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☆ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fires Finance Minister Christian Lindner, leaving ruling coalition in disarray
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-06 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday he had dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, possibly bringing an end to Germany's ruling coalition after months of political wrangling. The three-year-old union between Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and Lindner's Free Democratic Party (FDP) has been on shaky ground for some time, with differing budget and economic policy positions causing tensions and clashes. It wasn't immediately clear if Lindner's departure would lead to the FDP exiting the coalition. Scholz said he would call for a vote of no confidence on Jan. 15 in parliament, raising the possibility of elections earlier than scheduled in March. But that is precisely not Christian Lindner's focus right now, he is focused on his own clientele."

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Lindner Organizations: Scholz's Social Democratic Party, SPD, Greens, Lindner's Free Democratic Party, Green

☆ Germany's government is on the brink of collapse — here’s what could happen now
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, noted that the three coalition partners have been acting "as if they were preparing to campaign against each other soon." Separately, the Green party's Robert Habeck, who is Germany's economy minister, proposed a policy plan to stimulate business investment that was criticized by the FDP. The Lindner paperAnother escalation took place on Friday, when Finance Minister Christian Lindner published a paper about reviving the struggling German economy. "The paper reads like a serious attempt to analyze Germany's problems and propose solutions. A hotly contested budgetA recent key issue within the coalition has been Germany's budget for 2025 — a topic that also features heavily in Lindner's paper.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Olaf Scholz, Sean Gallup, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Carsten Brzeski, Holger Schmieding, Scholz, Lindner, Greg Fuzesi, Morgan, Fuzesi, Berenberg's Schmieding Organizations: Climate, Bundestag, Getty, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, SPD, Greens, Free Democratic Party, ING, FDP, Green, ZDF Locations: Berlin, Germany

☆ German finance minister warns of retaliation if U.S. kicks off trade war
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Friday warned that if the U.S. kicked off a trade war with the European Union, there could be retaliation. Trade is one of the main pillars of the German economy, suggesting heightened tensions, uncertainty and tariffs would hit the country harder than others. Trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the EU and China, have been rising throughout the year. Both the U.S. and EU have implemented higher tariffs and on some goods imported from China, citing unfair trade practices. China in turn has also announced higher temporary tariffs on some imports from the EU.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Janet Yellen, Lindner, CNBC's Karen Tso, Donald Trump, it's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Trump Organizations: IMF, World Bank, German, European Union, International Monetary, Washington , D.C, Free Democratic Party, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, U.S, EU, Reuters Locations: Washington , DC, U.S, Washington ,, China, EU, Germany

☆ Germany dodges a second far-right win, but only just
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Germany's Social Democratic Party narrowly beat the hard-right Alternative for Germany in Brandenburg. SPD's win came after a historic loss to the far-right earlier this month. AdvertisementAfter a historic loss to the far-right earlier this month, Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) party narrowly dodged another blow this weekend. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) is projected to have won the election in the state of Brandenburg, albeit by less than two percentage points. Preliminary exit polls in Brandenburg showed the SPD at 30.9%, narrowly edging out the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party with 29.2%.

Persons: SPD's, —, Olaf Scholz's Organizations: Germany's Social Democratic Party, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, Service, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, Business Locations: Germany, Brandenburg

☆ As Europe teeters further to the far right, the UK is doing the opposite
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Sunak, who conceded defeat on Friday morning UK time, will likely be replaced by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Labour's rise, largely telegraphed by pre-election polls, makes the UK a clear outlier in this year's political shifts in Western Europe. Still, the far-right faction there, Vox, struggled to gain a foothold, with only 9.6% of the vote, down from 12.4% in 2019. Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage on July 3, 2024.

