2025 is one month down and Germany is set for an eventful February. Here’s everything you need to know about the significant events and changes coming to Germany in 2025.

1. Changes to property tax bills

A bit of background on this change: on January 1, 2025, the German property tax was reformed. Before it was implemented in January, the tax went through several initial stages, during which municipalities assigned expert committees to determine standard tax land values and issue tax assessment notices.

By the end of February, most homeowners in Germany should have received their new assessment rate from the local municipality. However, there is a longer wait for some: homeowners in Hamburg and Bonn may be waiting into March for their assessment.

2. Solar panel changes

On February 1, the “feed-in electricity tariffs” (FiT) in Germany will change. A FiT is a payment made to households and companies for generating their own electricity with solar panels or other renewable energy sources.

The FiT will be reduced by 1 percent every six months starting on February 1. This means that if you install a solar panel system after February 1, you will be subject to rates in place at the time you choose to start your grid.

3. EU will introduce new AI regulation

On February 2, a new European Union (EU) ban on certain artificial intelligence will be implemented. The AI Act is the first-ever legal framework for AI.

AI developers and deployers will obliged to meet new requirements for AI used in the EU. The law is part of a wider set of policies, including the AI Innovation Package and Coordinated Plan on AI. 

You can find out more details about the new law via the European Commission website.

4. HDTV fees will rise

Anyone who has a high-definition TV (HDTV) subscription in Germany will have to pay more from February. The cost of an HD Plus subscription will increase by 15 percent.

5. Possible further transport strikes in Berlin

On January 27, staff at the BVG, the local public transport association in Berlin, held a 24-hour strike amid pay negotiations.

According to ver.di, which represents the BVG employees, the union has yet to make an agreement with BVG bosses. This means that sporadic or prolonged strikes could continue in February, depending on if an agreement is reached soon.

6. Germany heads to the polls on February 23

Following the coalition government’s collapse in November and Olaf Scholz’s no-confidence vote in December, German citizens will head to the polls on February 23, 2025, to elect their new government.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is polling at 30 percent and its leader Friedrich Merz is likely to become the next chancellor. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is polling in second place with 21 percent, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 15 percent and the Greens with 13 percent.

A long-standing agreement between mainstream parties known as the Brandmauer (firewall) means the CDU is likely to reject the AfD’s second-place win and form a coalition with the SPD.

However, with Merz’s decision to vote through an immigration crackdown motion with the AfD’s support on January 29, it seems the centre cannot hold. The election run-up and aftermath will be an eventful time in Germany.

7. The Bundestag will get smaller by 100ish seats

A new coalition will not be the only change coming to the German parliament (Bundestag) in February. The number of seats available in the Bundestag will also be reduced from 736 to 630.

This is because a facet of Germany’s proportional representation system known as “overhang seats” and “balance seats” will be scrapped. 

In Germany, voters cast two votes for Bundestag representatives. The first vote is for a constituency candidate and the second is for a political party. Until now, if a party won more constituencies than the number of seats they were entitled to according to the proportion of the national vote they had won, they would be given “overhang seats” (Überhangmandate).

Other parties were then given “balance seats” (Ausgleichsmandate) to make sure each party got the proportion of seats to match the proportion of the national vote they had won. The election on February 23, is the first where “overhang seats” and “balance seats” will no longer be applied and the Bundestag will shrink by around 100 members as a result.

8. Carnival season kicks off again on February 27

Every year, German carnival season kicks off at 11.11am on November 11, takes a back seat for Christmas celebrations and reappears in late February. In 2025, Karneval will be back on February 27 and will “peak” on Rosenmontag on March 3.

On Rosenmontag in the Rhineland, carnival revellers (Jecke) flood back into the streets to watch parades and spot the most riotous carnival floats, which traditionally satirise the political happenings of the year gone by. The Hoppeditz is burned the following day on Violet Tuesday (Veilchendienstag), the night before Karneval season ends on Ash Wednesday.

Curious to know more? Read our definitive guide to carnival in Germany.

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