Friday, July 17, 2026 · 03:41 CEST · Berlin

The New German

Tag: reform

  • Germany Toughens Liability Rules for E-Scooter Accidents

    Germany Toughens Liability Rules for E-Scooter Accidents

    Germany’s Bundestag has passed a law that makes it easier for people hurt in e-scooter accidents to get compensation, extending to e-scooters the same strict liability rules that already apply to cars and other motor vehicles.

    The change responds to a sharp rise in e-scooter accidents. Until now, victims often had to cover their own medical costs because e-scooters were exempted from the tougher liability rules that apply to other motor vehicles. “There is simply no reason to treat the rental of e-scooters differently under liability law than the rental of cars,” said Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD). “Anyone who makes money renting out e-scooters must also take responsibility for the damage their vehicles cause,” she said.

    The law introduces no-fault liability for e-scooter fleet operators, known as Halterhaftung (registered-keeper liability). This means the company that owns a rental fleet must cover accident costs whenever the person actually responsible for the accident cannot be identified or held liable.

    The rules also change how accidents with parked e-scooters are handled. People injured by a parked scooter no longer have to prove that the last rider left it incorrectly parked.

    Why this is happening

    E-scooters have been allowed on German public roads since summer 2019, and accidents involving them have risen sharply since then, according to the federal government. In 2024, there were around 12,500 accidents involving e-scooters, and in more than 7,900 of those cases the e-scooter rider was at fault, the Transport Ministry reported. The number of e-scooter accidents has doubled since 2021.

    What this means for you: If you rent e-scooters regularly, or if you’re a pedestrian or cyclist who could be hit by one, this change is meant to make it easier to get your costs covered after an accident, especially if the rider can’t be tracked down. It also removes the burden of proving a scooter was parked carelessly if you trip over one on the pavement.

     

  • BAfÖG – internationals and natives can hope for increase in 2027

    BAfÖG – internationals and natives can hope for increase in 2027

    Germany’s coalition government has agreed to raise BAföG, the state financial aid that helps students and trainees cover living costs — but the increase will now start in the summer semester of 2027, six months later than originally planned. The parties from the Union and the SPD confirmed the compromise on 9 July 2026, ending months of disagreement over the state’s finances.

    The BAföG deal at a glance

    • New start date: summer semester 2027, not winter semester 2026 as originally planned in the coalition agreement.
    • Housing allowance: rises from €380 to €440 a month for students and trainees who no longer live with their parents.
    • Basic rate (Grundbedarf): rises in two steps — to €503 from winter semester 2027/28, then to €563 from summer semester 2029, reaching the level of basic social security (Grundsicherung).
    • Income thresholds: from the 2028/29 school year or winter semester, the income limits (Freibeträge) that determine eligibility will rise automatically by 1.5% every year.
    • Next step: the federal cabinet is expected to approve the plan at the end of July 2026, research minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) said.

    What’s changing, and when

    BAföG (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, or federal training assistance act) is Germany’s state support for students and trainees who can’t otherwise afford their studies. The coalition’s compromise raises the monthly housing allowance for those living independently from €380 to €440. The basic living-cost rate for students will then climb in two stages: to €503 a month from the winter semester of 2027/28, and to €563 from the summer semester of 2029 — bringing it up to the level of basic social security (Grundsicherung).

    The coalition agreement had originally targeted the coming winter semester for the increase. That timeline has now slipped by half a year.

    Why the delay

    The increase had been in doubt for some time. The Union pointed to the tight state budget and had ruled out raising several state benefits at once, including citizen’s income (Bürgergeld), housing benefit (Wohngeld), parental allowance (Elterngeld) and BAföG. The compromise announced this week resolves that impasse, though at the cost of a later start date.

    The Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW), the umbrella body representing student services in Germany, welcomed the deal as a “good and important signal.” Its chairman, Matthias Anbuhl, told ARD’s Berlin studio that after months of uncertainty, there is now at least a decision. He noted that only around 613,000 students and trainees currently receive BAföG — the lowest number in almost 30 years.

    A simpler, digital application

    Alongside the rate increases, the coalition wants to modernise how BAföG works. Applications should become digital and more user-friendly. As a bureaucracy-reduction measure, students will no longer need to submit proof of academic progress (Leistungsnachweis) from their fifth semester onward. The government also plans a “reliable and transparent” system for reviewing and adjusting support rates going forward, on top of the automatic 1.5% annual rise in income thresholds starting in 2028/29.

    What it means for people living in Germany

    If you’re an international student, german student or trainee in Germany relying on, or considering, BAföG, the practical takeaway is timing: don’t expect higher payments this winter. The extra money — the higher housing allowance and, later, the higher basic rate — only starts from the summer semester of 2027.

    • Eligible EU citizens and some non-EU nationals with long-term residence or certain residence permits can apply for BAföG; check your eligibility with your university’s student services (Studierendenwerk) before assuming you don’t qualify.
    • If your rent already exceeds the current €380 housing allowance, budget for the gap to persist until at least the 2027 increase.
    • Watch for the promised digital application process — it should make applying and renewing BAföG faster once introduced.
    • If you’re past your fourth semester, you may benefit from the planned removal of the academic-progress proof requirement, once it takes effect.

     

  • Bundestag Passes Statutory Health Insurance Savings Bill – GKV

    Bundestag Passes Statutory Health Insurance Savings Bill – GKV

    Germany’s Bundestag voted on July 10, 2026 to approve a savings package for the statutory health insurance system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, or GKV) — a change that will mean higher medication co-payments and new limits on free family coverage for many insured members.

    Of 609 lawmakers who voted, 318 backed the bill from Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU), 284 voted against it, and four abstained. The package combines spending brakes on doctors’ practices, hospitals, pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry with higher costs for insured members. The Health Ministry had projected a deficit of up to 19 billion euros for statutory insurers next year without the reform, and warned that contribution rates could otherwise rise by one percentage point in 2027.

    Under the final version, co-payments for medications rise from a range of 5 to 10 euros to a range of 7.50 to 15 euros, though a planned annual adjustment of that range was dropped. Free co-insurance for spouses will be restricted, but with wider exceptions than first proposed: it remains available for parents of children under 12, up from under 7 in the original draft. Starting in 2028, members whose partners no longer qualify for free co-insurance will pay a 2.5 percent contribution surcharge. Certain extra payments to doctors, such as for walk-in hours without an appointment, are being scrapped, and increases in hospital reimbursement will be capped.

    What this means for you: If you or a family member is in Germany’s statutory health insurance system, expect higher co-payments for prescription medicines, and check whether a spouse’s free co-insurance status is affected by the new age and income rules. The Bundesrat was due to debate the same bill on July 10; it cannot block the law but could delay it by sending it to a mediation committee.