Persons: —, it's, Rishi Sunak's, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn, he's, Germany's Scholz, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Sean Gallup, Scholz, France's, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, FRANCOIS LO, Le, Giorgia, Massimo Di Vita, Archivio Massimo Di Vita, Spain's, Pedro Sanchez's, Vox, Geert Wilders, Nigel Farage's, Farage, Nigel Farage, Dan Kitwood, Richard Wike Organizations: Service, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Business, European Union, Parliamentary, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, Marine, FRANCOIS LO PRESTI, Getty, Italy, June's, Democratic Party, Spain's People's Party, Party for Freedom, Nigel Farage's Reform, Reform, Pew Research Center Locations: Western Europe, Germany, Berlin, France, AFP, Italy, Europe, Netherlands, Clacton

☆ The leaders at this year's G7 summit look weaker than ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe G7 summit has long been a showcase of global leadership and power. But 2024's group of leaders appears to be one of the weakest that has attended the summit for some time. French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the G7 summit. 'Brittle at best'Payne argued that some of the G7 leaders aren't outright weak; rather, they face circumstances that threaten their authority. And right now, the domestic foundations of most of the G7 leaders are brittle at best," he added.

Persons: —, Inderjeet Parmar, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz's, Rishi Sunak, Giorgia Meloni, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Antonio Masiello, Andrew Payne, Payne, Donald Trump, Hunter Biden's, Parmar, aren't Organizations: Service, Business, Politico, City University of London, EU, Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, White House Locations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Italian, Ukraine

☆ Germany's refusal to send 'Taurus' missiles to Ukraine is highly contentious — but won't break the government
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

One key concern is that Ukraine may need on-the-ground help from German soldiers to work the Taurus missiles — a red line for Scholz. Since last November, the CDU has repeatedly tabled votes on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine in Germany's parliament and failed. Annalena Baerbock, Green party foreign secretary, meanwhile, discussed Taurus missiles with U.K. foreign minister David Cameron. Separately, a high-profile Green party MP joined forces with a prominent CDU politician to pen an op-ed advocating for the delivery of Taurus missiles. "Unfortunately the Taurus debate keeps sucking up all the oxygen in the room, repeating itself over and over again.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Macron, Tusk, Christoph Soeder, Scholz, Chancellor Scholz, Frank Sauer, Annalena, David Cameron, Ulrike Franke, MBDA, Matthias Balk, Sauer, Franke Organizations: Polish, Federal, Getty, Taurus, Bundeswehr, Russia, Christian Democrats, Free Democrats, Greens —, Scholz's Social Democrats, CDU, Greens, Social Democrats, University of, Metis Institute for Strategy, Foresight, CNBC, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Germany's, Taurus, Bundeswehr Munich, Green, Swedish, Berlin

Steel coils are waiting for delivery at the storage and distribution facility of German steel maker ThyssenKrupp in Duisburg, Germany, November 16, 2023. Scholz's three-way coalition is reeling from a court ruling last week that wiped 60 billion euros ($65 billion) from the budget at a stroke and forced it to freeze most new spending commitments, delaying talks on the 2024 budget. LOSS OF CONFIDENCEGermany's steel sector added its voice to the growing jitters, warning that the court ruling had put a question mark over more than 40 billion euros in planned investments. "I find it correct that the consequences of the constitutional court ruling ... are checked carefully," Scholz told a news conference. Scholz also described this as conceivable, participants at the meeting told Reuters, adding that the court ruling put the coalition into a difficult situation but it could be resolved.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Grundke, Bernhard Osburg, Osburg, Berlin, Scholz, Achim Post, Andreas Rinke, Christoph Steitz, Holger Hansen, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Economic Cooperation, Development, Reuters, Scholz's Social Democrats, Thomson Locations: Duisburg, Germany, FRANKFURT, Paris, United States, decarbonisation

☆ Germany freezes new spending commitments as budget woes deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The finance ministry has frozen future spending pledges across almost the entire federal budget, a letter by the budget state secretary showed, in a sign of how seriously it was taking the potential fallout to its finances. "The step reflects the necessity of the situation," an economy ministry spokesperson said about the budget freeze. That could include planned chip factories, the expansion of the battery supply chain and the decarbonisation of steel, government sources said on Monday. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Freeze, Olaf Scholz's, Kevin Kuehnert, that's, Kuehnert, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, BERLIN, Free Democrats, Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens, Digital, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Analysis-Scholz's Coalition Buckles but Unlikely to Break - for Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

The decision has increased tensions within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, in particular between junior partners the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP). But Scholz is unlikely to call for new elections as they would not benefit any of the coalition partners. "Scholz definitely wants to keep the government together and believes this will work as none of the three coalition partners stand to benefit from a break," a source close to the chancellor said. "In reality, the chancellor should dismiss his coalition partners now." "And the strength of the AfD is also the reason why no actors - not even the conservatives - currently have any interest in new elections."

