Germany news: Belgium blaze kept out of Germany for now

August 17, 2026

Germany: Bundeswehr troop numbers reach 13-year high

Germany's Bundeswehr military employed roughly 186,700 soldiers as of July 31 this year, the Defense Ministry said on Monday . 

The increase is a relatively rare positive headline as Germany and its military try to ramp up recruitment, procurement and defense spending — to meet new NATO targets, appease the Donald Trump administration, and respond to perceived threats from Russia and beyond — encountering a string of setbacks and bottlenecks along the way. 

By the mid-2030s, Germany aims to recruit some 70,000 more full-time troops than it currently has on retainer, to reach a full-time force of around 260,000 plus around 200,000 reservists.

Read our full report on Geramny's latest troop figures here.

August 17, 2026

Madison Air spends €5.1 billion on German cooling company ebm-papst

US company Madison Air Solutions is spending $5.4 billion or roughly €5.1 billion to buy out German family-owned ventilation company ebm-papst. 

The companies' bosses argued the move was a way to "make one plus one equal three," as ebm-papst chief executive Klaus Geissdörfer put it. He said Madison Air knew how to help the German company realize its plans to expand. 

"We will also benefit from better access to the US market," Geissdörfer said, noting that, in turn, his company could provide Madison Air Solutions with better access to new markets in Europe and Asia. "Ebm-papst is well positioned here. That's why we complement each other very well."

The US market for cooling and ventilation solutions is booming in no small part thanks to the race to make data centers. The vast processors in these facilities create large amounts of heat and require constant cooling. 

And in Germany, a particularly hot summer has brought questions on more widespread use of air conditioning back to the fore. 

Madison Air's chief executive Jilly Wyant said that as a longstanding customer of ebm-papst, "we have a deep appreciation for its integrated airflow technology and custom engineering expertise." 

She said the new duo was "confident we can accelerate growth, enhance performance and create significant long-term value for shareholders.

The deal still requires regulatory approval before it can go ahead.

August 17, 2026

Mixed forests needed to lessen wildfire risk — Forestry Council

The head of the German Forestry Council has said Germany should urgently convert its conifer forests into mixed forests in the face of the growing wildfire threat as climate change advances.

Christian Haase told the public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the increased fire danger "means for us as forest owners: forest conversion, forest conversion, forest conversion."

"We must move away from pure conifer stands towards mixed forests," he said.

However, he conceded that the shift would take some time.

"This will certainly take another decade," he said.

Studies suggest that monocultural forests are more frequently affected and more severely affected by fires.

Pine forests in particular are considered highly flammable as their trees are rich in resins and oils.

Germany has seen several recent wildfires, including one in Hürtgen Forest that was the worst in the recorded history of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

August 17, 2026

People in Germany taking more domestic trips

In 2025, people in Germany cut the number of trips they took abroad, while the number of trips taken within the country with at least one overnight stay rose, figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed on Monday.

The number of trips within Germany climbed by 3.9% in comparison with 2024 to 169 million, Destatis said.

Foreign travel went down by around 8.3% in comparison with the year before, to 105 million.

The most popular destination was Italy, followed by Austria, Spain, France and the Netherlands.  

For all trips, the most popular means of transport was the car (60.2%), with rail (19.2%) and plane (15.2%) lagging well behind.   

August 17, 2026

Growing number of young people not in work or training

The number of 20 to 24-year-olds in Germany who were neither employed nor doing training or studies rose to 10% in 2025 as part of a continuing trend, new figures have shown.

In 2022, the figure was 8.8%, the Federal Statistical Office said, using international comparative data from the European statistics authority Eurostat.

However, the figure from Germany is relatively low among all 27 EU nations and below the average of 12.9% for the bloc.

The Netherlands had the lowest percentage of people in the 20-24 age group who were unemployed or not doing some professional training, at 5.6%.

The figure was highest in Romania (22.8%), Bulgaria (17.3%) and France (16.2%).

Young people in rural areas of Germany were less likely than those in big cities to fall into the category (7.9% and 10.6% respectively).

August 17, 2026

Low water levels in rivers could impact construction: industry associations

The building sector could face supply shortfalls as ships on German rivers carry less cargo because of falling water levels, construction industry associations say.

"Transport by water is becoming increasingly difficult," Thomas Reimann, the president of an association representing construction contractors in the German state of Hesse, told the DPA news agency.

He said that sand and gravel, which are often shipped in large quantities to concrete plants, are becoming harder to come by and more expensive.

The German Construction Industry Federation (HDB) also said suppliers had already warned that continued low water levels could lead to shortages in some building supplies.

Bitumen, aggregate, natural stone, fuels and mineral construction waste are among the other materials affected by the reduced shipping capacity.

HDB chief executive Tim-Oliver Müller said it was unlikely that construction would be brought to a widespread halt but that the risk of shortages, higher logistics costs and delays was growing as low water levels persist.

August 17, 2026

Precautionary evacuations in Monschau as Belgium fire rages

Several homes in the Eifel town of Monschau were evacuated overnight as a wildfire burning in Belgium's High Fens nature reserve threatened to cross the border.

Around 30 residents from 17 homes were evacuated, with emergency accommodation set up at a nearby school.

However, by Monday morning the fire was said to have stopped its advance toward Germany amid weather conditions that are more favorable to firefighting efforts.

The fire had previously moved to within about 300 meters (984 feet) of the German border.

A spokesman for the local fire brigade said meadows between the fire and homes had been soaked with water for hours to help stop the spread of the flames.

August 17, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

The DW newsroom in Bonn wishes guten Tag to its readers at the start of a new week.

Although the recent (very) hot weather in Germany seems to be over for now, the wildfire risk remains high, as is shown by the massive blaze in neighboring Belgium.

Some streets in the border town of Monschau were evacuated late on Sunday as the flames threatened to enter German territory, but they have fortunately been successfully held back for now.

The persistent dry conditions continued to pose problems to cargo shipping on the Rhine and other rivers, with construction associations saying that supplies could be delayed and are becoming more expensive.

Read on here for more on these and other stories from Europe's largest economy.