The Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe charged two men on Thursday — Ali S., a Danish national arrested in Aarhus in June 2025, and Afghan national Tawab M., arrested in November 2025 — with intelligence activity and attempted murder on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in a plot to assassinate Volker Beck, head of the German-Israeli Society, and Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Investigators say Ali S. was directed by the Quds Force in early 2025 to surveil the two men and two Jewish food retailers in Berlin, and in May 2025 recruited Tawab M., who agreed to procure a weapon for an unnamed third party. The indictment, filed before the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg, originated with a Mossad tip and lands amid heightened Iran-linked threat activity in Europe, including a 10 April arson attack on an Israeli restaurant in Munich.

AfD candidate Malte Kaufmann received at least six votes from other parliamentary groups in a secret ballot for a deputy chairmanship of the Bundestag's Economic Committee, drawing criticism from the Greens and the Left Party. Kaufmann secured 16 of the committee's votes, while the AfD holds only 10 seats. The Greens' Michael Kellner said nearly half of the CDU in the committee likely voted for the AfD.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met with counterparts from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan on May 21 as Berlin shifts from mediating the US-Iran conflict to strengthening ties with Gulf states. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was "disillusioned" by the course of the war and that Germany has "its own European ideas" for a resolution. The diplomatic push also supports Germany's bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat, with a vote scheduled for June 3.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that many alliance members are not contributing enough to Ukraine's defense, with a limited group of countries leading the effort. Speaking in Helsingborg, Sweden, alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Rutte acknowledged his proposal for allies to dedicate 0.25% of GDP to Ukraine lacks unanimous support but has started a necessary debate. Kristersson called on countries that speak strongly for Ukraine to also provide financial backing.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Berlin supports a stronger NATO with a larger European role, aiming to redistribute the defense burden currently carried by the United States. He said European allies are increasing defense spending toward NATO's 5% GDP target and pooling defense industries through closer arms cooperation. Wadephul emphasized Germany's leading role in this process ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden.

Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has released a 36-page brochure titled 'Decline for Germany. No Alternative.' that accuses the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) of being anti-democratic, antisemitic, and a threat to the country. The AfD has responded with a defamation lawsuit and public criticism, with AfD MP Tobias Teich filing a criminal complaint for defamation. AfD parliamentary manager Bernd Baumann entered the CDU headquarters, took a brochure, and called it a 'pamphlet full of lies.' The CDU countered that Baumann's reaction shows he cannot claim ignorance of his party's positions. This comes as the AfD has overtaken the CDU in recent polls, especially in eastern states ahead of September state elections, with support reaching 42% in Saxony-Anhalt and 36% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, raising concerns about the political landscape in Germany.

Germany's government-appointed pension commission has denied a Bild newspaper report claiming it will propose raising the retirement age to 70 by the 2060s and gradually reducing the pension level from 48% to 46% starting in 2031. Commission members and the government state no decisions have been made ahead of the final report due June 30. The report has nonetheless sparked political debate, with CDU figures open to the idea, while the Left party, Greens, and unions oppose it. The commission is due to present its final proposals on June 29, with a government bill expected by autumn.

Rock Tech Lithium's planned lithium processing plant in Guben, Germany, which the EU considers a strategic project and for which Mercedes-Benz has signed offtake agreements, has not yet broken ground. The CEO cites bureaucratic hurdles and funding disputes, warning that delays weaken the EU's negotiating position against China. The article also discusses G7 finance ministers' disagreements on handling China's market dominance.