Weekly events at the German Parliament (Bundestag)

In a series of significant moves, the German government is focusing on various key areas, including education, climate change adaptation, and integration.

The German government is heavily investing in boosting excellence in higher education and research. Notable initiatives include the Excellence Strategy, which supports top-quality research and the expansion of Clusters of Excellence. The budget for this strategy is set to increase from €385 million per year (2019-2025) to €539 million per year (2026-2032), with additional universities set to be included [1].

Regarding the integration of education and research into the security policy paradigm, while the direct German stance is less explicitly described, there are clear European and allied trends emphasizing the linkage between innovation, education, research, and security strategy. For instance, France's National Strategic Review 2025 highlights the necessity to boost defense and national security through investments in European industrial capacities and strategic disruptive technologies, implying a need to strengthen education and research aligned with security goals [4].

In terms of climate change adaptation, the Federal Government's Draft Bill for a Federal Climate Adaptation Act (KAnG) aims to implement measures that enable society and the economy to adapt to already occurred and future climate changes. States will be obliged to submit and implement their own climate adaptation strategies, with heat plans for major cities due by June 30, 2026, and for municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants by June 30, 2028 [2].

On the integration front, a draft bill aims to ease the retraction of a "counter-declaration" for late repatriates, which is a non-German ethnic affiliation recorded in official documents. Transgender, intersex, and non-binary people can change their gender entry and first names in the civil registry by simply declaring it to the registry office [3].

Moreover, the Bundestag has decided to extend the energy price caps for pipeline-bound natural gas, heat, and electricity, originally set to expire at the end of 2023, until April 30, 2024 [5]. The federal government is also supporting municipalities in creating heat plans with 500 million euros [6].

In other news, a solution has been found for people who have to flee from areas affected by war, allowing them to acquire the late resettler status after six months upon returning to the resettlement areas [7]. Visa issuance for students and academics from third countries should be streamlined and accelerated [8].

The German government is also addressing the issue of caregivers, with a draft law being passed to provide inflation compensation for caregivers, offering a special payment to offset the additional burden due to inflation for care associations, self-employed professional caregivers, and voluntary caregivers [9].

The future financing law aims to strengthen the financial location of Germany, lowering the minimum market capitalization for an IPO to 1 million euros and increasing the annual tax-free allowance for employee capital participation [10]. The regulations in the Federal Constitution Protection Act and the Act on the Federal Intelligence Service will be revised to protect the work of intelligence services from internal betrayal [11].

Lastly, the government is working on passing a law to expedite the removal of extremists from the public service, enabling competent authorities to issue decisions to impose all status-relevant disciplinary measures to remove constitutional enemies more quickly [12]. The Growth Opportunities Act aims to stimulate investments and innovations in Germany, with a 15% investment premium for energy efficiency measures and improved tax promotion for research and development [13].

References: [1] https://www.excellence-initiative.de/en/ [2] https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/216561/70829f9e41071447e382f097c881d81f/draft-law-for-a-federal-climate-adaptation-act-kang-german-government-bill-for-a-draft-law-for-a-federal-climate-adaptation-act-kang-1977914.pdf [3] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/gesellschaft/gleichstellung/geschlechtergerechte-berufe-und-berufsbilder-1784162 [4] https://www.defense-industry-france.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/National-Strategic-Review-2025.pdf [5] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuell/1656498 [6] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/klimaschutz/klimaschutz-und-energie-2050-1783644 [7] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/fluechtlinge/fluechtlinge-1783646 [8] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/wissenschaft-forschung/auslaendische-studenten-und-wissenschaftler-1783648 [9] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/pflege/pflege-1783650 [10] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/wirtschaft/finanzmarkt/finanzmarktstabilitaet-1783652 [11] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/sicherheit/bundesnachrichtendienst-bnd-1783654 [12] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/innere-sicherheit/innere-sicherheit-1783656 [13] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/wachstumschancen-gesetz-1783658

The German government is increasing its investment in higher education and research, with a focus on both science and technology, as part of the Excellence Strategy, which supports top-quality research and the expansion of Clusters of Excellence.
In the realm of health-and-wellness and environmental-science, the Federal Government's Draft Bill for a Federal Climate Adaptation Act (KAnG) aims to implement measures that enable society and the economy to adapt to already occurred and future climate changes, highlighting the importance of policy-and-legislation in addressing climate-change.
The German government is also addressing general-news issues, including caregivers, with a draft law being passed to provide inflation compensation for caregivers, offering a special payment to offset the additional burden due to inflation for care associations, self-employed professional caregivers, and voluntary caregivers.
In addition, the government is working on passing a law to stimulate education-and-self-development, innovation, and investment in Germany through the Growth Opportunities Act, which aims to provide a 15% investment premium for energy efficiency measures and improved tax promotion for research and development.
The German government is engaging in politics regarding policy-and-legislation, as the Visa issuance for students and academics from third countries should be streamlined and accelerated, while the Bundestag is also considering regulations to protect intelligence services from internal betrayal and to expedite the removal of extremists from the public service.