Overview
- A federal draft drawn up in early July would let bakeries and confectioneries stay open for longer on Sundays and set six-hour Sunday openings for libraries beginning in 2027.
- The Handelsverband Deutschland and other business groups have pushed the government draft into a broader demand for frequent Sunday openings and legal certainty for shops to compete with online sellers.
- DIHK president Peter Adrian has proposed changing the Basic Law to remove legal uncertainty, saying a constitutional fix would be needed for sweeping liberalisation.
- Trade unions, churches and surveys show broad resistance to general Sunday liberalisation, with most polls reporting larger shares opposed to a full opening of shops on Sundays.
- Any major change faces legal and practical hurdles because Sunday rest is protected by the Basic Law, shop hours are set by the Länder, and retailers warn of staffing, cost and regional viability problems.