Hey,
It's Srijith from 0049 :)
Welcome to The Blick! Each week I round up the stories, events, and opportunities that matter most if you’re living in Germany or planning a move here for work or studies.
🔹 Fuel Tax Relief: The Bundestag approved a reduction in energy taxes on diesel and petrol by around 17 cents per litre, effective May 1st through the end of June.
🔹 Reduced Growth Forecast: The Federal Ministry of Economics cut its growth forecast for 2026 to 0.5% from 1%, with Economy Minister Katherina Reiche citing the Iran conflict as a significant economic setback
🔹 German Statutory Pension: Chancellor Merz sparked a coalition crisis on April 21 by declaring that Germany's statutory pension "will at best provide only basic security for old age," pushing for a shift toward private and occupational schemes
🔹 Autobahn Speed Limit: With fuel prices topping €2 per litre and the Strait of Hormuz still disrupted, Germany's decades-old debate over an Autobahn speed limit has returned, the IEA and the Greens are calling for a temporary 100 km/h cap to cut fuel consumption.
🔹 Health Insurance Reform: The Cabinet is scheduled to approve a draft law on health insurance reform on April 29, targeting passage before the summer parliamentary recess
🔹 A German A2 course video is currently in the works, if you are working toward your language goals, that one is coming soon.
🔹 On the tools side, the Deck49 app is almost ready. It uses spaced repetition and active recall to help you build German vocabulary systematically, more details dropping soon.
🔹 And finally, a new community called Family49 is being set upl, built for international families navigating life in Germany together. Details to follow.
That is it for this week. Stay informed, stay prepared.
Until next week,
💙 Peace,
Srijith