Persons: Sarah Marsh, Holger Hansen, Andreas Rinke BERLIN, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Philipp Tuermer, Scholz, Stefan Marschall, Ursula Muench, Frank Decker, Friedrich Merz, Markus Soeder, Decker, Andreas Rinke, Alexander Ratz, Catherine Evans Organizations: Greens, Free Democrats, Scholz's Social Democrats, Tagesspiegel, Bertelsmann Foundation, SPD, University of Duesseldorf, University of Tutzing, Bonn University, Eurasia Group Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Bavarian

☆ Exclusive: German court ruling could hit growth next year - econ ministry source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A German court ruling that forced Berlin to freeze 60 billion euros ($65 billion) in planned green investment spending could have a negative impact on growth in Europe's biggest economy, an economy ministry source told Reuters on Friday. "According to initial rough estimates, a loss of investment funds could cause growth in 2024 to be about half a percentage point lower," the source, who is familiar with the economy ministry's forecasts, said. "So the ruling could have a negative impact on economic growth," the source added. Last month, the economy ministry predicted 1.3% growth for next year. The economy ministry is run by the Greens, who share power with Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Madeline Chambers, Sabine Wollrab Organizations: Greens, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Europe's

☆ Germany set to double Ukraine military aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech on the day of the opening of an electrolysis gigafactory in Berlin, Germany November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 11 (Reuters) - German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed in principle to double the country's military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion), a political source in Berlin said on Sunday. Defence minister Boris Pistorius, interviewed by broadcaster ARD, referred to the planned doubling of military aid to Ukraine. "Doubling the military spending is both the right thing to do and important," it quoted member of parliament Andreas Schwarz, who acts as an SPD military budget official, as saying. A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21 billion) on military aid for Ukraine is meeting with resistance from EU countries, diplomats said this week.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, Boris Pistorius, Andreas Schwarz, Gursimran Kaur, Holger Hansen, Vera Eckert, David Gregorio, Kirsten Donovan, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Green, Bundestag, Bloomberg News, Germany's Ministry of Defence, ARD, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine, Bengaluru, Frankfurt

☆ Germany set to double its Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech on the day of the opening of an electrolysis gigafactory in Berlin, Germany November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 11 (Reuters) - German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed to double German military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.54 billion), Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. Lawmakers of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget this week, Bloomberg News reported. A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion) on military aid for Ukraine was met with resistance from EU countries. ($1 = 0.9362 euros)Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, Gursimran Kaur, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Green, Bloomberg News, Germany's Ministry of Defense, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine, Germany's, Bengaluru

☆ Germany Set to Double Its Ukraine Military Aid Under Scholz Plan -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed to double German military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.54 billion), Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. Lawmakers of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget this week, Bloomberg News reported. Germany's Ministry of Defense could not be immediately reached for comment. A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion) on military aid for Ukraine was met with resistance from EU countries. ($1 = 0.9362 euros)(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio)

Persons: Olaf Scholz's, Gursimran Kaur, David Gregorio Organizations: Reuters, Bloomberg, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Green, Bloomberg News, Germany's Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany's, Bengaluru

☆ Hesse, Bavaria Votes Highlight Discontent With Scholz's Government Exit Polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives were on track to win state elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday, according to exit polls by state broadcaster ARD, highlighting discontent with the Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left federal government. In Hesse, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) looked set to take 35.5% of the vote compared to 16% for Scholz's Social Democrats, dealing a personal blow to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser who ran as the SPD's lead candidate in the state. In Bavaria, CDU's sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) looked set to take 37% of the vote - its worst result since 1950 albeit likely enough to continue its coalition with the populist Free Voters on 14%. The SPD, which is traditionally weak in Bavaria, trailed with 8.5% of the vote. Meanwhile the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made gains, rising to 16% in Hesse and 15% in Bavaria compared to 13.1% and 11.6% respectively in 2018.

