Chicken In The Upper House

While Friday’s decisions by the Bundesrat may not have a profound effect on life in Germany, some of them were cause for controversy: Hundreds of animal rights activists gathered outside the German parliament to protest a proposal reversing a ban on keeping egg-producing chicken in tiny cages.

The demonstration turned out to be unsuccessful in swaying Bundesrat members. They voted for an indefinite delay of the ban, which was originally set to take effect in 2007. Supporters of the delay argued that alternative ways of keeping chicken, mainly larger cages, should be studied before switching completely to free-range methods.

The ban’s initiator, German Agriculture Minister Renate Künast, accused her opponents of trying to delay putting an end to crammed conditions for chicken “till kingdom come.”

Immediately after the vote, Künast announced that she will refuse to sign the new ordinance to delay the ban. Still, a ban will come eventually since European Union rules say industrial-style egg production must come to an end by 2012.

Up to now, German consumers have displayed a schizophrenic attitude toward the issue. While an overwhelming majority supports the ban in theory, more people still buy eggs laid by caged chicken, according to German public television.

More colors for cabs

While taxi drivers didn’t demonstrate en mass in front of the Bundesrat on Friday, they still had strong opinions about a plan to do away with cab color restrictions.

For decades, all German taxis have been required to wear a coat of “light ivory” paint.

Some of the country’s 25,000 cab companies support the uniformity as a valuable trademark, but many say it’s unnecessary and another piece of costly red tape that needs to disappear.

The latter group won Friday’s argument in the upper chamber, opening the way for a multitude of colors under the taxi sign. Government officials from the southwestern state of Saarland, who pushed for the liberalization, said they will act swiftly to allow for more cab color variety.

No more loopholes for clever sports managers

Germans of all hues were rubbed the wrong way recently when they discovered that soccer clubs such as Borussia Dortmund had managed to save a thousands of euros by making use of a loophole in Germany’s tax system: By paying players tax-exempt overtime premiums for nighttime or weekend games, clubs could lower the base salaries they pay.

The tax exemption had been originally intended for low-paid workers such as nurses and policemen. Bundesrat members have now closed the loophole by limiting the tax exemption to people with monthly salaries of less than €8,000 ($9,600).

Free public parking

As German municipalities struggle to fill budget holes caused by the weak economy, they’re bound to appreciate every euro that comes their way. But as cities compete for customers in their downtown areas, some have started to question a federal law banning free short-term parking in spaces with parking meters.

The Bundesrat heard the complaints and decided to let municipalities decide for themselves whether they want to entice people to come to their urban shopping areas by offering free 30-minute parking or not.

Driving cars at 17

Young Germans have long eyed their peers in other countries with envy since German law says they can’t drive a car before the age of 18. That could soon change if the federal government agrees with a Bundesrat decision to allow teenagers to get behind the wheel a year earlier.

The change in the law would require, however, that drivers under 18 be accompanied by an adult over the age of 30. Proponents of the plan hope that the chaperoning would serve as an educational experience and help bring down the high accident rates among young drivers.