Many pensioners must prepare for losses – and the clocks will turn back in the new month.

Spring begins and brings some changes for consumers in March. There is a lot going on, especially in air and rail travel. An overview:

While the additional health insurance contributions for many employees have already increased at the turn of the year, the changes will also affect pensioners two months later. The additional contributions vary depending on the health insurance company. For those affected, the pension transferred will be correspondingly lower.

The new Bundestag must convene no later than March 25th. According to Article 39 of the Basic Law, after the election on February 23rd, the new Bundestag must convene no later than 30 days after the election. The new legislative period begins with the constitutive session. During the session, the members of parliament elect a president and a deputy president.

Lent begins again on the Christian Ash Wednesday, March 5th. There are many reasons for abstaining from food - in addition to religious reasons, many cite health reasons. They then avoid alcohol, meat or sweets. Lent ends at Easter, this year on April 20th.

Germany is turning the clocks again on the last Sunday in March. On the 30th, the clocks will be put forward from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., thus switching to summer time.

In March, Deutsche Bahn will be setting up an additional direct train between Rostock via Berlin, Leipzig and Frankfurt to Stuttgart or Munich. An ICE will start in Munich on March 8th and arrive in Rostock around ten hours later.

The Berlin underground station will remain partially closed for construction work in March, and all eight tracks will be closed on a long weekend (March 21-24), according to the railway company.

The low-cost airline Easyjet will be flying more frequently between Italy and Germany from March. There are six new routes. Hamburg and Frankfurt will have direct flights to and from Milan and Rome from March 30. There will also be connections from Düsseldorf to Milan and Munich to Rome.

Gardeners are heading outside again these days, but beware: From March 1st, a ban on felling and cutting will apply in accordance with the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Hedges, shrubs and bushes may not be cut back or removed until September 30th - to protect wild animals.

From March, drivers of mopeds, mopeds and e-scooters must indicate their new insurance cover. As the ADAC informs, the blue license plate will be invalid from March 1st and a green one will be required. The color changes every year.

For the driver, an incorrect plate means that if an accident occurs, they will have to bear the entire damage and will also be liable to prosecution. According to the ADAC, the plates are available online from insurers for around 45 euros.