Germany news: People change Easter holiday plans amid crises

## Summary
https://p.dw.com/p/5BcAu Conflicts and crises around the world are impacting Germans' travel plans Image: Michael Ukas/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Geopolitical conflicts are prompting Germans to change their travel plans Activists gear up for weekend of Easter peace marches punctuated by the Iran war German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months Economist with the government's ear recommends temporary autobahn speed limits Fuel prices are veering into record territory amid the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz Rescuers monitor stranded and ailing humpback whale 'Timmy' in Baltic Sea Left-wing populist BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht says her party is not open to any coalitions in eastern states, with the AfD or established parties Welcome to our roundup of headlines from and about Germany on the Easter weekend: Skip next section Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit Reiche has cast doubt on the effectiveness of tax rebates and speed limits in bringing down soaring fuel prices Image: Bernd Elmenthaler/IMAGO Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has rejected calls for tax breaks and speed limits on the nation’s motorways amid spiking fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East. The surge in gasoline and diesel prices has sparked a public debate in the country about how to ease the impact on consumers. https://p.dw.com/p/5BedD Skip next section Easter peace marches held in several German cities 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Easter peace marches held in several German cities The gatherings are organized locally by trade unions, left-wing, Christian and peace groups Image: Bodo Schackow/dpa/picture alliance Traditional Easter marches are being held across Germany this weekend. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest headlines that include annual Easter peace marches scheduled in cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart. https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAP Skip next section German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months 04/03/2026 April 3, 2026 German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months Should war break out, Germany needs to know how many men are living outside the country, the Bundeswehr said Image: Alexandra Beier/Getty Images While people in Germany debated and even took to the streets to protest the potential reintroduction of mandatory military service for men, a change to the country's conscription law that took effect at the beginning of the year has gone largely unnoticed. The ministry did not answer questions regarding consequences for men who leave the country for longer than three months without the proper permit. https://p.dw.com/p/5Be4g Skip next section Activists stage traditional Easter marches across Germany 04/03/2026 April 3, 2026 Activists stage traditional Easter marches across Germany Peace activists began holding annual peace protests across Germany against the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, military buildup and conscription.

## Article Content
https://p.dw.com/p/5BcAu
Conflicts and crises around the world are impacting Germans' travel plans
Image: Michael Ukas/dpa/picture alliance
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Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Geopolitical conflicts are prompting Germans to change their travel plans
Activists gear up for weekend of Easter peace marches punctuated by the
Iran war
German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months
Economist with the government's ear recommends temporary autobahn speed limits
Fuel prices are veering into record territory amid the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz
Rescuers monitor stranded and ailing humpback whale 'Timmy' in Baltic Sea
Left-wing populist
BSW
founder Sahra Wagenknecht says her party is not open to any coalitions in eastern states, with the AfD or established parties
Welcome to our roundup of headlines from and about
Germany
on the Easter weekend:
Skip next section Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit
Reiche has cast doubt on the effectiveness of tax rebates and speed limits in bringing down soaring fuel prices
Image: Bernd Elmenthaler/IMAGO
Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has rejected calls for tax breaks and speed limits on the nation’s motorways amid spiking fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The minister, from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of a tax rebate.
She pointed out that in Italy and Austria, which have reduced taxes, gasoline and diesel have not become cheaper. The same thing happened with Germany’s 2022 fuel rebate. "Billions were spent, but the intended effect fizzled out," Reiche told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
Reiche also rejected imposing speed limits on the country’s famed autobahn network.
She believes it would not have any effect on the prices.
"The price of gasoline and diesel isn’t determined on German highways, but on the global market. Speed limits and car-free Sundays would have no noticeable impact on that," she said.
The
surge in gasoline and diesel prices has sparked a public debate
in the country about how to ease the impact on consumers.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BedD
Skip next section Easter peace marches held in several German cities
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
Easter peace marches held in several German cities
The gatherings are organized locally by trade unions, left-wing, Christian and peace groups
Image: Bodo Schackow/dpa/picture alliance
Traditional Easter marches are being held across Germany this weekend.
They began on Friday as people took to the streets in several towns to call for peace.
The Saturday preceding Easter Sunday is traditionally the main day of the marches, with thousands expected to participate in rallies nationwide.
The gatherings are organized locally by trade unions, left-wing, Christian and peace groups.
Over 100 events are planned across Germany this year, said Friedenskooperative, a network of the German Peace Movement.
The marches this year are being held in the shadow of the
wars in Ukraine
and the
Middle East
.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeUL
Skip next section Crises force Germans to change their Easter holiday plans
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
Crises force Germans to change their Easter holiday plans
Political conditions in the destination determine Germans' holiday decisions, according to a new survey [FILE: March 2026]
Image: Florian Wiegand/dpa/picture alliance
Many Germans are altering their travel plans for Easter and the months ahead due to conflicts and crises, according to a survey published on Saturday.
The survey, conducted by the German Institute for Tourism Research, found that 16% of the 1,124 people polled between March 25 and 30 had changed their plans for the next three months due to geopolitical crises.
"Going on holiday is not unpolitical," Julian Reif, the head of the institute, said, adding that political conditions in the destination were a major component of holiday decisions.
Still, 72% of Germans are planning to travel on holiday, whether at home or abroad, in the April-June period.
Within the country, Bavaria is a popular destination, while Spain and Italy lead the rankings for foreign travel.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeXm
Skip next section Welcome back!
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
Welcome back!
Srinivas Mazumdaru
|
Karl Sexton
Editor
Frohe Ostern
and
Guten Tag
from DW's newsroom in Bonn. We are resuming our coverage of all things Germany this Saturday, April 4.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeU9
Skip next section We're pausing coverage
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
We're pausing coverage
Thank you for reading. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest headlines that include annual Easter peace marches scheduled in cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAP
Skip next section German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months
04/03/2026
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- The weekend has always had a strong geopolitical flavor, whether it was during the threat of nuclear war in the Cold War, or this year in the shadow of war in Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East, Sudan and beyond.
- However, he also said he did not consider a US exit from the alliance likely, despite the Trump administration's repeated expressions of dissatisfaction with US allies in recent days. "I think that our clear commitment and our determined support for the alliance will convince the United States to continue this success story together," he said.

