The German Association for Pyrotechnics and Fireworks (bvpk) has rejected the German Medical Association's demand for a ban on private fireworks on New Year's Eve. Serious accidents involving pyrotechnics occur “almost exclusively with illegal fireworks,” explained Federal Managing Director Christoph Kröpl in response to an AFP inquiry on Saturday. Legally available New Year's Eve fireworks, on the other hand, are “strictly tested and severely limited in size and effect.”
“For example, it is not possible to destroy a hand or even sever a limb with a legal New Year's Eve firecracker,” said Kröpl. However, access to illegal and highly dangerous firecrackers is “easier than ever before.” This is where “politicians must take action and ensure that existing laws are enforced.”
The president of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, had previously called for a ban on fireworks for private individuals. He referred in particular to serious injuries and crowded emergency rooms at the turn of the year. Kröpl accused the German Medical Association of refusing to engage in an objective discussion of the issue. “The unfounded demand for blanket bans shows that this is more about cultural policy than health policy.”
Emergency rooms are “not full because of fireworks” on New Year's Eve, Kröpl continued. According to studies, they are “overcrowded at the turn of the year, particularly due to heavy alcohol consumption nationwide.” Kröpl also referred to a study by Magdeburg University Hospital from November 2025. It showed that fireworks bans during the coronavirus pandemic had not resulted in any measurable relief for emergency rooms.
According to its own statements, the Federal Association for Pyrotechnics and Artistic Fireworks does not see itself as a traditional trade association. While some of its members are companies that deal with fireworks commercially, most of the association's members are people who are privately interested in fireworks “as a cultural technique and artistic medium.”
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