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What you need to know
- Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that Afghan admission pledges cannot be revoked en masse
- German consumer confidence is forecast to drop again in August
- German automaker VW reports that year-on-year second quarter net profits were down by 32.9%
- Extremist violence in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg saw a sharp rise across the political spectrum
Here were some of the top headlines from and about Germany on Friday, July 24, 2026:
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Skip next section Consumer confidence dips slightly as fuel costs rise again07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Consumer confidence dips slightly as fuel costs rise again
German consumer confidence looking ahead to August has dipped slightly, according to the NIM index.
The Nuremberg Institution for Market Decisions (NIM) on Friday moved its confidence index down 0.3 points, to negative 29.6 points.
It attributed its latest slight decrease in confidence to lower expected incomes and a higher tendency to save money.
“The ongoing uncertainty is leading to many households remaining reticent when it comes to consumption,” NIM expert Rolf Bürkl said. Most people anticipated negative overall economic growth in the coming 12 months, he said.
It also noted the role of rising fuel costs, particularly diesel and gasoline, after the government’s temporary tax relief expired at the beginning of July, only for fighting between the US and Iran to flare up once again.
“Given the expiry of the petrol discount at the end of June, prices at the pumps have risen considerably once again, which is reflected in the price expectations of consumers,” the institute said.
The current figures are based on interviews with roughly 2,000 people conducted between July 2 and 13 — which was before the renewed fighting really kicked into gear in the Gulf and started pushing energy prices up at pace.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hi3DSkip next section Constitutional Court says Afghan admission pledges cannot be revoked en masse07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Constitutional Court says Afghan admission pledges cannot be revoked en masse
Germany’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled in favor of an Afghan woman who filed a lawsuit against the federal Interior Ministry after the German government reneged on the promiseto provide protection from the Taliban on human rights grounds.
The woman was among hundreds of individuals promised admission to Germany in 2021 after the repressive Islamist Taliban returned to power.
In December 2025, Germany’s Interior Ministry reversed policy by announcing the blanket cancellation of promised admissions for roughly 640 Afghans whom the prior administration had left stranded in Pakistan for years.
The court on Friday said admissions must be considered on a case-by-case basis, adding, “Even where the executive enjoys a broad measure of discretion, it is never completely free.”
Once a person has been informed that they will be granted admission, the court said, individual circumstances must be reviewed before it can be canceled.
The court said the Interior Ministry’s decision to simply revoke all admissions was in breach of a German constitutional ban on arbitrary state action.
The case will now be reexamined by Germany’s Higher Administrative Court.
The Constitutional Court further ordered the Interior Ministry to continue supporting those Afghans currently in Pakistan until they are admitted to Germany or the ministry reviews their cases in compliance with Germany’s Basic Law.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HhkiSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Sean Sinico Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom. Although it’s almost the weekend, smack in the middle of what used to be Germany’s slowest news season, there is plenty to report.
Beyond the fact that the men’s national football team has a new coach and the chancellor is reshuffling his Cabinet, we are keeping an eye on a host of other stories, including a Constitutional Court decision in favor of an Afghan woman who sued the Interior Ministry over its mass cancellation of admissions to the country.
The woman and her two young children were among hundreds of Afghans promised admission to Germany on humanitarian grounds. The court said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt’s 2025 blanket policy reversal was unconstitutional and ordered Berlin to review cases individually.
Although the German economy has shown signs of life despite prior pessimism, the US war in Iran and resulting price hikes — on top of inflation and the adverse impact of more than four years of war in Ukraine — have again put the crunch on consumer confidence, which is expected to drop in August.
Economic bright spots came from the construction industry, which is apparently booming, as well as unexpectedly rosier sales at luxury sports car manufacturer Porsche. Volkswagen, however, complained that it only netted €1.54 billion ($1.75 billion) in second quarter profits, and says it hopes to have a cost-cutting package figured out by year’s end.
If that’s not enough, Baden-Württemberg‘s Interior Ministry registered a “worrying” rise in the number of extremist violent crimes committed in the well-heeled southwestern state, with a growing number of these — from right-wing, left-wing and Islamist fanatics — being carried out by men under the age of 30.
Stay tuned to DW for the latest in Germany news this Friday, July 24, 2026
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