Overview
- Klaus Reinhardt, president of the Bundesärztekammer, appealed to federal and state interior ministers to prohibit private fireworks, citing severe injuries, full emergency rooms, environmental harm, and trauma for war refugees.
- National leaders have not adopted a uniform ban, and interior ministers recently failed to reach a common position, sustaining a patchwork of local restrictions.
- Major cities are tightening rules: Hannover and Göttingen ban private fireworks across central areas, Bremen bars pyrotechnics at the Schlachte and near the UNESCO‑listed Rathaus, and Lüneburg prohibits pyrotechnics in its historic core, with fines that can reach thousands of euros.
- A police‑union petition for a nationwide ban has drawn more than 2.2 million signatures, and an RTL/ntv poll reports roughly 60 percent public support for ending private fireworks.
- Manufacturers and discounters anticipate strong sales, with Weco supplying about 10 percent more stock than last year and Comet reporting moderate growth as Aldi and Lidl prepare large assortments.