Rosenmontag Rolls Through the Rhineland as Germany Grapples With Border Controls and Pension Reform

The streets of Cologne and Düsseldorf erupted into a sea of color, confetti, and political satire on Monday as hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered for Rosenmontag — the climactic highlight of Germany's Rhineland carnival season and one of Europe's largest street celebrations Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

But behind the elaborate floats and costumed crowds, the day's headlines underscored a country wrestling with consequential policy decisions on migration, pensions, and free expression, all playing out against the backdrop of a fractious European political landscape.

Cologne's Rosenmontagszug, a tradition stretching back to 1823, wound its way along an 8-kilometer route through the city center starting at 10:30 a.m., with thousands of participants in foot groups, dance troupes, and marching bands trailing behind dozens of elaborately constructed floats Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. In Düsseldorf, the parallel parade drew its own massive crowds, with the city's tradition of politically pointed floats once again taking center stage.

The man behind many of those floats — 66-year-old sculptor Jacques Tilly, who has been crafting Düsseldorf's political caricatures for 43 years — found himself in an unusual position this year: defendant in a Moscow courtroom Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. Russian authorities have charged Tilly with "discrediting" the Russian military and President Vladimir Putin, stemming from floats he built depicting the Russian leader in unflattering terms. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison Germany news: Crowds throng streets for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

Tilly, who released his float designs publicly in advance for the first time this year, has called the proceedings an assault on free expression. Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, sharply criticized the Russian legal action and called for solidarity with the satirist Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. The case has become something of a cause célèbre in Germany, where the concept of "Narrenfreiheit" — the jester's license to mock the powerful — is considered a cornerstone of carnival tradition, provided it stays within the bounds of domestic law.

The Tilly affair highlights a broader tension in European democracies between the reach of authoritarian legal systems and Western protections for political speech. Russia's willingness to prosecute a foreign artist for satire created in another country raises questions about the long arm of Moscow's criminal code and its chilling effect on dissent abroad. For carnival veterans, however, the charges appear to have had the opposite of their intended effect: Tilly's floats have attracted more international attention than ever Germany news: Crowds throng streets for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

While the parades rolled through the Rhineland, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Germany will extend temporary checks at all nine of its land borders for an additional six months beyond the current March 15 expiration, pushing controls to at least September 2026 Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. The notification to the European Commission was reportedly already in transit.

"We are extending controls at the borders with our neighboring countries — border controls are one element of our reorganization of migration policy in Germany," Dobrindt told Bild newspaper Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. The extension continues a policy first imposed in September 2024 under then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government faced mounting pressure as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged in two state elections that year.

The border checks have persisted under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office on May 6, 2025, and have drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters point to a reported 35 percent decline in irregular border crossings since the controls began Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradedw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. Critics, including civil liberties organizations and several neighboring EU governments, argue the checks cost millions of euros, create bottlenecks at key crossing points, and fundamentally undermine one of the European Union's foundational achievements: the free movement of people within the Schengen zone.

The debate sits at the intersection of Europe's two defining political currents: demands for tighter migration controls, driven largely by right-of-center and populist parties, and the institutional commitment to open borders that has defined European integration since the 1990s. Germany's decision to keep the checks in place — now for nearly two years running — suggests that the political calculus continues to favor visible enforcement, even at the cost of Schengen principles.

For the EU, the question is whether Germany's approach sets a precedent that other member states will follow, effectively hollowing out freedom of movement through a patchwork of "temporary" national controls. France, Austria, and several other countries have already implemented similar measures, raising concerns in Brussels about the long-term viability of the Schengen framework Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradedw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

Meanwhile, a separate but equally contentious policy debate gained fresh momentum on Monday. According to Bild, a 13-member expert panel is set to convene on February 23 to discuss a plan to gradually raise Germany's retirement age from 67 to 70 Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. The panel may also consider financial incentives for workers who delay retirement beyond the statutory age, with recommendations potentially arriving as early as spring.

The pension debate is not new — economists have argued for years that Germany's aging population and shrinking workforce make the current system unsustainable without either higher contributions, reduced benefits, or a later retirement age. Germany currently dedicates a substantial portion of its federal budget to pension and social security costs, and demographic projections suggest the pressure will only intensify as the postwar baby boom generation moves fully into retirement Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

Some economists, including those at the Berlin-based German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), have supported raising the retirement age as a pragmatic response to demographic reality, arguing it would help maintain pension levels without requiring punishing tax increases Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradedw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. A separate council of economic experts went further in late 2025, proposing to link the retirement age to life expectancy — a formula that could eventually push the threshold to 73 by 2060 Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradedw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

But the proposal faces fierce opposition. Trade unions and left-leaning parties have argued that raising the retirement age disproportionately burdens workers in physically demanding occupations who are unlikely to remain healthy enough to work into their late 60s, let alone their 70s. The governing coalition itself is divided, with some members favoring workforce integration measures — such as bringing more immigrants, women, and older workers into the labor market — as an alternative to simply moving the goalposts Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

The Merz government has so far avoided committing to a specific position, a reflection of how politically radioactive the issue remains. In a country where pension security is treated as something close to a constitutional right, any proposal to raise the retirement age is guaranteed to provoke a backlash — particularly from the millions of voters who are within sight of their own retirement.

Rounding out the day's major developments, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier departed for Lebanon on Monday at the start of a two-country trip that will also take him to Jordan Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper.. The visit centers on maintaining the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that was brokered by the United States in late 2024. Israel has continued to fire rockets and missiles into southern Lebanon in recent months, citing the need to prevent Hezbollah from rearming — a central provision of the truce requires the Iran-backed militant group to lay down its weapons Germany news: Crowds to turn out for Carnival paradesdw.com·SecondaryHere are the major headlines from Germany on February 16, 2026: Some of the photos of the first floats are in, with these along with many others set to make their way through the city of Cologne, a route that runs 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long. A 13-member expert panel is set to discuss a plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 70 from the current level of 67, according to Bild newspaper..

Steinmeier's trip underscores Germany's continued diplomatic engagement in the Middle East, though Berlin's influence in the region has been limited compared to that of Washington and Paris. The ceasefire remains precarious, with both sides accusing the other of violations, and the broader question of Hezbollah's role in Lebanese politics remains unresolved.

Back in the Rhineland, the floats continued their journey through the streets as evening fell, the satirical caricatures of world leaders bobbing above crowds who, for one day at least, set aside the weight of pension arithmetic, border politics, and geopolitical tensions in favor of music, costumes, and the time-honored right to laugh at the powerful.