Overview
- After the Bremen IMK, the federal government signaled it will propose modifying the Erste Sprengstoffverordnung to let states and municipalities ban the full F2 range, but no nationwide ban was agreed and no change to the Sprengstoffgesetz was announced.
- Berlin officials say a broad prohibition inside the S‑Bahn ring could be prepared once rules change, with any overhaul expected no earlier than New Year 2026/27; existing targeted ban zones remain in place this year.
- North Rhine-Westphalia’s Herbert Reul backs prohibitions in dense inner cities under a locally tailored approach, and measures range from new no‑fireworks zones in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Münster to Föhr’s islandwide F2 ban with fines up to €10,000 this New Year.
- The police union delivered a petition with more than 2.2 million signatures for a private‑fireworks ban as health, animal‑welfare and environmental groups press for curbs, while the fireworks industry opposes broad prohibitions and disputes claims about injuries and emissions.
- Neighboring rules are tightening, with Czechia’s stricter law in force from December 1 and the Netherlands banning private fireworks from 2026, as Germany records surging imports, thousands of hospital cases each year and the highest single‑day fine‑particle levels on New Year’s.