Persons: Olaf Scholz's, Nancy Faeser, CDU's, Sarah Marsh, Thomas Escritt Organizations: BERLIN, ARD, Christian Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Christian Social Union, CSU, Free Voters, SPD, Greens, Free Democrats Locations: Hesse, Bavaria, Germany

☆ Hesse, Bavaria votes highlight discontent with Scholz's government, exit polls show
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Hesse State Premier Boris Rhein of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party gestures after the first exit polls for the Hesse state elections were published, in Wiesbaden, Germany, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives were on track to win state elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday, according to exit polls by state broadcaster ARD, highlighting discontent with the Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left federal government. In Hesse, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) looked set to take 35.5% of the vote compared to 16% for Scholz's Social Democrats, dealing a personal blow to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser who ran as the SPD's lead candidate in the state. The SPD, which is traditionally weak in Bavaria, trailed with 8.5% of the vote. Meanwhile the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made gains, rising to 16% in Hesse and 15% in Bavaria compared to 13.1% and 11.6% respectively in 2018.

Persons: Hesse State Premier Boris Rhein, Kai Pfaffenbach, Olaf Scholz's, Nancy Faeser, CDU's, Sarah Marsh, Thomas Escritt Organizations: Hesse State Premier, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, REUTERS, Rights, ARD, Christian Democrats, Scholz's Social Democrats, Christian Social Union, CSU, Free Voters, SPD, Greens, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Hesse, Wiesbaden, Germany, Bavaria

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a plenum session of the lower house of parliament, Bundestag, for a general debate on the Federal Government policy in Berlin, Germany September 6, 2023. The chancellor announced a new "Germany pact" with a bundle of measures aimed at reducing bureaucracy, speeding up approval processes for new construction and digitising citizens’ access to key government services. The chancellor rejected the idea of fresh stimulus to boost an economy battling high inflation, financing costs and a drop in exports. Such sums showed Germany was holding its own vis-à-vis the U.S. and the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, he said. For a special Reuters World News podcast on what is ailing the German economy please click here .

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: Bundestag, Federal Government, REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, Deutsche, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Europe's

The new legislation will limit the amount of cannabis young adults can buy to 30 grams a month, compared to 50 grams for older adults. Scholz's government had already watered down original plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed shops after consultations with Brussels. Instead, it said would launch a pilot project for a small number of licensed shops in some regions to test the effects of a commercial supply chain of recreational cannabis over five years. Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use in late 2021. The legislation presented on Wednesday includes strict rules for growing weed - cannabis clubs of up to 500 associates must have burglar-proof doors and windows, with greenhouses fenced off.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Karl Lauterbach, Lauterbach, Armin Schuster, Kristine Luetke, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe, Saxony, Brussels, Netherlands, Switzerland, Malta

☆ Germany to offer aid only to strategic sectors after Intel subsidy -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 21 (Reuters) - Germany will promote specific projects in strategic industries after agreeing subsidies worth nearly 10 billion euros with Intel this week as the U.S. chipmaker said it would invest $33 billion in Germany, a minister said on Wednesday. "There will be no funding for everyone, but only for selected projects," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens party which shares power with Scholz's Social Democrats and the FDP Free Democrats. "They will be everywhere in future," he said at an event in Berlin, adding that the Intel subsidies were therefore an investment in economic security. Other sectors being closely watched by the government included medicine, telecommunications, energy, logistics and transport, food and security services, he said. The economy ministry said earlier that the European Commission has yet to approve Berlin's subsidy plans for Intel.

Persons: chipmaker, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Christian Kraemer, Madeline Chambers, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Intel, Greens, Scholz's Social Democrats, FDP Free Democrats, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Magdeburg, Berlin

[1/2] German parliamentary group leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel speaks during budget debate in the plenary hall of German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany November 23, 2022. Asked by broadcaster ntv if the AfD would name a chancellor candidate, party co-chief Alice Weidel said "of course, we would also nominate (one) without these polling numbers", side-stepping a question about whether she would present herself. The likelihood of an AfD candidate becoming Germany's chancellor is very low currently given the party would need to be able to form a government and currently all other parties have ruled out working with it. The AfD is currently on track to winning the vote in all three east German states holding elections next year. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; additional Reporting by Friederike Heine; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alice Weidel, Christian Mang, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Thomas Haldenwang, Haldenwang, Hans Vorlaender, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, ntv, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Dresden

