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Everything that changes in Germany in May 2021

From a new 'vaccine passport' to extra cash for parents, there are a lot of changes coming to Germany starting on Saturday May 1st.

Published: 27 April 2021 17:24 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2021 07:14 CEST
Everything that changes in Germany in May 2021
A woman walks past a clock in Bremen in April. Photo: DPA/Sina Schuldt

Higher minimum wage for skilled trades

Starting on May 1st, painters and varnishers can look forward to a higher minimum wage. For unskilled workers in these fields, the minimum wage will rise to €11.40, and for skilled workers that amount goes up to €13.80. The new standard is set to apply until May 31st 2022, when wages will again be up for discussion. 

Better protection for young people online

Germany’s new ‘Youth Protection Act’ (Jugendschutzgesetz), which comes into effect on Saturday, obliges major providers of games and films on the Internet to take technical precautions for greater protection of children and young people. 

The platforms must now offer simple reporting and complaint options in the event that young users feel threatened, harassed, or harassed by strangers. This includes bullying, sexual harassment, tracking or cost traps. Uniform age labels for online content will also be required so that parents can have better insight into the products their kids are using.

Child ‘corona bonus’

Families will again receive a ‘Kinderbonus’ in 2021, as they also did in 2020 amid the coronavirus crisis. For each child entitled to the benefit in May 2021, a one-off amount of an additional €150 will be paid out.

Photo: DPA

The Kinderbonus is part of the billions in aid to cushion the impact of the crisis. Last year, €300 was paid per child in a bid to boost consumption. 

READ ALSO:

New toy directives come into force in Germany in May

From May 21st, the EU will set new strict limits on the amount of aluminum and formaldehyde that can go into toys. The substances may then only be used in small quantities for processing and production. 

Comdirect abolishes unconditional checking account

Looking to open a free checking account with no strings attached? It’s still possible in Germany, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Comdirect Bank, which belongs to Commerzbank, is also saying goodbye to this model.

However, this applies not only to new customers, but as of May 1st to existing customers of the bank over 28 years-old. Yet for those who haven’t yet celebrated their 28th birthday, only students, trainees and interns qualify for the free account.

READ ALSO: The complete guide to opening a bank account in Germany

Want to avoid food waste? There’s an app for that

Starting on May 3rd, discounter Netto will introduce the “Too Good To Go” app – but only for its store chain with a dog in the logo, which is not part of the Edeka Group.

          Photo: DPA

With the app “Too Good To Go”, you can look up and see which of the stores give away food which is still good, but  would be thrown away for various reasons. This applies to all products costing up to €3.90.

You can find the more than 300 Netto stores with dogs in the logo in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.

International ‘vaccine passport’ to launch

Starting in May, the “IATA (International Air Travel Association) Travel Pass” will be the first to test travel with a vaccination certificate. The smartphone app allows travellers to store and manage certifications for Covid-19 tests or vaccinations. It aims to facilitate air travel under pandemic conditions, and help travellers avoid quarantines whenever possible. 

The data should remain under the control of the passengers, the association assures. The app is available now for iOS, and a version for Android is also expected to be available soon. 

WhatsApp releases new conditions

This change is one that has been long announced and even postponed, but now it’s getting serious. The new WhatsApp GTCs will come into force on May 15th.

What does this mean for you? If you haven’t agreed by this date, you won’t be able to use the Messenger app for the time being.  If you’re still unsure, your account will be set to “inactive” on the cutoff date.

This means that you can receive messages and calls, but you are no longer allowed to compose new messages yourself. You can do this for up to 120 days – then your account will be deleted forever.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN GERMANY

Everything that changes in Germany in May 2024

From higher ticket tax on air travel from Germany to several public holidays, here are the changes happening in May that you need to know about.

Published: 25 April 2024 12:33 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2024 06:25 CEST
Everything that changes in Germany in May 2024

Higher costs of flights 

From May 1st, the cost of tickets for flights in Germany will go up. That’s because the Luftverkehrsabgabe or ‘aviation taxation and subsidies’ air traffic tax is being hiked by around 20 percent.

The tax increase will depend on the final destination of the trip. Airlines in Germany will have to pay between €15.53 and €70.83 more per passenger and can pass these surcharges on to customers. 

The higher ticket tax is part of government measures to save money. 

READ ALSO: Should travellers in Germany buy flights before ticket tax hike in May?

Holidays in May 

Starting off strong, the very first day of the month is International Workers’ Day or Tag der Arbeit. It is a national public holiday, which means most workplaces, schools and shops will be closed. 

