Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Germany’s Defense Ministry has confirmed reports that it is to scrap its biggest-ever naval armament project, reports say
- Train services have resumed after being paralyzed by a communications failure
- The trial of a man accused of fatally assaulting a train conductor set to begin
Here is a roundup of the top headlines from and about Germany on June 24, 2026:
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Skip next section Commission recommends partial ban of smartphones at schools06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Commission recommends partial ban of smartphones at schools
An expert commission appointed by Family Minister Karin Prien has recommended that the private use of smartphones should be banned for pupils at schools across the country up to the seventh grade.
In Germany, such a ban would thus apply to children aged 12 to 13.
The commission on “Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World” said that the private use of digital devices during lessons was a major distraction, while it dampened social interaction during breaks.
It said schools should be required to come up with binding guidelines for mobile phone usage for pupils beyond eighth grade in consultation with them.
The commission, which was appointed in September, said such a ban would not preclude the use of digital learning tools at school.
In all, it presented 56 recommendations aimed at protecting children and young people from the dangers of digital media while still allowing engagement with them.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FyknSkip next section Germany ‘Europe’s hotspot for ransomware’ — cybersecurity expert06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Germany ‘Europe’s hotspot for ransomware’ — cybersecurity expert
Germany has seen a rise in ransomware attacks that is nearly twice as high as in France and is the main European target for such crime, a German cybersecurity expert has said.
“Germany is Europe’s hotspot for ransomware,” Christian Dörr, a cybersecurity expert at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam, said on Wednesday ahead of a national cybersecurity conference in the city.
He said that such attacks, which often trace back to Russia, targeted Germany due to a certain lack of cybersecurity awareness combined with the presence of innovative companies holding valuable information.
According to Dörr, criminals using such methods made ransom demands averaging in the thousands of euros, while the disruption they caused to operations sometimes drove companies to bankruptcy.
He said the biggest increase was being seen in attacks on public administration, whose structure often made them hard to protect against cyber attacks.
The health care sector saw the highest ransom demands, he said, with criminals even using sensitive health data to extort payments from patients in a second round of blackmail.
Ransomware attacks use malicious software to encrypt data and systems so that victims cannot access them, with the criminals then demanding payments from victims in return for decrypting them.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5FyapSkip next section Business morale rising again slightly in Germany — Ifo institute06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Business morale rising again slightly in Germany — Ifo institute
German businesses are more positive about their situation today than they have been in almost two years, a survey has shown.
The Ifo institute said its business climate index rose in June to 85.6 compared to a revised 85.0 in May.
Businesses were also more satisfied with their current operations, with the index rising to 87.0 from 86.1 in May.
Companies’ expectations for the coming months were a little more optimistic as well, Ifo said, with the business outlook index increasing to 84.1 from 83.9 in May.
“The German economy is hoping for an easing of the global
political situation,” Ifo President Clemens Fuest said, in likely reference to reported advances in the current peace process between the US and Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FyFKSkip next section The end of a prestigious project; DW’s security and defense reporter on the F126 frigate scrapped deal06/24/2026June 24, 2026
The end of a prestigious project; DW’s security and defense reporter on the F126 frigate scrapped deal
Nina Werkhäuser Berlin
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius halts construction of the F126 Frigate. The case shows again that not all of the Bundeswehr’s major defense projects go off without a hitch.
While the design for the German Navy’s largest combat vessel was initially celebrated with great enthusiasm, disillusionment quickly set in during construction: The prime contractor, the Dutch shipyard Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS), was unable to fulfill the contract signed in 2020.
As a result, construction was delayed, and costs rose — much to the displeasure of the Ministry of Defense: The new frigates are urgently needed, especially for anti-submarine warfare as part of NATO commitments.
The Ministry of Defense reportedly considered transferring the contract to the shipyard Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), which was acquired by defense giant Rheinmetall in March. However, this option was rejected due to the threat of additional costs.
Now, the defense minister has pulled the plug: The once-prestigious project has been scrapped. Originally, €10 billion ($11.3 bn) had been budgeted for six F126s. Reportedly, more than €2 billion had already been invested — some of the money appears to have been lost.
The German company TKMS is now expecting to benefit from Pistorius’ decision. The German Armed Forces plans to purchase eight MEKO A-200-class frigates from TKMS, a leading global manufacturer of naval vessels and submarines, provided the Bundestag approves the deal.
The advantage? This model has already been built for export, so the plans are ready. TKMS has promised to move quickly and deliver the first frigate to the navy as early as 2029.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FyaDSkip next section Germany to scrap order for F126 frigates — Defense Ministry06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Germany to scrap order for F126 frigates — Defense Ministry
The Defense Ministry has said it is ditching an order for six F126 frigates and ordering eight smaller warships instead, confirming earlier media reports to that effect.
“The Defense Ministry has decided not to proceed with the construction of a total of six F126-class frigates,” it said in a statement.
“This is in response to the significant delays affecting the project,” it added, saying expected cost increases and the risks associated with a change of main contractor were also factors in the decision.
