Overview
- Coalition leaders from the CDU, CSU and SPD agreed in early July that exceptions for bakers will take effect on January 1, 2027, but no draft law has been formally published yet.
- A leaked mid‑June ministry draft, described as preliminary, would allow up to five hours of Sunday production and up to three hours for delivery and distribution.
- Handwerk president Jörg Dittrich has urged rapid implementation, arguing craft bakeries are unfairly treated compared with petrol‑station bake stations that operate on Sundays.
- The Zentralverband of bakers warns the change could create lasting competitive distortions while trade unions oppose weakening the eight‑hour day and warn of health and worker‑protection risks.
- The proposal ties into a wider coalition plan to allow weekly instead of daily maximum working hours, a technical change that could reshape rostering, pay for Sunday work, and staffing choices for small bakeries.