### Areas for Consideration
- The Frankfurter Rundschau reported on Friday about already-enacted amendments to the legislation requiring men between the ages of 18 and 46 to "obtain an approval from the relevant Bundeswehr Career Center if they wish to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for more than three months." The paper went on to say the rule would apply regardless of whether a German man "planned a semester of studying abroad, working in a foreign country or going on a backpacking trip around the world." While the law requires German men to request the permit, it also obliges the military career center to issue it.
- The weekend has always had a strong geopolitical flavor, whether it was during the threat of nuclear war in the Cold War, or this year in the shadow of war in Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East, Sudan and beyond.
- Image: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance Bendy bananas, costly kippers, full English breakfasts and greasy spoons under threat: Brexit advocates in Britain rarely let the details get between them and culinary controversies over the years.

### Implications
- https://p.dw.com/p/5BcAu Conflicts and crises around the world are impacting Germans' travel plans Image: Michael Ukas/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Geopolitical conflicts are prompting Germans to change their travel plans Activists gear up for weekend of Easter peace marches punctuated by the Iran war German men require military permit to leave country longer than 3 months Economist with the government's ear recommends temporary autobahn speed limits Fuel prices are veering into record territory amid the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz Rescuers monitor stranded and ailing humpback whale 'Timmy' in Baltic Sea Left-wing populist BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht says her party is not open to any coalitions in eastern states, with the AfD or established parties Welcome to our roundup of headlines from and about Germany on the Easter weekend: Skip next section Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Oil price spike: Minister rejects gasoline rebate, speed limit Reiche has cast doubt on the effectiveness of tax rebates and speed limits in bringing down soaring fuel prices Image: Bernd Elmenthaler/IMAGO Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has rejected calls for tax breaks and speed limits on the nation’s motorways amid spiking fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East.
- Speed limits and car-free Sundays would have no noticeable impact on that," she said.
- The surge in gasoline and diesel prices has sparked a public debate in the country about how to ease the impact on consumers. https://p.dw.com/p/5BedD Skip next section Easter peace marches held in several German cities 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Easter peace marches held in several German cities The gatherings are organized locally by trade unions, left-wing, Christian and peace groups Image: Bodo Schackow/dpa/picture alliance Traditional Easter marches are being held across Germany this weekend.
- The marches this year are being held in the shadow of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East . https://p.dw.com/p/5BeUL Skip next section Crises force Germans to change their Easter holiday plans 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Crises force Germans to change their Easter holiday plans Political conditions in the destination determine Germans' holiday decisions, according to a new survey [FILE: March 2026] Image: Florian Wiegand/dpa/picture alliance Many Germans are altering their travel plans for Easter and the months ahead due to conflicts and crises, according to a survey published on Saturday.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers easter, peace, german topics. Notable strengths include discussion of easter. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2340.