Overview
- Germany's lower house passed a rule Thursday that lets petrol stations raise prices only once a day at noon, with price cuts allowed anytime, and expanded cartel oversight to demand data on big hikes.
- Coalition leaders created a task force to propose extra relief by Easter, weighing a higher commuter allowance, a temporary pump discount, lower truck tolls, and a possible windfall tax on oil profits.
- State premiers the same day urged faster steps, pushing tax and levy cuts on fuel and tougher antitrust action as prices surged with the Iran war.
- Lawmakers also debated a Greens bill to criminalize image‑based sexualized abuse and sexualized deepfakes after the Collien Fernandes case refocused attention, with the SPD preparing a broader draft and parties disputing the wording.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz declined to back a single text and faced criticism after linking some violence to migrants, while calling for IP address retention to help prosecutions.