In Wer wird Millionär?, the RTL quiz show hosted by Günther Jauch, there is no time limit for answering a question.
In May 2026 one contestant took so long that Jauch joked about dragging him through five shows. A woman waiting for her turn complained: “Ich bin nicht mehr die Jüngste, so viel Zeit hab ich nicht.” I am not the youngest anymore, I don’t have that much time.
Bavaria used to have a fixed cut-off date for starting school. For the 2019/20 school year it introduced a corridor. Parents of children who turn six between 1 July and 30 September decide whether their child starts school now or one year later.
In the first year, 14,171 of the 32,216 children in this group were not enrolled. That is about 44 percent. A Munich kindergarten head explained the thinking: “Ich sage immer, die Kinder sollen lieber überreif in die Schule gehen.” I always say children should rather go to school overripe.
Alles hat seine Zeit. Everything has its time. Germans use the phrase in everyday speech. It comes from Ecclesiastes 3 in the Luther Bible: Ein jegliches hat seine Zeit, und alles Vorhaben unter dem Himmel hat seine Stunde. Everything has its time, and every undertaking under heaven has its hour.
The passage continues with pairs: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant, a time to be silent and a time to speak.
A German law of 1921 on the religious upbringing of children gives the child a voice that grows with age. When a court has to decide about a child’s religion, a child of ten or older must be heard. From twelve, the child cannot be raised in a different faith against its will.
From fourteen, the child alone decides which religious confession to follow.
The supervisory board of a German stock corporation appoints the members of the management board for at most five years. A reappointment requires a new resolution of the supervisory board.
The Stock Corporation Act sets the earliest date for that resolution. It can be passed “frühestens ein Jahr vor Ablauf der bisherigen Amtszeit”, at the earliest one year before the current term ends.
When the federal government introduces a bill, the Basic Law gives the Bundesrat six weeks to comment. If the Bundesrat asks for more time for an important reason, “insbesondere mit Rücksicht auf den Umfang einer Vorlage”, especially in view of the length of a bill, the period becomes nine weeks.
The government may mark a bill as especially urgent. It can then pass the bill to the Bundestag after three weeks, or after six if the Bundesrat asked for more time. For amendments to the Basic Law the period is always nine weeks, and the urgency rule does not apply.
Under German law, parents cannot give their consent to the adoption of their child until the child is eight weeks old. § 1747 of the Civil Code says: “Die Einwilligung kann erst erteilt werden, wenn das Kind acht Wochen alt ist.”
Even when everyone has agreed before the birth, the consent cannot become valid earlier. The only exception is an unmarried father without custody, who may consent before the birth.
On 13 November 2014 the Bundestag began its work on assisted suicide with an orientation debate of about four hours. Party discipline was lifted. Almost a year later, on 6 November 2015, the members voted on a law, again without party discipline.
On 26 February 2020 the Federal Constitutional Court struck down the 2015 law, and the work began again. The Bundestag held a new general debate on 18 May 2022. On 6 July 2023 it rejected both cross-party bills.
On 28 November 2018 the Bundestag held a debate of two and a half hours on organ donation. No bill had yet been submitted. The debate was open as to its result, and party discipline was lifted.
Groups of members from different parties then wrote their own bills. On 16 January 2020 the Bundestag rejected the proposal that everyone would count as a donor unless they objected. 379 members voted against it and 292 for it. The Bundestag chose another solution instead. Citizens are to be approached about organ donation at least every ten years when they collect their identity card.
At the Diet of Worms in April 1521, Martin Luther stood before the emperor. His writings were laid before him, and he was told to recant them in public. Luther had expected a discussion. He hesitated and asked for time to think.
The emperor gave him 24 hours. On the next day, 18 April, Luther answered: “Widerrufen kann und will ich nichts, weil es weder sicher noch geraten ist, etwas gegen sein Gewissen zu tun.” I cannot and will not recant anything, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience.