-record deal worth up to £116 million ($157 million) to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, it was widely reported on Friday. The Premier League champions will pay an initial £100 million, comfortably surpassing their own record outlay, but the performance-related add-ons, if achieved, would make it a potential British record. Advertisement Liverpool's overall outlay for the 22-year-old Germany international could surpass the £115 million Chelsea agreed to pay Brighton in 2023 for Moises Caicedo, who turned down Anfield. Midfielder Caicedo cost Chelsea an initial £100 million fee, which could rise to £115 million. Striker Darwin Nunez was Liverpool's previous record signing in 2022, although they have not paid the full £85 million as he has not met all the requirements for certain add-ons to be due. Manchester City had been keen on Wirtz but pulled out, reportedly due to the spiralling costs of the whole package. jw/mw
The Citizen
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
PSG and Inter Milan set for Champions League final showdown
The match, which kicks off at Bayern Munich's 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena at 9:00pm. Paris Saint-Germain's Spanish head coach Luis Enrique attends the MD-1 training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League final football match against Inter Milan in Munich, southern Germany, on Friday. Photo: Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan will lock horns in Saturday's Champions League final with the French side hoping to win European club football's biggest prize for the first time and the Italians eyeing their fourth title. The match, which kicks off at Bayern Munich's 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena at 9:00pm (1900 GMT), pits an experienced Inter against a PSG team appearing in their second final since the transformative Qatari takeover of the club in 2011. ALSO READ: Wily Inter aim to stop PSG juggernaut in Champions League final Whoever wins will succeed Real Madrid as champions, and excitement is notably at fever pitch back in Paris, where around 40,000 people will watch on giant screens at PSG's Parc des Princes stadium and a huge police presence is planned around the city. The climax to the European season has thrown up a mouthwatering clash of opposing styles and ideas of how to build a team, a contest between one of the continent's old guard and one of the state-owned modern superclubs. Despite enormous spending, PSG have never won the Champions League before, coming closest when they got to the final in 2020. That was during the pandemic, when they lost to Bayern behind closed doors in Lisbon, despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar up front. The addition of Lionel Messi a year later did not help them in their quest to claim the trophy, and their brilliant run to Munich has come in the season after Mbappe followed the South American superstar duo out of the exit door. – 'Do something historic' – 'There have been great times, difficult times, but we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club,' captain Marquinhos said on Friday. Under Spanish coach Luis Enrique, an exciting young Paris side has taken Europe by storm in recent months, with a comeback win in January against 2023 champions Manchester City proving the catalyst. Since then PSG have knocked out three more Premier League sides — Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal — en route to the final, and have completed a French league and cup double. Ousmane Dembele has been their star player with 33 goals, ably assisted by fellow forwards Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Others like Achraf Hakimi, formerly of Inter, and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have also been superb. 'My biggest motivation is to make history for Paris and give the city and club something to celebrate,' said Luis Enrique, who is looking to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after leading Barcelona to glory. Victory for PSG would make them just the second French winners of the competition — Marseille's 1993 triumph also came in Munich, at the old Olympic Stadium, and against Inter's city rivals AC Milan. – Italian experience – Inter were the last Italian winners, when Jose Mourinho's side defeated Bayern in Madrid in 2010. They also won it twice in successive years in the 1960s. Coach Simone Inzaghi was already in charge when the Nerazzurri got to the final two years ago and lost narrowly to City. As many as eight of the team that started that night in Istanbul could do so again here, and an experienced line-up should feature three players aged 36 or over. Inzaghi's side beat Bayern in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Barcelona in an epic tie in the last four. Captained by star Argentinian forward Lautaro Martinez, they will set up in a 3-5-2 formation that contrasts sharply with the 4-3-3 of PSG. 'Last time against Manchester City we produced a top-class performance but didn't win, so this time we hope to be a bit more switched on,' said midfielder Nicolo Barella, recalling the 2023 final. 'These matches come down to fine margins, but we will try to bring home the trophy, that is the dream for all of us. 'After a season like this one I think we deserve to win this final,' added Barella, whose side missed out to Napoli for the Serie A title on the last day of the campaign. It is, remarkably, the first ever competitive encounter between the teams. ALSO READ: Chelsea aim higher after Conference League triumph While fans flooded into the German city on Friday, back in Paris fanzones have been set up at three locations beyond PSG's stadium. Police will deploy more than 5,000 officers in the city and its suburbs during the final after violence erupted following PSG's last-four victory against Arsenal. In Milan, meanwhile, tens of thousands will also watch the game at Inter's San Siro stadium.
