Germany profile – Timeline – BBC News

2012 August – The Federal Constitutional Court partly reverses severe restrictions on military deployments enshrined in the constitution after World War Two, giving the military the right to use weapons in Germany in the event of an assault of “catastrophic proportions”, but not to control demonstrations.

2013 May – Figures show that in 2012 Germany experienced its biggest surge in immigration in almost 20 years, with 400,000 “permanent migrants” – people who have the right to stay for more than a year – arriving.

2013 October – Germany withdraws most of its troops from Afghanistan, following a decade in which it was responsible for security in the northern province of Kunduz.

2013 December – Mrs Merkel begins a third term of office as chancellor at the head of a grand coalition with the other main party, the centre-left Social Democrats, after falling short of an overall majority in the September elections.

2014 April – Germany adopts a minimum wage for the first time, setting it at 8.50 euros an hour.

Migrant crisis

2015 September – Chancellor Merkel offers temporary asylum to refugees, prompting mass movement of people through Balkans towards Germany in autumn and winter, and stretching European Union Schengen Agreement on abolition of border controls to breaking point in many countries.

2016 January – Sex attacks on hundreds of women in Cologne and other German cities during New Year celebrations by men largely of North African or Arab appearance prompts public backlash against Chancellor Merkel’s welcome to migrants. Government takes steps to curb influx.

2016 March – Anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party makes strong showing in three state-level elections, beating Christian Democrats into third place in Chancellor Merkel’s home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

2016 July – Attacks by migrant Islamic State sympathisers in Wuerzburg and Ansbach leave 17 people injured.

2016 March – Alternative for Germany party makes strong showing in Berlin state elections.

2016 December – Tunisian migrant Anis Amri kills 12 people by driving a hijacked lorry into a crowded Berlin Christmas market.

2017 September – The Alternative for Germany exploits social tensions over migrants to surge into third place at parliamentary elections, behind the much-weakened Christian Democrats and Social Democrats.

2018 March – Chancellor Merkel reforms the “Grand Coalition” with the Social Democrats, after her failure to assemble a government with the pro-business liberal Free Democrats and left-leaning Greens.

2018 August – Violent anti-immigrant protests in the eastern city of Chemnitz after two migrants were detained over a fatal stabbing.