Germany news: Govt reportedly mulls change to retirement age
What you need to know
- German tabloid Bild claims it saw a draft proposal by the government to increase the age of retirement by three years
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed that Ukraine become an 'associate' member of the European Union
- Danish authorities are reportedly deciding how to handle the beached carcass of 'Timmy' the whale
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Here are the latest headlines from across Germany on Thursday, May 21:
Nagelsmann names Germany's World Cup squad
Germany's head couach Julian Nagelsmann has announced the final 26-man squad he'll be taking to the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada next month.
The group includes some major surprises and the return of a star who had been counted out for months.
You can read DW's full coverage of Germany's World Cup lineup here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E771Skip next section Suspect in antisemitic restaurant vandalism detained in US05/21/2026May 21, 2026Suspect in antisemitic restaurant vandalism detained in US
According to German media reports, the suspect at the center of a number of antisemitic incidents across Europe has been arrested by US authorities.
Mohammed S., whose last name is withheld in Germany for legal reasons, is suspected by US authorities to be the ringerleader of a pro-Iranian extremist network.
He is believed to be responsible for an explosion that caused thousands of euros of damage last month at the Munich restaurant "Eclipse," which serves Israeli cuisine.
According to American investigators, S. may be a member of an Iraqi militia with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He is also suspected of playing a role in a number of other attacks elsewhere in Europe.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E6pSSkip next section ANALYSIS: Merz's Ukraine proposal seeks to balance ambition and political realities05/21/2026May 21, 2026ANALYSIS: Merz's Ukraine proposal seeks to balance ambition and political realities
Michaela Kuefner in BerlinGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now officially proposed an "associate member" status for Ukraine to bridge the gap between the initial promise of a fast track to full membership and the political reality in Brussels and Berlin, where nobody wants this.
His letter to EU leaders carefully balances coming clean on that reluctance, stating it is "obvious" that the EU "will not be able to complete the accession process shortly" with a key promise: Merz proposes that member states should already commit themselves to apply the EU’s mutual assistance clause — similar to but much weaker than NATO – immediately, without actual membership. Ukraine would also to attend EU Summits with its own EU Commissioner. Ukraine would be at the table but without any say — an exceptional new status for a country in exceptional circumstances.
This is the German chancellor taking the lead in navigating the next steps for Ukraine by proposing a new status. Backed by the weight of Europe’s largest economy and Germany as largest supporter of Ukraine it will now form the basis of discussion for the next EU Summit.
It might also go some way in calming the nerves of Western Balkan states, some of whom have been working towards EU membership for more than two decades. Merz's letter comes just days before leaders of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo meet with top EU leaders — likely including the German chancellor — on June 5.
Germany and Ukraine agree new strategic partnership
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https://p.dw.com/p/5E6keSkip next section Growth forecast for Germany cut in half05/21/2026May 21, 2026Growth forecast for Germany cut in half
Due to skyrocketing energy costs brought on by the US-led war in Iran, the European Commission has downgraded its projected growth for Germany this year by half.
Commission experts now expect GDP to grow by 0.6% instead of 1.2%.
The federal government had already reduced its own projections in April, down to 0.5%.
However, the European Commission said that it expected the situation to take a turn for the better in 2027, provided the conflict in the Middle East has subsided.
US strikes on Iran have led Tehran to effectively blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which one fifth of the world's oil and liquified natural gas passes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E5T8Skip next section Danish authorities hope to move 'Timmy' the whale before body explodes05/21/2026May 21, 2026Danish authorities hope to move 'Timmy' the whale before body explodes
Following the death of 'Timmy', a local humpback whale whose saga of becoming trapped in a shallow northern Germany bay and then being subjected to repeated rescue attempts was followed closely in northern Europe, Danish authorities now have to decide what to do next.
Timmy's body is now laying on a popular Danish beach. When whales die and are left on land, there is a good chance that the gases building up in their stomach can create a massive explosion, so removing the carcass is both necessary and dangerous.
German authorities are reportedly assisting their Danish counterparts in the attempt to remove Timmy's body and perform an autosopy so as to better understand why the whale was unable to reenter the wild safely.
Whale 'Timmy' found dead near Danish island
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https://p.dw.com/p/5E5G9Skip next section Rescuers recover body of Romanian tourist after Görlitz house collapse05/21/2026May 21, 2026Rescuers recover body of Romanian tourist after Görlitz house collapse
Rescue workers in the eastern German city of Görlitz said they had recovered the body of a 25-year-old Romanian tourist three days after a building housing rental flats and vacation apartments suddenly collapsed.
Another Romanian tourist, aged 26, and a 48-year-old Bulgarian-German man remain missing. Rescue workers have said they hope to find the pair alive, but that the chances diminished every hour.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the incident. Görlitz mayor Octavian Ursu said that a gas leak may have been invovled.
A picturesque town on the Polish border, Görlitz is often used by filmmakers to depict scenes set in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E5C0Skip next section Merz asks EU to make Ukraine 'associate' member05/21/2026May 21, 2026Merz asks EU to make Ukraine 'associate' member
In a letter to EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, Chancellor Merz has proposed making Ukraine an "associate" member of the European Union.
This would bring it closer to the bloc, but not grant the same voting rights allowed to member states. Kyiv has applied for full membership, but that process can take over a decade while the necessary conditions are met.
Read more about Merz's proposal in our report here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E5BySkip next section Government wants to raise retirement age to 70 — report05/21/2026May 21, 2026Government wants to raise retirement age to 70 — report
Politicians have been reacting to a report from German tabloid Bild that the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is planning to raise the age of retirement from 67 to 70 years old.
According to the report, the age will be raised to 68 in the 2040s, 69 in the 2050s, before finally reaching 70 in the 2060s. Bild wrote that the 13-person committee working on the reform proposals also wants to reduce the rate of pension payments slightly in order to keep the system sustainable.
With a long-stagnating birthrate, supporting older generations has been a source of debate in Germany for decades. Experts have warned that without immigration, the pension system will collapse.
The alleged proposal was heavily criticized by opposition parties, unions, and even the workers' rights arms of Merz's own center-right Christian Democrats (CDU).
However, later on Thursday, a spokesman for Merz's office dismissed the Bild report as speculation. Junior coalition partners the Social Democrats (SPD), who control the Labor Ministry, said they would decline to comment on unsubstantiated reports.
Germany's coalition government split over reform agenda
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https://p.dw.com/p/5E50aSkip next section Even without a victory, Freiburg prove they have something special05/21/2026May 21, 2026Even without a victory, Freiburg prove they have something special
Bundesliga side Freiburg might have lost their first ever European final to Aston Villa, but their European run is a reminder that success in football can be achieved without big spending or a loss of identity.
Read our analysis of yesterday's Europa League championship game here: Freiburg's Europa League final proof another way can work.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E50ZSkip next section Welcome to our coverage05/21/2026May 21, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Elizabeth Schumacher | Zac Crellin EditorEin wunderschönen guten Morgen from a sunny and warm Bonn.
Today we are looking at the latest debate over securing Germany's future via pension reform, as well as recent developments with Ukraine's European Union membership and the announcement of Germany's World Cup squad.
Stay tuned for the latest headlines, analyses, and reports from across Germany.
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