Federal Council: smoking and billions – what the countries want

The Federal Council has given the green light for the federal budget and the special fund. The country chamber focuses on the protection of minors. Numerous other decisions were also available at the end of a long day of the meeting with a 90-point daycare in Berlin-an overview:

Household and special funds

After the Bundestag, the state chamber let the federal budget pass in 2025. Expenditures of around 502.5 billion euros and new loans of almost 82 billion euros are planned in the core budget alone. After around nine months with provisional housekeeping, the government and ministries now have a regular budget. In addition, the countries cleared the way for the billions of special funds for infrastructure and climate protection. Additional investments are to be held over twelve years with 500 billion euros. In the debate in the country chamber, skepticism was discussed whether the money is really only spent on promising additional investments.

Clause against queer anti -queer hatred

According to the will of the countries, protection against discrimination against sexual identity is to be anchored in the Basic Law. Specifically, it is about that Article 3 of the Basic Law in the first sentence of paragraph 3 is expanded to include the addition “sexual identity”. At the moment it is said: “Nobody can be disadvantaged or preferred because of their gender, descent, its race, his language, his home and origin, his faith, his religious or political views.” The initiators want to send a sign against “queer -anti -hate hate”. A constitutional change would need a two -thirds majority of the Federal Council and the Bundestag.

National minorities in the Basic Law

National minorities and ethnic groups are also to be included in the Basic Law. With this demand on the initiative of Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg and Saxony, the federal states want to achieve more protection and recognition. A basic law supplement should also be a foreign policy signal – in particular in favor of German -speaking minorities in Eastern Europe.

According to the will of the federal states in Germany, children are to be protected from passive smoking in the car. To do this, smoking in the vehicle in the presence of minors is to be banned. The Federal Council decided to contribute a corresponding draft law to the Bundestag. Because nowhere is the passive smoke concentration as high as in the car for passengers.

At the end of the “accompanied” alcohol drinking

The Federal Council is also campaigning for an end to drinking alcohol for young people aged 14 and over. Today, young people can regularly buy and drink beer, wine and sparkling wine – accompanied by a “custodian person”, it is allowed from the age of 14. The countries see the previous exemption “in clear contradiction to the goal of consistent youth protection”.

Adolescents in Germany should also be better protected from negative consequences of the consumption of social media. In a resolution, the Federal Council demanded more social media protection for children and adolescents under the age of 16 from the Federal Government. The aim is to protect the mental health of children and adolescents. In addition, media literacy is to be strengthened according to the demands of the federal states. Preventive educational offers should also counteract cybergrooming, hatred and agitation as well as disinformation. Cybergrooming denotes the targeted initiation of sexual contacts with minors over the Internet.

Pocket money account with separation

If children want to open an account for pocket money, they can do so in Germany – with the consent of both parents. Now an account opening should also be possible if the parent alone, in which the child has its center of life. Corresponding changes demand the countries for children of separated parents with shared custody.

Germany ticket is to be secured

Local transport is also about money – namely billions of bills. The countries insist on a long -term securing of the Germany ticket. In a statement, you call for the planned federal funds not only for 2026, but until at least 2030. The distribution to the 16 countries must be adjusted. To implement the recent agreement of the Minister of Transport by the federal and state governments, the countries propose specific formulations. For the customers, the central result of the Conference of Transport Ministers was an increase in the Germany ticket price to 63 euros a month from 2026.

More animal welfare for animal transports

The Federal Council is campaigning for more animal welfare at animal transports in non-EU countries. According to the claim, the Federal Government should work for clear and legally binding regulations at European level. The background to this is that when exporting farm animals into certain third countries, there have been serious animal welfare violations – and such cases cannot be excluded in the future.