Let it all out! This is what changes in Germany in September 2017

Good news for anyone who lives in a thin-walled Neubau. From Friday onward, only vacuum cleaners with an output of less than 900 watts are allowed to be sold in stores. New vacuum cleaners should also not be louder than 80 decibels.

Consumers’ concerns that these vacuums might be worse in terms of suction capabilities are, according to the federal government, unfounded. The formula “the more watts, the better” is no longer applicable today, they argue.

More noise at sports grounds will be allowed

Sports enthusiasts might be thrilled to know that they can make the same amount of noise working out at sports grounds during the day on weekdays as they can in the evenings, on Sundays and on public holidays.

A noise level increase of five decibels will now be tolerated, so go ahead and scream as much as you like.

Earlier this year in January, the Bundestag (German parliament) decided to amend the law so that sports facilities across cities and communities could be made better use of.

Benefits for car-sharing vehicles

A car-sharing law, which also comes into effect on Friday, will allow the states in Germany to set up special parking spaces or allow free parking for car-sharing vehicles. But whether the individual states choose to implement the new law is up to them.

At the beginning of 2017, a total of 1,715 million car-sharing customers were registered, sharing a total of 17,200 vehicles. Statistically this meant that around 99 people with a driving license were sharing a vehicle.

Time to jump on the bandwagon, perhaps?

Increased animal protection

Animal welfare activists might be glad to know that as of Friday, animals in the last stages of pregnancy cannot be slaughtered. They might be less happy to learn that this law still doesn’t apply to goat or sheep.