Tag: Angela Merkel

Rampage of the Right

The immediate provocation for last week's rampage in German cities is not Ms Merkel's open-asylum policy towards the migrants, though it is palpable that the Arab factor has lent the spark. It was the stabbing of a German, allegedly by assailants of Syrian and Iraqi origin, that have brought matters to a head.

September 2, 2018

Merkel survives

The irony is unmistakable. Angela Merkel, who had welcomed hundreds of thousands of migrants into Germany, has staved off a crisis in governance by deferring to the demands of neighbouring Austria and also of course from within her coalition. The Chancellor was faced with the dichotomy of humanitarian intervention ~ alone in Europe ~ and …

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July 6, 2018

Angela Merkel averts coalition government spilt over migrants

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government remains intact after she reached a deal over the country’s migration policy, ending a political standoff with her Interior Minister. Minister Horst Seehofer dropped his threat to resign after hours of talks on Monday on the migration row that threatened to split Merkel’s four-month-old coalition government, the BBC reported. …

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July 3, 2018

Donald Trump G7 tweets ‘sobering and depressing’: Angela Merkel

US President Donald Trump’s revocation of support for a joint communique with other leaders at the G7 summit was “sobering and a little depressing,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today. “It’s hard, it’s depressing this time, but that’s not the end” of the Group of Seven, she said in a rare one-on-one interview with ARD …

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June 11, 2018

Iran nuclear deal not perfect but better than no agreement: Angela Merkel

The European Union (EU) has no intention to abandon the Iran nuclear deal after the US withdrawal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. “Although this agreement is not perfect, it is better than no agreement,” Merkel said on Friday at a televised press conference after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea …

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May 19, 2018

‘EU to defend interests against US trade measures

Leaders of Germany, France and Britain have agreed that the US should not take trade measures against the European Union and that the EU should be prepared to defend its interests. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron made a phone call on Saturday and Merkel called British Prime Minister Theresa May on …

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April 30, 2018

Hungarian Rhapsody

Continental nationalism has been reinforced this week. Given its democratic construct and inclusivity, the European Union, grappling with the migrants’ challenge for the past few years, will perhaps have to bolster its efforts to countenance xenophobia and hatred. Trends in the elections in Italy last month, the impressive performance of the far-right AfD in Germany, …

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April 16, 2018

Trump speaks with Western leaders on expulsion of Russian diplomats

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke with leaders of France and Germany on the expulsion of Russian diplomats. Earlier on Monday, he also spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to coordinate stances on the issue. The White House said Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier on …

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March 28, 2018

Merkel threatens Trump with ‘unmistakable countermeasures’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday that EU would take unambiguous countermeasures against the US tariff surges if necessary. Speaking to lawmakers in the Bundestag, lower house of the parliament, Merkel mentioned that the US has just introduced punitive tariffs, reports Xinhua. “We will seek talks and if necessary, we will take unambiguous countermeasures,” …

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March 22, 2018

Modi makes congratulatory call to Merkel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to congratulate her on assuming office for the fourth successive term. An official release said Modi lauded “the strong leadership” provided by Chancellor Merkel to Germany, and the pivotal role played by Germany in European affairs during her tenure. “Prime Minister Modi reiterated his …

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March 22, 2018

Macron, Merkel pledge common roadmap on eurozone reforms

French President Emmanuel Macron and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel have pledged to come out with a common ground on eurozone reforms by June this year. “For many years, Europe has waited for the Franco-German couple to move forward and make proposals. We are ready to do that,” Macron told reporters on Friday, Xinhua reported. …

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March 17, 2018

Merkel re-elected by German parliament to fourth term

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on Wednesday elected by parliament for her fourth term at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy. Bundestag lawmakers voted 364-315 for Merkel, with nine abstentions. Merkel is to be formally appointed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before taking the oath of office at 1100 GMT.

March 14, 2018

Team Merkel

Angela Merkel has regained her position as Chancellor of Germany and her tenure in that rarefied office in Europe will now stretch far beyond a decade. The new coalition of her Christian Democrats and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), that has been forged five months after the elections, is in itself a testament to the …

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March 9, 2018

Why Trump’s China jibe could be ominous

In one of the more startling twists of his meandering career, the serially bankrupt Donald Trump is trying to settle a debt. All the contractors he’s allegedly stiffed down the decades won’t be amused, but the debt he is currently paring down is the one to stand-up comedy. Politically, he owes it everything. It was …

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March 6, 2018

Patchwork in Germany

Considering that governance in Germany has been in suspended animation for the past four months, last Wednesday’s forward movement in Berlin will be welcomed both within the country and in Europe in the wider canvas. Not least because Brexit and the migrants’ issue are the major challenges confronting the European Union and crucially so in …

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February 13, 2018

Germany plans cabinet negotiations before February 4

Germany’s CDU/CSU conservative alliance and Social Democrats (SPD) want to complete coalition government negotiations before February 4, a media report said. Michael Grosse-Bromer, CDU/ CSU parliamentary group leader, made the announcement after the first round of the formal talks beginning Friday on a new “grand coalition” government. But he stressed a “time buffer ” after …

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January 27, 2018

Germany coalition talks: SPD backs talks with Merkel

Germany’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) have voted for coalition negotiations with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, their former coalition partners. Earlier this month, the two groupings agreed a blueprint for formal talks. Merkel’s centre-right CDU and its Bavarian CSU ally have been unable to form a government since September’s inconclusive election, BBC reported on Sunday. The …

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January 22, 2018