As an alternative, it aims to buy 8 MEKO frigates, primarily for anti-submarine warfare, it said.
Shares for defense group Rheinmetall, which had reportedly been due to take over the F126 project from Dutch shipbuilder Damen in the second quarter, plunged at the news of the change in plans.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fy4jSkip next section Employment in renewable sector hits record high in 202506/24/2026June 24, 2026
Employment in renewable sector hits record high in 2025
Some 436,000 people were employed in Germany’s renewable energy sector last year — a record — but planned energy reforms by the government could put thousands of those jobs at risk, a leading think tank says.
The employment figures are 4% above those for 2023, with wind power the largest employer with 131,000 jobs — an increase of some 30% over 2023, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Photovoltaics accounted for almost 100,000 employees, followed by the production and installation of heat pumps, with around 72,000 people employed in that sector last year.
Jana Fingerhut, a labor market expert at the foundation, said, however, that the government needed to continue to invest in the sector to maintain the jobs.
She said that in the photovoltaic sector, for example, the number of jobs was falling because most solar modules are now produced abroad.
“The manufacturing base that was still so strong in Germany 15 years ago has disappeared. We must not allow the same thing to happen with the production of wind turbines, heat pumps and inverters,” Fingerhut warned.
Economy Minister Katharina Reiche is planning to link the expansion of wind and solar power to the development of Germany’s electricity grid, but critics worry plans are progressing too slowly.
She is also considering scrapping subsidies for new rooftop solar systems in private households, which many fear could deter people from having them installed.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FxpaSkip next section Merz to host five major European leaders ahead of NATO summit06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Merz to host five major European leaders ahead of NATO summit
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited the leaders of France, Italy, Poland and the UK for discussions in Berlin, two weeks before a NATO summit in Turkey.
The leaders of the so-called E5 countries are expected to discuss support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, the role of Europe in bringing the Iran conflict to an end and burden-sharing within NATO.
NATO chief Mark Rutte is expected to join Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the meeting online from Washington.
The NATO summit is scheduled to take place on July 7-8 in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FxZDSkip next section Trial to begin over fatal assault on train conductor06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Trial to begin over fatal assault on train conductor
A 26-year-old Greek national is to go on trial on Wednesday accused of having assaulted a train conductor who later died of his injuries.
The incident, during which the accused is alleged to have punched the conductor in the head, occurred during a ticket inspection aboard a regional train near the southwestern town of Landstuhl on February 2.
Prosecutors have charged the accused with murder.
However, the regional court in Zweibrücken, where the trial is to take place, has classified the case as bodily harm resulting in death, as it says there is no evidence so far of intent to kill.
According to the indictment, the suspect was asked by the 36-year-old conductor to present his ticket during a routine inspection, but had no valid ticket and also refused to show identity documents.
Prosecutors said the accused seemed to become angry and turned violent when told to leave the train.
The conductor died from a brain hemorrhage at hospital two days later.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FxGzSkip next section READ: Train services resume after major stoppage06/24/2026June 24, 2026
READ: Train services resume after major stoppage
Train services across Germany were brought to a halt for more than two hours late on Tuesday night after a communications system failed.
National rail operator Deutsche Bahn says it is now investigating the cause of the glitch.
You can read more details about the stoppage and its impact on travel within Germany in our detailed coverage here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FxKbSkip next section Germany set to drop F126 frigate project — media06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Germany set to drop F126 frigate project — media
Germany plans to scrap plans to build six F126 frigates, a multi-billion-euro project that would have been the biggest in the history of the country’s navy, media have reported.
Both the German news magazine Spiegel and the British daily Financial Times said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius instead intended to buy eight smaller MEKO A-200 frigates from warship builder TKMS.
The news could be a blow to defense contractor which had been set to take over the F126 frigate project from Dutch shipbuilder Damen in the second quarter, according to its CEO, Armin Papperger.
The planned change in warship model is backed by the navy leadership, the reports said.
The Meko A-200 frigates are some 120 meters long (394 feet long), considerably shorter than the 166-meter-long F126s.
The F126 project had been afflicted with several problems and delays.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5FxHFSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/24/2026June 24, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Timothy Jones | Rana Taha Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn as Germany continues to swelter amid a long heat wave.
You join us after a tech outage brought the country’s trains to a standstill late on Tuesday night. National rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) is looking into what might have caused the glitch, and you can read all the details here at DW.
The stoppage came just before DB’s supervisory board is to hold a two-day conference where CEO Evelyn Palla is due to present her strategy to restructure Germany’s long-neglected rail system over the coming years.
In more train-related news, the trial begins on Wednesday of a man accused of fatally assaulting a conductor during a ticket inspection.
And German armaments company Rheinmetall might be in for a disappointment if media reports are confirmed that a project to build six F126 frigates is to be scrapped.
You can read more about these and other stories in our blog from Wednesday, June 26.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FxKdShow more posts
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