Last December, TIME magazine asked: can the European Union survive 2017? With three “high-stakes elections” in EU founding member states, many said this would be a “fateful political year” for Europe. And indeed, we’ve been off to an interesting start.
Remarks at Berlin Economic Forum, 10.03.2017 Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished guests of this year’s Berlin Economic Forum, Welcome to Berlin. You might encounter some difficulties to leave by plane – I almost didn’t make it here today. But you could see the strike of the ground crew at the Berlin airport as a chance…
Interview with Deutsche Welle about Donald Trump and his recent comparison of Hillary Clinton with Angela Merkel.
DGAP-Discussion on Germany’s Role in the World. June 20th 2016 in Berlin. Following a presentation of the study „Europeans Face the World Divided“ by the Pew Research Center.
On April 26th in 1986 the – until then – worst nuclear power plant accident occurred in Chernobyl. Pictures from Fukushima in Japan have revived memories of the core meltdown in Chernobyl and with it the memories of fears, measures, talks and consequences. Here is how I remember this day.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for having me.
On my way here, I had a brief scare at the airport. All the signs were pointing towards the “exit”. Then again, I don’t believe in signs.
I was invited here today to talk about our common foreign policy. So let’s hope, one year from now, at the next LSE “German Symposium”, we will still be discussing our common foreign policy.
2015 is a crucial year for the climate. Although climate conferences are held every year, this year’s meeting in Paris is especially important. Why? Because this time – unlike in Kyoto– the US and China are also on board.
We need a better deal! Europe and the U.S. should champion free trade and rule of law. Free trade and fair trade should not be two distinct concepts. This is not a ‘take it or leave it’ type situation. A better deal is possible: instead of a deal that sets off a race to the bottom, we need a deal that raises ecological and social standards.
‘Whole, free and at peace’ – that was the vision U.S. President George H. W. Bush laid out for Jürgen Trittin New challenges need new answers for Europe in 1989. And for a time it looked like we came very close to its realization. In the European Security Strategy of 2003 it still said: “Europe has never been so prosperous, so secure nor so free.” Since then, that perception has changed drastically. Today, the world has gotten “more connected, more contested and more complex”. Or to quote our Foreign minister Frank Walter Steinmeier. “The World has come loose from its Moorings.”
Mr. Bush’s visit raised eyebrows among some opposition politicians in Germany, who questioned whether his meetings with the German finance and foreign ministers amounted to an endorsement of a potential candidate running in another country’s presidential race. “I don’t expect all the candidates will be received [by ministers],” said Jürgen Trittin, a prominent member of…