Overview

• The Forsa survey conducted July 3–4 with 1,000 respondents and a ±3 percentage point margin of error found 59 percent of Germans back a private fireworks ban and 39 percent oppose it.
• Women back the ban at 67 percent and Linke voters at 86 percent; men show a narrow majority and AfD supporters oppose it by 60 percent.
• In June the German Interior Ministers Conference failed to agree on expanding municipal powers or enacting a nationwide prohibition under existing explosives law.
• The Netherlands has formally approved a private fireworks ban to take effect from New Year’s Eve 2026/27 with authorities citing violence against emergency services and animal welfare concerns.
• Under current German regulations, private fireworks sales are limited to the three working days before New Year’s and use is restricted to December 31 and January 1 with local fireworks-free zones in many cities.