Overview
- Berlin’s police prohibition covers carrying pyrotechnics and weapons at five central sites from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. Jan. 1, with roughly 4,000 officers and 1,500 firefighters deployed and no perimeter fencing planned.
- The Federal Police imposed a strict carry‑ban on dangerous items at 16 major railway stations in North Rhine‑Westphalia from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, backed by intensified checks and potential fines and exclusions for violations.
- Medical and environmental groups, including the Bundesärztekammer and Deutsche Umwelthilfe, urge a ban on private fireworks, citing injuries, animal suffering and pollution; the pyrotechnics industry counters that severe harms stem largely from illegal devices and alcohol abuse.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has signaled support for amending explosives rules to let cities impose broader no‑fireworks areas from 2026, while a nationwide sales ban remains unlikely.
- Federal rules limit F2 sales to Dec. 29–31 and use to Dec. 31–Jan. 1, with bans near sensitive sites; border towns report heavy Dutch demand as shops open at midnight, subject to a 25‑kilogram per‑vehicle limit on cross‑border purchases.