A lot will change for consumers in June 2026: There will be innovations in the areas of work, energy and also food.
• Focus on pay transparency guidelines
• The heating law for 100,000 inhabitants
• Cancellation button in retail
work and salary
Germany must implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law by June 7, 2026, as the Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Seniors, Women and Youth confirms. In concrete terms, this means: Germany must implement the EU requirements by this deadline; A national implementation law was not yet available in spring 2026. The reporting obligations vary depending on the size of the company.
For employees, this means more transparency when comparing jobs and understanding their own compensation.
Heating and energy
From June 30, 2026, in large cities with 100,000 inhabitants or more, new heating systems in existing buildings and in new buildings in vacant lots must generate at least 65 percent of their energy from renewable energies, which the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy explains.
The ministry emphasizes: “It’s all about installing new heaters! Existing heaters can continue to be operated and broken heaters can still be repaired. If a natural gas or oil heater needs to be replaced, for example because it can no longer be repaired, there are pragmatic interim solutions and transitional periods lasting several years. In cases of hardship, owners can be exempted from the obligation to use renewable heating.”
Cancellation button in retail
A new legal regulation obliges online providers to introduce a cancellation button from June 19, 2026. This obligation applies to all platforms on which contracts can be concluded directly with a click. The aim of the measure is to simplify the cancellation process in the same way as when concluding a contract. This means that the already established cancellation button is now followed by the counterpart for revocation.
Food labeling
Another change concerns the labeling of honey: from June 14, 2026, all countries of origin must be stated on every honey jar, including percentages based on quantity. The usual blanket formulation “mixture of EU and non-EU countries” will no longer be sufficient. Glasses that were filled before the deadline according to old rules can still be sold, as the German craft newspaper explains.
For the first time, consumers can understand which countries the honey in the jar actually comes from.
Markus Maier, editorial team at finanzen.net