Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- The German chancellor is seeking allies among EU net contributor countries as Germany pushes for a smaller budget
- The lead candidates from the far-right Alternative for Germany and center-right Christian Democratic Union clashed in a televised debate
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Monday, August 10, 2026:
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Skip next section Half of German teens back age limit for social media08/27/2026August 27, 2026
Half of German teens back age limit for social media
Almost half of teenagers in Germany support banning social media below a certain age, according to a new survey. Most nevertheless say social media is generally good for them.
Some 47% of 12- to 17-year-olds surveyed said they supported an age limit for social media, with respondents suggesting an average minimum age of 14.
A further 8% backed a general ban on social media for children and teenagers, according to the survey published by German health insurer Techniker Krankenkasse (TK).
That means 55% support at least some form of restriction, while 39% oppose a ban.
At the same time, 80% of respondents said social media was generally good or very good for them.
TK chief executive Jens Baas called for an approach that takes both the benefits and risks of social media into account.
Social networks provide spaces for communicating with friends and accessing information, he said, but also expose users to fake news, cyberbullying and mentally stressful content.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JTSPSkip next section Germany records estimated 15,800 heat deaths this year08/27/2026August 27, 2026
Germany records estimated 15,800 heat deaths this year
An estimated 15,800 people have died in Germany as a result of high temperatures since the start of the year, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s public health institute.
The figure, based on estimates as of July 26, means Germany has already recorded more heat-related deaths in less than seven months than in any full year since 2016.
The previous annual high was around 9,000 deaths in 2018, another particularly hot year.
More than half of this year’s estimated deaths — around 9,600 — were linked to the record heatwave at the end of June, according to the RKI.
Temperatures during the heatwave reached almost 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit).
June 2026 was the hottest ever recorded in western Europe, according to data from the EU’s Copernicus climate service.
A further roughly 4,000 deaths were attributed to hot weather from late July to mid-August.
The total for that period is expected to rise because some German states report mortality data with a delay of several weeks.
Nearly 11,900 of the estimated heat-related deaths this year were among people aged over 75.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JTJUSkip next section AfD, CDU candidates clash ahead of Saxony-Anhalt vote08/27/2026August 27, 2026
AfD, CDU candidates clash ahead of Saxony-Anhalt vote
The leading candidates for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have traded sharp attacks in a televised debate ahead of Saxony-Anhalt’s state election.
State Premier Sven Schulze, the CDU’s lead candidate, and AfD challenger Ulrich Siegmund faced each other in a televised debate on regional public broadcaster MDR in Magdeburg on Wednesday evening.
Schulze accused Siegmund of having “no plan for the future of Saxony-Anhalt,” including when it came to creating jobs.
“I don’t just talk, I deliver,” Schulze said.
Siegmund countered that the AfD had a “clear plan” for the state. He said his party wanted, among other things, to “reorganize” migration, which he argued would free up money for investment in areas such as hospitals.
“We will make history,” Siegmund said, referring to the AfD’s goal of governing the state alone with him as premier.
“Saxony-Anhalt is the beginning of political change in Germany.”
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JSquSkip next section Merz seeks allies for smaller EU budget08/27/2026August 27, 2026
Merz seeks allies for smaller EU budget
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting leaders from several EU countries in Berlin on Thursday to push for a smaller and modernized EU budget. The talks come ahead of key negotiations this autumn.
Merz has invited like-minded EU leaders to the Chancellery for lunch as Germany seeks allies in negotiations over the bloc’s next long-term budget.
Representatives from the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Denmark are expected to attend, although the German government has not confirmed the final list of participants.
Germany and the four countries are all net contributors to the EU budget, meaning they pay more into it than they receive.
The group is among the countries sometimes referred to in Brussels as “the frugals,” which are pushing to limit the size of the EU’s next seven-year budget and change how the money is spent.
Merz has called for several hundred billion euros to be cut from previous proposals “in all areas.”
Last summer, the European Commission proposed a budget of almost €2 trillion for the 2028-2034 period. A subsequent proposal put forward by Cyprus was slightly smaller but remained substantially above the current budget.
Merz described that proposal as “unaffordable and unbalanced.”
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JSrKSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/27/2026August 27, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Richard Connor | Karl Sexton Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is trying to build support for a smaller EU budget.
He is hosting leaders from several like-minded EU countries in Berlin ahead of key negotiations this autumn.
Meanwhile, the lead candidates for Saxony-Anhalt’s state election have clashed in a televised debate, with the far-right Alternative for Germany riding high in the polls.
Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.
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