Germany debates opening shops on Sunday, with CDU pushing to relax law

One of Germany’s favourite recurring debates is back in the headlines: should shops be open on Sundays to boost economic activity? Or be reserved for relaxation?

Von Stetten wants Sunday opening hours

Head of the German parliament’s Economic Affairs Committee, Christian von Stetten (CDU), has proposed relaxing current laws on Sunday opening hours.

"The Bundestag decides on Sunday working hours and the federal states on Sunday opening hours. In both cases, I am in favour of a generous extension of the existing regulations," von Stetten told Bild.

Recently-elected FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki said he was also in favour of relaxing regulations. “Anyone who wants to keep the shops closed on Sundays shouldn’t complain about city centres dying,” Kubicki told the tabloid.

Head of the German Trade Association, Nils Busch-Petersen, agrees. Busch-Petersen said relaxing the rules was long overdue in Germany and pointed to examples from other European countries that relaxed theirs long ago.

According to a 2025 survey, the policy would be unpopular. The YouGov survey found that only 34 percent of respondents said that they would be in favour of allowing retailers to open more regularly on a Sunday, 59 percent were opposed, and the remaining respondents were undecided.

Sunday is for “social cohesion”, says SoVD

Since von Stetten, Kubicki and Busch-Petersen pushed for relaxing the rules, several organisations have chimed in with counterpoints.

"Sunday is protected by the constitution and is far more than just an economic factor – it is an indispensable day for rest, family and social cohesion," Michaela Engelmeier, chair of the Social Association of Germany (SoVD), told Funke Media Group.

Ver.di representative Silke Zimmer added that, for those who don’t work a Monday to Friday job, "Sunday is the only day off for which employees can reliably plan”.

Churches have long been among the most outspoken critics of relaxing Sunday opening hours. A church coalition in Bavaria, Allianz für den freien Sonntag (Alliance for free Sundays), recently announced that it would challenge the federal state's new, relaxed regulations for semi-automated shops.

The Protestant Church also responded to von Stetten’s suggestion. "A free Sunday is valuable for our society as a whole – regardless of whether a person believes in God or not," a spokesperson told Rheinische Post.

"We need one day a week when as many people as possible have the day off at the same time."