Germany plans €1.5bn Bremerhaven upgrade for NATO deployments

Germany plans to spend about €1.5 billion upgrading the North Sea port of Bremerhaven to support German and NATO defence needs, officials said on Tuesday. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius signed a memorandum of understanding to transform the port into a deployment hub in the event of an attack on the NATO alliance. The plan reflects European preparations for possible conflict involving a NATO member.

Pistorius said tens of thousands of soldiers could require accommodation and food, while military machinery and equipment would need to be maintained and operated. Roads, bridges and railways around the port would be strengthened to move NATO equipment, and Bremen airport would receive additional logistics space. Separately, leaders of Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party called for a formal review of whether the far-right Alternative for Germany should be banned.

They described the AfD as a right-wing extremist party that attacked Germany’s free society and democratic order. The SPD leaders proposed a joint federal-state working group before the end of the year to prepare the review. Pistorius said liberal democracies were vulnerable to destruction from within and that an examination was important.

Germany also reported a continuing regional wealth divide. The Federal Statistical Office said people in western Germany received more than four times as much inherited or gifted wealth per person in 2025 as those in the east and Berlin. In business, Wolters brewery in Braunschweig is set to stop production at the end of the year after almost four centuries.

The closure is expected to affect about 90 employees, although talks about preserving the brand are continuing.