Later in the month, Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), which is also Fathers’ Day in Germany, is on May 9th and is a public holiday or Feiertag. 

And May 20th is Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag) which is also a public holiday. 

A regional holiday is on May 30th for Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam). Workers in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland will likely get the day off. It’s also marked in some parts of Saxony and Thuringia. 

Meanwhile, Mother’s Day – which isn’t a public holiday – is celebrated in Germany on Sunday May 12th.  

READ ALSO: The days workers in Germany will get off in 2024 

Eurovision 

You can watch Germany compete in the Eurovision song contest in Sweden this year. The semi-finals are set for May 7th and May 9th although Germany goes straight through to the finals every year as one of the ‘big five’ who fund the contest. The final is on Saturday, May 11th. Germany is being represented by former busker Isaak Guderian, 29, with his song Always On The Run.

The final is always broadcast in Germany on ARD‘s flagship channel, Das Erste.

New label when buying a car in Germany

Anyone buying a new car can look forward to more transparency from May. From the start of the month, dealers will have to provide a label with consumption and emissions data – both directly on the vehicle on display at the dealership and for online offers. This is based on an amendment to the regulation on energy consumption labelling for passenger cars.

Speeding tickets from Switzerland

At the moment, anyone living in Germany caught speeding or parking incorrectly in Switzerland has been able to sit out the often high fines. But from May 1st, speeding tickets from the neighbouring country will also be enforced in Germany. This is being made possible by a new agreement between the two countries. It will also work the other way – Swiss traffic offenders in Germany can also be prosecuted more easily.

The new regulation comes into effect as soon as the fine amounts to at least €70 or 80 Swiss francs. In Switzerland, this threshold is easy to reach because fines are generally high for speeding.

Drivers will have to watch their speed in Switzerland.

Drivers will have to watch their speed in Switzerland. Image by 🌸♡💙♡🌸 Julita 🌸♡💙♡🌸 from Pixabay

End of Deutsche Bahn Streckenagent app 

Deutsche Bahn’s smartphone app DB Streckenagent or ‘route agent’ will be discontinued on May 2nd. Passengers used the service to be alerted about current disruptions. In future, some of the DB Streckenagent functions will be added to the DB Navigator app, which you can use to search for connections, book tickets and get real-time information for regional, local and long-distance transport.

One thing to note is that if you have purchased a Deutschlandticket via this DB app, this subscription will be automatically cancelled on April 30th 2024, as Deutsche Bahn says that it cannot be transferred to another app for technical reasons. Anyone affected can take out a new subscription with the DB Navigator app.

Minimum wage increase for care home employees

There’s some good news for employees working in the elderly care field. The minimum wage will increase on May 1st. In future, unskilled workers will receive at least €15.50 per hour instead of the previous €14.15. The minimum wage will be hiked from €15.25 to €16.50 per hour for nursing assistants and from €18.25 to €19.50 per hour for care professionals. There are also more vacation days for employees. 

New bio-diesel at gas stations

Germany wants to become climate neutral – so new and more environmentally friendly diesel fuels are meant to help this goal.

Several new alternatives are to be introduced at gas stations, with the first becoming available over the course of May. Before car owners lift the fuel tank, they should find out whether their car can tolerate the new fuels such as XLT, HVO or B10.

E-scooters banned on local transport in Berlin

Berlin transport operator BVG is banning e-scooters on board its vehicles and in its subway stations from May 1st.

The U-Bahn, buses and trams are affected – but not the S-Bahn which is run by Deutsche Bahn. 

BVG said e-bikes, e-wheelchairs and electric mobility scooters are not affected by the ban,

According to the company, the reason for the new regulation is the fire risk posed by scooters.

The association of German transport companies (VDV) recommended in February that customers should no longer be allowed to take e-scooters on public transportation.

New field on ID card to clarify doctorate title

In Germany, the ‘Dr.’ field on ID sometimes causes problems for foreign border authorities. This is to be resolved from May with a change to the ID card. Anyone who applies for a new ID card or passport from May 1st and has a doctorate will receive a new data field to state it more clearly.

READ ALSO: What’s behind Germany’s obsession with doctorates?

AI warnings on Facebook and Instagram

From May, the Facebook group Meta will leave more photos and videos created or manipulated by artificial intelligence online with warnings on its platforms (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, Threads) instead of deleting them. The rules relate to content on important topics where the public could be misled.

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