A government crisis is underway in Germany, with the breakdown of the coalition led by Olaf Scholz. This further weakens Berlin on the international scene: Thursday November 7, the chancellor did not participate in the summit of the European political community in Budapest. Germany’s partners hope that Berlin, after early elections, will live up to its weight on the international stage.
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With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
“ A deliverance for Europe »: the daily commentary South German Zeitung summarizes the ambient feeling in Germany and among its neighbors. It is better to shorten the agony of the outgoing coalition so that Europe has a chance of perhaps having within it a Germany worthy of its weight.
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The quarrels of the outgoing government have regularly led Berlin to abstain from Brussels; the Liberal Party has often provoked what is called the “German vote”. Olaf Scholz has not been a thunderbolt on the European scene: he remains discreet during meetings with his colleagues, who miss Queen Angela Merkel, champion of compromise.
The recent disappointment of Berlin, which opposed tariffs on Chinese electric carssymbolizes this loss of influence. And the social democrat Scholz is no longer in phase with a majority in Europe that is more right-wing.
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States puts pressure on Europe to take its destiny into its own hands more than in the past. Does Olaf Scholz want to, and can he, respond to those who ask Berlin to play a leading role? Or will the answer to these pressing questions come from another German head of government who will meet the expectations of these neighbors? Response no later than March.
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