Overview
- The Bundeskabinett approved the draft on Wednesday, removing the Jugendschutzgesetz §9 exception that let 14- and 15‑year‑olds drink beer, wine or sparkling wine in public when accompanied by a parent.
- Under the proposal the strict age limit of 16 for purchase and public consumption of beer, wine and sparkling wine will apply without parental accompaniment while rules for spirits remain unchanged at 18.
- The alcohol measure is one clause in a 56‑page Kinder‑ und‑Jugendhilfe reform that aims to reorganize responsibilities, speed processes and contain rising system costs.
- Health ministers, the Bundesrat and the federal drugs commissioner backed the change as addiction prevention, but social organizations including SoVD and the Paritätische Gesamtverband criticized other reform elements that affect school and individual assistance for children with disabilities.
- Parliamentary debate in the Bundestag is next, with possible amendments likely because critics worry the broader reform could shift some individual supports to group models and because the package links a public‑health rule to a larger cost‑containment overhaul.