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StockholmSweden Today in Germany Members only Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Friday Paul Krantz -
paul.krantz@thelocal.com Published: 7 Aug, 2026 CET. Updated: Fri 7 Aug 2026 08:40 CET Share Add a comment Pleasure
boats and leisure boats sit on the ground in the 'mill arm' which is fed by water from the Rhine. Photo: picture
alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold Transport minister announces response to low-water levels in the Rhine, Merz's party
continues to lose support following government shuffle, one in seven pensioners continues to work in Germany and more
news on Friday, August 7th. Friday's top story: Transport Minister announces response to low-water levels on the Rhine
Supply chain bottlenecks are being caused by extremely low water levels on Germany's rivers. On Thursday the Federal
Transport Minister Steffen Bilger held a meeting on the issue with affected companies and associations. He has now
announced immediate measures. "We can't influence the weather, but we could make sure that our economy gets through
these difficult weeks better," Bilger said after the meeting at his ministry's Bonn headquarters. For example, Bilger
hopes to introduce exceptions to the Sunday and holiday driving ban for trucks for particularly affected goods. Cargo
trucks are generally prohibited from driving on Sundays, but Bilger hopes that exceptions, while shipping is restricted
on the Rhine, will help to keep the movement of oil, steel and other goods going. READ ALSO: How historically low water
levels are affecting life in Germany DB Cargo has also pledged to support industry by moving more freight on the
railways, and Autobahn construction near canals and waterways is supposed to be postponed if it would disrupt water
traffic. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) welcomed the announced measures, but economists and business
associations are still bracing for negative economic impacts from the drought. The Federal Association of Road Haulage
and Logistics (BGL) expressed scepticism about the Sunday trucking proposal. Board spokesman Dirk Engelhardt told the
Rheinische Post that Driving and Rest Time Ordinance requirements will still need to be complied with, meaning that
additional drive time on Sunday will mean additional rest time on other days. No gain in trust for Merz's government
following cabinet reshuffle German Chancellor Friedrich Merz might have hoped that changing up his cabinet, as he did in
recent weeks following Jen Spahn's resignation, might have helped reset voters' apparent distrust in his government. But
so far voters seem to be saying otherwise. According to the latest 'DeutschlandTrend' survey, by ARD, a good two-thirds
of voters believe that after the personnel changes, the federal government will work just as badly (57 percent) or even
worse (11 percent) than before. On the other side, just about a quarter of voters have a positive view of the
government: Twelve percent each believe that the government will work better or work just as well as before.
Advertisement A minority (13 percent) is still very satisfied or satisfied with the work of the federal government,
while the majority (85 percent) is dissatisfied. In contrast, there is some positive movement in the evaluation of the
work of some individual politicians. The strongest change is seen for Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander
Dobrindt: 28 percent of voters (+6 percent) are satisfied with his work. Meanwhile, the popularity of the Union has
continued to slowly dissolve, whilst the Alternative for Germany has reached its highest popularity level ever recorded
by the DeutschlandTrend survey. The Union was backed by 21 percent of voters in the most recent survey while the AfD was
backed by 28 percent. The two parties have almost perfectly flipped since the last Bundestag election in February 2025,
when the Union won with 28.5 percent of votes and the AfD got 20.8 percent. At the national level, the Greens are the
next most supported party (15 percent), followed by the Social Democrats (12 percent) and the Left party (11 percent).
READ ALSO: Election guide - Germany's main political parties explained 'No promises' - Decoding the political slogans
plastered all over Berlin One in seven German pensioners remains in work after retirement A growing number of pensioners
in Germany are continuing to work beyond retirement age, with new figures showing that 14 percent of people aged 65 to
74 were employed while receiving a state pension in 2025. According to the Federal Statistics Office, this represents a
slight increase from 13 percent in the previous year and reflects a broader trend towards post-retirement employment.
Advertisement Most working pensioners are employed on a part-time basis or through so-called mini-jobs. Around
two-thirds work fewer than 20 hours per week, while many earn additional income through marginal employment contracts.
Self-employed retirees are more likely to work longer hours than those in traditional employment. The data also reveals
significant differences based on education and gender. Pensioners with higher educational qualifications are more likely
to remain in work, while employment rates among men exceed those among women. The likelihood of working also declines
steadily with age. Researchers note that financial necessity is only one factor driving post-retirement employment. Many
older people continue working to remain socially active or because they enjoy their jobs. READ ALSO: Seniors back to
work as ageing Germany battles pension burden Drowning deaths rise sharply in Germany The number of drowning deaths in
Germany has increased significantly in 2026, according to an interim report from the German Life Saving Association
(DLRG). Between January and July, 261 people lost their lives in or near water, 15 more than during the same period last
year. Tourists spend time in the water on Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Sauer The
rise has been particularly marked since the start of the swimming season. Between early May and late July, 189 people
drowned, making it the deadliest comparable period since 2019. June alone saw more than 100 drowning deaths, the highest
figure recorded for that month in over two decades. Advertisement Young men have been especially affected. The DLRG
reported 75 drowning victims among younger age groups during the first seven months of the year, compared with 49 in the
same period of 2025. READ ALSO: Drownings surge as heat stifles Germany Across all age groups, men accounted for 85
percent of victims. The organisation linked many incidents to risky behaviour, sometimes involving alcohol or drugs, as
well as poor swimming ability. German road repair firms fined €60 million for running price-fixing cartel Germany’s
Federal Cartel Office has imposed fines totalling €60.3 million on six companies involved in illegal collusion in the
road repair sector. The firms operated in the market for thin asphalt surface layers using cold-mix technology (DSK), a
method widely used to maintain roads and other asphalt surfaces. According to the competition authority, the companies
coordinated bids for public and private contracts over many years, effectively dividing up the market among themselves.
Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, said the arrangement affected a key area of public infrastructure
and ultimately impacted investments made by federal, state and local authorities. Investigators found that company
representatives regularly discussed tender responses and met frequently, particularly during spring and summer. Price
targets were reportedly communicated through coded language, using references such as kilometre figures, food and drink
prices, sponsorship amounts, hotel room rates or sporting events. Advertisement The cartel is said to have influenced
numerous contracts across Germany, including projects commissioned by public authorities as well as airport, port and
test-track operators. The collusive arrangements ended in September 2019. Several companies subsequently cooperated with
investigators under the cartel office’s leniency programme, which helped reduce the penalties imposed. With reporting
by DPA, AFP and Tom Pugh. Become a member or log in to continue reading More #Today in Germany Comments Join the
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