☆ Germany to unveil first-ever National Security Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government is set to unveil Germany's first National Security Strategy on Wednesday which aims to provide an overview of the country's foreign policy and ensure a cohesive cross-ministry approach to security. Germany has had policy documents in the past addressing security but Scholz's three-way coalition agreed it wanted a more comprehensive strategy in its pact in November 2021. Scholz said Germany from now on would invest more than 2% of economic output on defence up from around 1.5% currently, after years of resisting pleas from NATO allies to do so - a pledge expected to be included in the National Security Strategy. The document is unlikely to go into Germany's policy on China at length, however, as the government is expected to publish a separate China strategy later this year. One of the most contentious issues was the idea of a National Security Council, which the government eventually abandoned due to disagreements over where it should be housed.

Persons: Olaf Scholz's, Germany's, Scholz, Nils Schmid, Mikko Huotari, Thorsten Benner, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Lincoln Organizations: Security, National Security, Scholz's Social, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Greens, National Security Council, Global Public Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, China

[1/3] German parliamentary group co-leaders of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla attend a plenary session of the lower house of parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany May 25, 2023. In France, the far-right has become a stronger rival at the ballot box, while in Italy and Sweden, they are now are in government. Germany's domestic spy agency has branded the AfD's youth wing "extremist", saying it propagated "a racial concept of society". Some AfD initiatives have won backing from mainstream voters on the more local level. Wolfgang Buechner, a Scholz government spokesman, said he was confident the coalition could whittle away at AfD support.

Persons: Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Stefan Marschall, Michael Kretschmer, Friederich Merz, Nancy Faeser, Marc Debus, Matthias Grahl, Wolfgang Buechner, Scholz, whittle, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Edmund Blair Organizations: Bundestag, REUTERS, Government, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social, University of Duesseldorf, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Greens, Scholz's, Mannheim University, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Scholz's, Europe, France, Italy, Sweden, Nazi, Russia, Ukraine, Germany's, Saxony, Thueringen, Brandenburg, Bautzen

☆ The rise of Germany's most successful far-right party since the Nazis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - Following are some of the key moments in the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the country's' most successful far-right party since the Nazis were in power. The party wants Germany to quit the euro and reintroduce the Deutsche Mark. 2015 - The party shifts right during Europe's migration crisis, causing some of the original founders to quit. As the only party to criticise Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy that let in hundreds of thousands of migrants, it sees support rise steadily. 2021 - Germany's BfV domestic spy agency service places the AfD under surveillance on suspicion of trying to undermine Germany’s democratic constitution.

Persons: Chancellor Angela Merkel's, Bjoern Hoecke, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Sarah Marsh, Madeline Chambers, Edmund Blair Organizations: Deutsche, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Turkey, Thueringen, Russia

Still, Bremen is the first federal state to hold an election this year and as such, the results will be closely watched. The conservatives are polling in second place on 26-28%, meaning the SPD could win back its pole position in its traditional stronghold. But the Left party is on fragile ground at a national level due to internal strife which could have regional repercussions. That has given a boost to local right-wing populist party Buerger in Wut (Citizens in Rage). It is focusing on immigration and fighting crime and is now polling 9-10%, up from 3% a few months ago.

[1/5] Newly elected Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner and his predecessor and designated Berlin Senator for Economics and Energy Franziska Giffey look on at the city's town hall Rotes Rathaus (Red Townhall), in Berlin, Germany, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja WohllebenBERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Berlin appointed its first conservative mayor in more than two decades on Thursday after the Christian Democrats (CDU) beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) in a repeat election in February, dislodging its centre-left coalition. Kai Wegner, 50, a former insurance salesman, was sworn in as mayor after a vote in local parliament, succeeding the SPD's Franziska Giffey who had been Berlin's first female mayor. His CDU won a clear victory in February's election held after a court ruled the 2021 vote invalid due to irregularities. Critics have accused his CDU party of dog-whistle politics.

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