Overview
- Germany’s police union cautioned that people increasingly misuse legal rockets and firecrackers and urged more local bans and protected zones after ministers failed to agree on a nationwide prohibition.
- Police and customs reported fresh seizures of illicit pyrotechnics, including a 500‑kilogram haul on the A12 and large Berlin confiscations, with warnings that online sales are fueling access to dangerous products.
- The German Medical Association renewed its call to ban private fireworks nationwide, while environmental group DUH warned of a ‘horror night’ and pressed the federal interior minister to act as imports hit roughly 42,400 tonnes through September.
- The pyrotechnics association (bvpk) rejected a blanket ban, arguing serious injuries stem largely from illegal devices, citing a study indicating past bans did not measurably ease emergency rooms, and calling for tougher enforcement.
- Major cities expanded no‑fireworks zones and prepared heavy policing for New Year’s Eve—Frankfurt’s Eiserner Steg and parts of the Zeil will be controlled, Wiesbaden set a safety zone with bag checks, and several regions and islands maintain broader prohibitions.