New Laws and Regulations November 2017

Spekulatius, Stollen and the chocolate Christmas men are already in the supermarkets, the time has been set an hour later and the darkness is here, so evidently, Christmas is right at the corner. The second last month of the year luckily brings more changes in the weather than in the laws and regulations. Here’s what’s new:

Minimum Wage

Nurses have something to celebrate about. This month will see nurses have their hourly wage increase to € 10.20 in the West and € 9.50 in the East.

Workers in the agricultural and horticultural sectors can also celebrate the 50 cents increase in their salary this month. From this month henceforth, these workers’ minimum wage will be set to €9.10.

 

New rules for prostitutes and brothel owners in Baden-Württemberg

Prostitutes in Baden-Württemberg will from this month have to be registered and carry around their practicing licence. In addition, an improved health counselling program will be offered to them to ensure they are better informed on health issues. Condom use will be compulsory from this month onwards, the responsibility is however equally placed on both the prostitute and the client.

Brothel owners will be required to comply with minimum hygienic and structural requirements.

 

Easier to change Name Order

Those with more than one “first name” and are interested in changing the order will now be allowed to do so by simply visiting the local Standesamt. This will however not include changing the name’s spelling or getting a new name, whose process will remain unchanged.

 

Preservatives in Toys

For the first time, the EU has defined how much chemical preservatives are allowable in toys. This first law regulates three preservatives and one solvent used in kids toys. From now on toys can only contain the preservatives chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI) in a ratio of 0.75 milligrams per kilogram for CMI and 0.25 milligrams per kilogram for MI. This law will come into effect on 24th November.

 

Higher fines for Drivers

There are new laws affecting naughty drivers on the road.

• Blocking police cars or ambulances and ignoring sirens and police lights will earn you €200-320 fine (from the €20 fine previously) plus 2 points in Flensburg
• Using your phone while driving will earn a fine of €100 from €60 before. For particularly grievious mistakes the fine could get to €200 plus a driving ban. For those riding a bike while using their phone, the fine will be at €55
• Covering your face while driving or riding a bike will also earn you a fine of €60 from this month onwards. You will no longer be allowed to wear a mask or cover up your face while driving/riding down the street, this is to ensure that the cameras used to monitor the streets can easily identify your face. Sun glasses, hats, headscarves and hijabs don’t apply to the “face coverings” referred to in this law.

 

Public Participation in Spatial Planning

From this month onwards, the public will be invited to give their opinions on how their estates will be planned, from where to build the new road, in what direction to expand the estate etc. This is to ensure that the public is involved and if they don’t agree, alternatives are discussed before any major decisions are made.

 

DVB-T2 HD will launch in November in other regions

The switch from DVB-T to DVB-T2 will this month be felt in:

• Dresden (Sachsen)
• Kassel (Hessen)
• Koblenz (Rheinland-Pfalz)
• Freiburg (Baden-Württemberg)
• Cuxhaven (Niedersachsen)
• Göttingen (Niedersachsen)
• Wolfsburg (Niedersachen)
• Heringsdorf (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
• Stralsund (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
• Löbau (Sachsen)
• Würzburg (Bayern)
• Rhön (Bayern)
• Pfaffenberg (Bayern)
• Hoher Meissner (Hessen)

These cities will be able to enjoy the over 40 channels offered in HD from 8th November 2017.