Could it be quieter in Germany at the turn of the year? The number of imported fireworks decreases massively compared to 2019. In the corona pandemic, there is a ban on firecrackers to relieve clinics. Although this is no longer the case, demand remains lower. Environmental aid and the police are happy.
The import of fireworks has fallen massively this year compared to the years before the corona pandemic. From January to September, only around 5,700 tons of fireworks were imported to Germany – a drop of more than 80 percent compared to 2019, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. At that time, 29,800 tons were imported. Several associations reiterated their demand for a general ban on firecrackers.
Compared to the pandemic year 2021, imports rose slightly this year – no surprise given that there was a ban on the sale of New Year’s Eve fireworks last year. The ban was intended to protect the hospitals, which were heavily used as a result of the corona pandemic, from being overloaded, for example by accidents involving fireworks. In the whole of 2021, only 2300 tons of firecrackers and rockets were imported into Germany.
According to the information, almost all imported fireworks continue to come from China. In contrast to the low import figures, according to information from Wiesbaden, more fireworks are being exported from Germany – albeit at a low level. While around 2,200 tons were exported in the first three quarters of 2019, exports have already risen to 2,700 tons this year. The most important buyers of German fireworks so far this year have been the Netherlands (49 percent), Italy (23 percent) and Belgium (18 percent).
A fundamental ban on fireworks, which has been discussed in the meantime against the background of the Corona crisis, has not yet been decided. According to the Federal Office, however, some cities want to ban private fireworks this year, at least in some places.
Meanwhile, the German Environmental Aid (DUH) is pushing for a permanent ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve. “We demand an end to the archaic New Year’s Eve firecrackers,” explained DUH Managing Director Jürgen Resch in the joint declaration of an action alliance of various associations. The background is, among other things, the air pollution associated with New Year’s Eve, suffering pets and injuries to children and adults.
The police union (GdP) also took part in the joint call for a ban. GdP Federal Chairman Jochen Kopelke therefore called for a “general ban on the private burning of New Year’s Eve fireworks throughout Germany”.
The Federal Pyrotechnics Association, on the other hand, criticized calls for a general ban. Fireworks are “of great value for many people,” said association chairman Ingo Schubert. “After two years of the ban in the context of the corona pandemic, people are longing for the fiery New Year’s tradition.”
