Overview
- Gas stations, which from Wednesday can raise prices only once at noon, face fines up to €100,000 for extra hikes while cuts remain allowed anytime.
- About 925,000 state public‑service employees receive a 2.8% pay increase from Wednesday with a minimum €100 monthly boost, with more steps scheduled in 2027 and 2028.
- Annual lung‑cancer screening for high‑risk smokers aged 50 to 75 starts Wednesday as a statutory benefit, with eligibility checked by a GP or internist and scans done only by radiology practices with special approval, which could slow early access.
- EU border police will switch fully to the biometric Entry‑Exit System in mid‑April for non‑EU travelers, replacing passport stamps and likely lengthening lines as airports ramp up fingerprint and face capture.
- Germany will bar sales of nitrous oxide to minors from Sunday and ban vending‑machine and online sales of both nitrous oxide and the K.O.-drug precursors GBL and BDO, while keeping industrial and scientific uses legal.