Latest data updates for Germany: History & Governance Tracker.https://watchboard.dev/en-ushttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-06-01/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-06-01/Chancellor Merz faced internal CDU succession discussions on May 26–28 after Bild reported his record-low 16% approval rating; he responded with an economic revival speech declaring 'Germany has the strength for a new beginning.' Germany's May 2026 CPI eased to 2.6% (Destatis flash, May 29) from April's 2.9%, with energy prices up 6.6% and services inflation sticky at 3.1%. The EU Commission's Spring 2026 forecast cut Germany's full-year GDP growth to 0.6% due to the Middle East energy shock. The CDU/CSU Bundestag group on May 30 proposed requiring elderly Germans to exhaust home equity before receiving state nursing care support — igniting a coalition clash with SPD partners over Germany's €22B+ care insurance deficit. Economic indicators updated; new claim added on the elderly care debate.Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-30/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-30/CDU/CSU Bundestag Group Proposes Requiring Elderly Germans to Use Home Equity Before State Care Support.Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-29/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-29/Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) released its preliminary consumer price inflation estimate for May 2026 on May 29, showing annual CPI at 2.6% — down from 2.9% in April 2026.Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-28/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-28/Merz Rallies CDU With 'Germany Has the Strength for a New Beginning' as Succession Talk Mounts.Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-25/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-25/AfD hit a record 28% in the May 19 Forsa poll — its widest lead over CDU/CSU (22%) ever recorded, driven by voter frustration with the governing coalition's reform delays. Germany's Foreign Minister Wadephul traveled to the NATO Helsingborg ministerial (May 21-22) and proposed a €40B multilateral Ukraine financing mechanism for the July Ankara Summit; Germany also signaled support for NATO's 5% of GDP defense target. The EU-US trade deal implemented May 20 averted threatened 25% tariffs on German cars, a major win for Merz's economic agenda. Police arrested five teenagers linked to the far-right 'Last Defense Wave' terror network on May 21, accused of arson attacks in Brandenburg and Thuringia. Foreign Minister Wadephul was added to the political tracker; AfD KPI updated to 28%; new NATO 5% spending claim added.Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-24/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-24/Germany Formally Tables €40B NATO Ukraine Financing Mechanism for Ankara Summit.Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-21/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-21/Police Arrest Five Teenagers Across Germany for Far-Right Terror Network 'Last Defense Wave'. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul traveled to Helsingborg, Sweden for the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting (May 21-22) to prepare for the July NATO Summit in Ankara.Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-20/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-20/The EU Council and European Parliament reached agreement on May 20 on two regulations implementing the tariff elements of the EU-US Joint Statement trade pact.Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-19/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-19/AfD Hits Record 28% in Forsa Poll — Six-Point Lead Over CDU/CSU Is Widest Gap on Record.Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-16/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-16/Germany and Ukraine signed the landmark 'Brave Germany' €4B defense package in Kyiv (May 11), including joint production of deep-strike drones with 1,500 km range and 5,000 AI-enabled strike drones. Rheinmetall announced domestic cruise missile production at Unterlüß to fill the US Tomahawk gap. The CDU-SPD coalition agreed a reform roadmap with a July 15 deadline covering pensions, taxes, and healthcare after a six-hour crisis summit. Germany and the EU rejected Putin's proposal to use ex-Chancellor Schröder as a Ukraine mediator, with EU chief Kallas calling him effectively a Russian lobbyist. The Forsa May 11 poll showed AfD at 27% to CDU/CSU's 22%, projecting the AfD as the largest party in a hypothetical Bundestag.Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-13/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-13/CDU-SPD Coalition Agrees Reform Roadmap With July 15 Deadline After Six-Hour Crisis Meeting. In a runoff election for District Administrator of Barnim in Brandenburg, SPD candidate Daniel Kurth won decisively with 66.1% of the vote, defeating the AfD challenger who received 33.9%.Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-11/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-11/EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels unanimously rejected Putin's proposal to use former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a mediator in future Ukraine security talks. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius traveled to Kyiv and signed a landmark joint defense agreement branded the 'Brave Germany' arms program. Germany's largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced plans to begin producing cruise missiles domestically at its main facility in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony. The May 11 Forsa poll showed the AfD at 27%, CDU/CSU at 22%, Greens at 15%, SPD at 12%, Die Linke at 11%, and FDP at 4% — below the 5% Bundestag threshold.Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-10/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-10/Germany Rejects Putin's Proposal to Use Schröder as Ukraine Peace Mediator.Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-09/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-09/Chancellor Merz marks one year in office with Germany's lowest first-year approval rating (15% Forsa) as the AfD overtakes CDU in polls for the first time (28% vs 24% INSA). Trump's order withdrawing 5,000 US troops from Germany — retaliation for Merz criticizing US Middle East strategy — threatens the transatlantic alliance alongside further threatened troop cuts and 25% EU car tariffs. SIPRI confirmed Germany reached 2.3% of GDP in defense spending in 2026 ($114B), Europe's highest in 36 years, while the CDU-SPD coalition publicly clashes over welfare cuts at May Day rallies. Merz has ruled out snap elections or an AfD-backed minority government.Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-07/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-07/Merz Rules Out Snap Elections and AfD-Backed Minority Government.Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-06/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-06/Friedrich Merz marked his first anniversary as German Chancellor on May 6, 2026 — a milestone overshadowed by the worst first-year approval ratings of any post-war German leader.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-02/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-02/An INSA poll published the week of May 4 showed the AfD at 28% — ahead of the CDU at 24% — for the first time in German polling history. Trump Threatens to Cut Troops 'A Lot Further' and Impose 25% EU Car Tariffs.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-01/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-05-01/Trump Orders Withdrawal of 5,000 US Troops from Germany in Feud with Chancellor Merz. SPD Attacks CDU Welfare Cuts at May Day Rallies, Deepening Coalition Crisis.Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-28/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-28/Germany Confirms €35 Billion Military Space Program for Bundeswehr.Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-27/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-27/The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released its 2026 global military expenditure report, confirming Germany became Europe's largest military spender.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTdailyhttps://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-26/https://watchboard.dev/germany/#digest-2026-04-26/Initial backfill complete. 2,000 Years of German History: From Teutoburg Forest to the Merz GovernmentSun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTdaily