Angela Merkel

The country's tragic floods might have been expected to boost support for the Greens ahead of September's elections. But this doesn't appear to have happened

EU leaders have failed to agree on the proposal of holding a summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the near future.  It is not yet clear whether this proposed summit would include all 27 leaders or only Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s chief executive, and Charles Michel, its chairman.  Leaders’ decision to reject […]

Since the start of the Syrian civil war 10 years ago, Europe has taken in more than one million refugees. So what has been the impact on the continent?

The German Greens have confirmed Annalena Baerbock as their candidate for chancellor in September’s election, during a party conference in Berlin. Receiving a near unanimous 98.5%, Baerbock accepted, saying that she predicted a “duel” with Germany’s CDU-CSU conservatives.  “For the first time in decades, real change is in the air,” she told the 688 Greens delegates […]

As Angela Merkel departs the scene, her party faces an insurgent effort to move it much further to the right and to reverse her centrist approach. Will it succeed? Two years ago German politician Walter Lübcke was assassinated with a close range shot to his head, as he stood on his front porch. Lübcke, a member of […]

As it faces its latest crisis, triggered by Belarus, a looming leadership vacuum threatens to condemn the EU to years of stagnation behind other global powers

With good reason, their windows are a source of great pride for Germans. But is it time for them to start looking beyond them? There’s one thing I just can’t get my German head around whenever I’m in a UK bathroom. I’m not referring to the separate hot and cold water taps – although they can be a […]

Tanit Koch on how the ruling German elite do not have the same upbringing as politicians in the UK If I had to choose just one word to praise the EU, it would be this: Erasmus. These academic exchanges are a beautifully efficient way to achieve cross-border friendship and mutual understanding. Because, yes, foreign languages […]

Germany’s reputation for ‘efficiency’ was always code for ‘thoroughness’. And Covid has shown that the two are not the same Pity the poor Germans. The pandemic hasn’t just forced the closure of beer gardens just as the sun started to shine again, it has also given the country’s self-image a knocking. For weeks now, local media […]

Armin Laschet has won the support of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party to become the party’s candidate in this September’s federal election. Laschet, who has been the leader of the CDU since January, gained the support of 77.5% of the party board to enter the race to replace chancellor Angela Merkel – a total […]

Germany’s Greens have chosen co-leader Annalena Baerbock as their candidate for the federal election in September. Baerbock’s candidacy was announced on Monday morning after beating co-leader Robert Habeck to the role. Baerbock, 40, dismissed concerns about her lack of political experience during her acceptance speech. “Democracy lives off change. Yes, I was never a chancellor and never a […]

The European Commission president has floundered over Covid. But is it a sign of deeper problems within the Union? Perhaps it is because they are blond(e)s. That can be the only reason why Ursula von der Leyen has been compared to Boris Johnson. Yes, their fathers had jobs at the European Commission, and they spent […]

Germany’s conservatives face a big decision over Angela Merkel’s replacement Munching your Easter eggs may have drowned the sound of a rather significant clock that started ticking in Germany last Sunday. The conservatives pledged to give themselves between Easter and Pentecost (May 23 this year) to decide on their joint front runner for the general […]

Green Party co-leader Annalena Baerbock is emerging as a serious contender in the contest to succeed Angela Merkel. Towards the end of this year Europe may well have its first Green head of government – a German, a woman, a former youth elite trampolinist. Annalena Baerbock: remember the name, because she is set to become […]

The European Union should step back from waging a “stupid vaccine war” with the UK, former European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said. He warned that threatening export bans could cause “major reputational damage” to the bloc as EU leaders held discussions on tightening restrictions to supplies of coronavirus jabs. The commission has set out […]

TANIT KOCH on just how close the Green Party are to power in Germany… and how they could throw it all away. Remember the many Britons who got hold of an EU passport after the 2016 referendum via the odd Irish granny? You may be among them. If you could now make that work vice versa, there’s a huge […]

Conspiracy theories abound, but what does explain the EU’s seemingly baffling attitude to the AstraZeneca jab? The precautionary principle has longstanding European roots and modern international credibility. It is a scientific idea that grew out of an older German concept. Properly applied, it is difficult to argue against it. An international academic conference in 1998 defined […]

Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has suffered a historic defeat in state elections – with one senior member describing it as a “wake-up call”. Final results streaming in early Monday confirmed the centre-right CDU lost out in two elections to popular incumbent state governors – the Greens’ Winfried Kretschmann in Baden-Wuerttemberg and the centre-left […]

TANIT KOCH on what the Germans are only just learning about their country under the long rule of Angela Merkel. Most Germans (ven not engaged in ze race for pole pool positions) will have come across one phrase in those heady days when we could actually go on holiday: “You’re lucky, you’ve got Merkel.”  Britons, […]

The French president is a politician like no other: neither from the left, nor the right; bold and decisive, yet the antithesis of a populist. And if he can win re-election next year he will shape not just the future of France, but of Europe. By ALASTAIR CAMPBELL  The first time I met Emmanuel Macron, he […]

A German newspaper has expressed “envy” at Britain’s roadmap out of lockdown and criticised Angela Merkel’s handling of the country’s vaccine programme. German daily Bild criticised chancellor Merkel on Tuesday over her failure to secure the same results for her citizens. The paper read: “Dear British, WE ENVY YOU! Simply HAPPY! This means: normal life is coming […]

Boris Johnson had to ask German leader Angela Merkel to put herself on mute after she inadvertently interrupted his remarks to a virtual meeting of G7 leaders. As with many video conferences throughout lockdown, the prime minister’s address from 10 Downing Street did not get off to a smooth start. While French president Emmanuel Macron […]

Europe's leaders are human beings - they are just as fallible as anybody else.

A German minister has hit back at comparisons between the EU and the UK over coronavirus vaccines – by pointing to the death and infection rate in the country. German economy minister Peter Altmaier – an ally of Angela Merkel – claimed there had been “endless suffering” in Britain because of the government’s handling of […]

CATHRIN SCHAER on how the continent sees its vaccine troubles. While Brexit fans were busy trying to shout “I told you so” across the Channel as loudly as possible, following the recent AstraZeneca stoush, Europeans were – as they so often are – more worried about their own backyards than being in a race with Britain. There […]

Berlin has been long been seen as the European capital most understanding – and indulgent – of Russia. But that’s  changing, says CATHRIN SCHAER. For several years now, German newspapers have been proclaiming the next new low in the German-Russian relationship. There was 2015’s Russian hacker attack on the German parliament that started the decline. Then the assassination […]

A Telegraph columnist has blamed German chancellor Angela Merkel for Britain’s decision to exit the European Union. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard claimed Merkel was “more responsible for Brexit than any other political figure in Europe”. He used an op-ed in the Sunday Telegraph to say the chancellor’s attempt to resuscitate the European Constitution had “sown the seeds of British […]

JOHN KAMPFNER on Armin Laschet – the man now lined up as Angela Merkel’s successor. It was the ‘Merkel Machine’ which helped secure the close victory. After a lacklustre campaign, Armin Laschet hobbled over the line for the leadership of Germany’s largest party, the CDU, thanks to some last-minute lobbying and arm-twisting from the chancellor and […]