The Saarland State Parliament On Wednesday (09.00) the question was how long “small supermarkets” with only vending machines could be open on Sunday. A bill from the opposition CDU stipulates that vending machine shops can generally always open without staff. Therefore, on Sundays, the city government must limit opening hours to no less than eight hours.
This proposal was supported by Minister of Labor Magnus Jung (SPD) rejected. In his ministry’s “interpretive assistance” on the shop opening law, he stipulated that minimarkets with a maximum area of 150 square meters could be open for a maximum of five hours on Sundays and only between 06.00 and 18.00. The SPD has an absolute majority in the Saarland state parliament.
In addition, SPD and CDU declared an “extraordinary state of emergency” in the 2026 financial year. This will make it possible to take out loans of 906 million euros next year without violating debt limits in the Basic Law.
The state parliament will also likely allow municipalities to monitor trash containers to prevent illegal waste dumping. The CDU demands the government provide a concept for combating drones, the AfD demands a list of “prohibited quotes and word combinations” from the Interior Ministry for “lawful use of expressions”.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251112-930-280394/1
