Diesel below 2 euros, unions increase pressure: The most important news of the day

There is short-term relief at the pump: For the first time since early March, diesel has fallen below the two-euro mark nationwide. At the same time, the German Trade Union Confederation is showing personnel continuity, and in the Industrial Union of Metalworkers, there are growing expectations for a clearer economic policy course from the federal government. And in health policy, a regional social court is setting limits for the reimbursement of so-called weight-loss injections in statutory health insurance.

Fuel prices are falling – but the movement remains fragile

The ADAC puts the nationwide daily average for diesel at the weekend at around 1.98 euros per liter. Super E10 also became cheaper and averaged 1.96 euros per liter. For many consumers, this is a noticeable relief compared to previous weeks, especially since just a few cents per liter can quickly add up to a significant monthly amount for commuters and frequent drivers.

At the same time, the ADAC dampens expectations that prices will automatically continue to fall: the background is that oil has recently become more expensive again. This is precisely the structural uncertainty factor in pump prices. The final price is not set "one to one" based on crude oil, but is made up of several levels: in addition to wholesale or refinery prices, energy tax and value-added tax also play a role, as well as logistics, sales, and margins in the gas station business. Transparency instruments such as the Market Transparency Unit for Fuels make price movements more quickly visible, but do not prevent international price impulses or currency effects from quickly eating up local relief.

DGB confirms Fahimi – IG Metall calls for investment course instead of working hours debate

At the federal congress of the German Trade Union Confederation in Berlin, Yasmin Fahimi was re-elected as chairwoman. She received more than 96 percent of the delegates' votes. Fahimi has been at the head of the DGB since 2022; the congress is scheduled for four days.

At the same time, IG Metall is increasing pressure on the federal government. Chairwoman Christiane Benner accuses the cabinet of a lack of direction in economic and social policy. She warns of growing dissatisfaction and does not rule out mass protests. In terms of content, Benner is focusing on a clear priority: massive investments in future technologies such as artificial intelligence and e-mobility. She describes debates about longer working hours as absurd in view of a lack of orders.

Behind the criticism lies a classic conflict of location policy: unions signal their willingness to support transformation – but expect reliable investment prospects, industrial policy guidelines, and planning security for employment in return. In this context, the debate is shifting away from the question "How much is worked?" to "What is being invested in – and how quickly?" For the federal government, this is a test of expectation management: without a recognizable course, there is a risk that operational uncertainty and political frustration will reinforce each other.

Court sets limit on weight-loss injections: No obligation to cover costs

The Lower Saxony-Bremen Regional Social Court has decided in an urgent procedure that statutory health insurance funds do not have to cover the costs of weight-loss injections for hormonal disorders. The judges thus rejected the lawsuit of a 24-year-old woman who had requested the drug Mounjaro due to severe overweight. The health insurance fund had previously refused to cover the costs – and has now received judicial backing.

Central to the decision is the legal classification: the preparation is legally listed as a lifestyle drug. This means that the scope for reimbursement at the expense of statutory health insurance is virtually excluded according to this line – even if there is a significant burden in individual cases. For the solidarity system, the ruling is also a signal of expenditure control: benefits are not opened solely according to demand or individual urgency, but along clear, legally defined reimbursement limits. Especially for expensive drugs that are in high demand even outside narrow indications, this logic protects the funds from a creeping expansion of benefit obligations.

In summary, the three topics share a common line: relief and burden are close together – at the pump due to volatile market mechanisms, in industrial policy due to the question of investment clarity, and in the health system due to the strict dividing line between medically reimbursable therapy and legally excluded lifestyle benefits.