Overview
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italy’s Sergio Mattarella laid wreaths in Berlin before the Bundestag’s central commemoration, where Mattarella delivered the main address.
- Bundestag President Julia Klöckner urged citizens to defend peace and democracy and ordered mourning flags at the Reichstag for the remembrance day.
- The Bundestag’s Totengedenken text was updated for the first time to include Nazi victims persecuted for sexual or gender identity and police officers killed in the line of duty.
- The Volksbund warned of a structural deficit and an investment backlog exceeding €20 million, citing falling donations and rising costs despite a one-time €2.5 million federal increase.
- Local ceremonies reported shrinking attendance even as youth-led contributions grew, intensifying discussion over sustaining decentralized commemorations.