Berlin, July 10th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – A fresh push to loosen Germany’s strict Sunday closing laws is gaining momentum, fueled by the federal government’s plan to extend Sunday hours for bakeries and pastry shops — and now spilling into a broader fight over whether stores in general should be allowed to open on Sundays.
The Bundestag’s Economic Affairs Committee and the federal government’s tourism coordinator both came out this week in favor of significantly loosening the current ban on Sunday retail. Committee chairman Christian von Stetten, a member of the CDU, told Bild that lawmakers should back “a generous expansion” of existing rules — both for Sunday store hours, which fall under state authority, and Sunday work regulations, which are set at the federal level. His comments follow an earlier call from Germany’s main retail association, the HDE, for a complete lifting of Sunday shopping restrictions.
Tourism coordinator Christoph Ploß, also of the CDU, argued in comments to the Funke media group that attractive shopping options play a role in whether tourists choose Germany as a destination, adding that he understands the retail industry’s push from a tourism-policy standpoint as well. He said the current rules date back to an era before online shopping existed, and that more flexible hours would help German retailers compete with e-commerce platforms that never close — while also giving city centers a boost.
FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki added his voice to the push, telling Bild that real flexibility is urgently needed, and that anyone who insists on forcing stores to stay closed shouldn’t be surprised when downtowns wither.
Labor groups are pushing back hard. Silke Zimmer, a board member of the Verdi union, said the retail lobby’s call to scrap the Sunday break entirely was entirely predictable, coming right after the government’s announcement of expanded Sunday work for bakeries — but called it the wrong approach, one that works against employees. She said Sunday remains the only day workers can reliably count on for rest, describing it as essential downtime in an already demanding industry. Longer store hours, she argued, wouldn’t automatically translate into more sales or livelier city centers — instead, she called it a tool big retail chains use to push out smaller competitors, shifting business from rural areas to cities and from small and mid-sized shops to major chains better equipped to staff Sunday shifts. The result, she said, would be increasingly bleak downtowns dominated by the same handful of retail chains.
Germany’s Social Association (SoVD) also voiced opposition. Chairwoman Michaela Engelmeier told Funke newspapers that Sunday is constitutionally protected and far more than an economic factor — calling it an essential day for rest, family, and social cohesion. She said Sunday work should remain limited to sectors that serve essential public needs, such as healthcare, police, or transportation, and should stay the exception everywhere else.
The current debate was sparked by a government plan — laid out in a coalition policy paper released last week — to expand Sunday hours for bakeries, pastry shops, and public libraries starting January 1, 2027. Under a draft from the Federal Ministry of Labor, bakeries would be allowed to open up to eight hours on Sundays, while public libraries could open for up to six.
Sunday closing rules in Germany rest on constitutional ground: Sundays and public holidays are protected as rest days under a provision carried over from the Weimar-era constitution into the Basic Law. Since a 2006 federalism reform, authority over store hours has shifted from Berlin to the individual states, which is why the rules vary so widely from one region to the next. Where a state hasn’t passed its own law, the old federal Ladenschlussgesetz still applies as a fallback — Bavaria was the last state to adopt its own version, doing so only in August 2025.
Even under the general Sunday ban, longstanding exceptions already exist nationwide for goods like newspapers, flowers, and bakery items, along with gas stations, pharmacies, and shops in train stations and airports. Most states also allow a handful of designated “shopping Sundays” each year — typically capped at four, though Berlin permits up to eight — usually tied to a specific occasion like a trade fair, festival, or Christmas market, and excluding solemn dates such as Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and the Sundays of Advent.
