Events in the year 2018 in Germany. Incumbents President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier Chancellor: Angela Merkel Events January In January 2018, American company Energizer takes control over German company VARTA. 9 January - The Church of St. Lambertus in Immerath is demolished. February 15–25 February - 68th Berlin International Film Festival 22 February - Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 March 14 March - The Fourth Merkel cabinet led by Angela Merkel is sworn in. April 12 April - 2018 Hamburg stabbing attack - an immigrant murders his divorced wife and infant. May 22 or 23 May - 14-year-old German Jewish girl Susanna Feldmann is raped and murdered in Viersen June 1 June - The state Bavaria pass a Kreuzpflicht Law that requires crosses in all public buildings. June: German chemical giant Bayer takeover of American company Monsanto 26 June - For the first time the German football team does not reach the knockout stage in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 30 June - German company ThyssenKrupp outsources steel production to a new company, with company seat in Amsterdam. The new company is a fusion of ThyysenKrupp steel production and Indian company Tata Steel. July 1 July - Interior minister Horst Seehofer offers to resign after rejecting Chancellor Angela Merkel's EU migration deal. August 6–12 August - 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin 30 August - In the city of Chemnitz, 8,000-strong far right protests are held after a German man is killed by an Iraqi and a Syrian asylum seeker. September September - Fusion of German companies Kaufhof and Karstadt 18 September - Hans-Georg Maaßen the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is moved from his role to a role as state secretary in Horst Seehofer ministry. after he caused controversy following the 2018 Chemnitz protests, when Maaßen questioned whether there was any credible evidence for such "hunts", and stated that his security agency had in fact not seen any such evidence. October 14 October - At least three people die and eight are injured when a small plane crashes into a crowd in Fulda. 14 October - After Bavarian state election, 2018 the party CSU forms a new government with party Free Voters of Bavaria. 28 October - Hessian state election, 2018 November 30 November - German company Jack Wolfskin is sold to American company Callaway Golf Company November - German company HSH Nordbank