Scholz pushes for stronger EU, issues warning to Russia
December 7, 2021
On the cusp of taking the reins from Angela Merkel, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sent a strong signal about where his government's foreign policy priorities lie. DW has rounded up the most important points.
Scholz said any threat to Ukraine would be 'unacceptable' to the new German governmentImage: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Germany's incoming government, led by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), were pressed to clarify their foreign policy priorities at a press conference on Tuesday.
Having officially signed a three-party coalition agreement, Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz and the rest of his Cabinet members are expected to take office on Wednesday after a vote and swearing-in ceremony in the German parliament.
Scholz put Europe in focus as he fielded questions on Russia, China and the United States alongside Greens co-leader and incoming vice chancellor Robert Habeck as well as Free Democrat (FDP) chief and incoming Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
On Europe
Strengthening the European Union on the global stage — and making sure Germany is part of that process — was of the utmost priority, Scholz said.
For his first trip outside of Germany as chancellor, Scholz said he would honor recent tradition and travel to Paris, France — followed by a trip to Brussels for meetings with EU heads. Angela Merkel, Gerhard Schröder, Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt all made a point of visiting France first after becoming chancellor. Franco-German reconciliation and friendship in the aftermath of the two world wars has become a core pillar of German foreign and European policy.
The incoming chancellor also pledged German support for Poland concerning the crisis the border with Belarus — criticizing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for using migrants to put pressure on the EU.
Also on the subject of Poland, incoming vice-chancellor Robert Habeck said rule of law was essential for all members of the EU — taking aim at Poland and Hungary. The Green Party co-chief added that Germany would back the European Commission, which is in disputes with the governments in Warsaw and Budapest.
He voiced concern about the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, saying that the principles of de-escalation that have prevailed in the aftermath of the Cold War must be adhered to.
"These include the inviolability of borders. It is very, very important that no one digs around in the history books in an effort to redraw the borders," he said. "Therefore, it must be very, very clear that it would be an unacceptable situation if a threat to Ukraine would emerge."
On transatlantic ties
After the EU, the new German government's second foreign policy priority will be strengthening transatlantic ties and cooperation with NATO.
A future call with US President Joe Biden is likely in the cards once Scholz officially takes office.
"It is now clear what binds us together," Scholz said, referencing democratic values.
On China
Scholz was notably less direct when asked to clarify his policy towards China, instead saying that working with the EU and the US would be the most immediate priorities.
He also avoided answering questions on whether Germany would join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Over the weekend, incoming foreign minister and Green Party co-chair Annalena Baerbock sparked concern from China after she suggested taking a harder course on Beijing to address human rights concerns.
rs/msh (dpa, Reuters, AFP)
Meet Germany's government
Germany's first-ever three-way coalition government came into office in December 2021. These are the 17 individuals who are shaping federal politics.
Image: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa/picture alliance
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD)
Scholz was the finance minister and vice-chancellor in the previous government and is the ninth chancellor and the fourth Social Democrat to hold the office. The former mayor of Hamburg handed his center-left party the surprise win in 2021, having campaigned on stability and pragmatism. Perceived as cautious and unemotional, he has sought to show leadership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Image: Emmanuele Contini/Getty Images
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP)
Media-savvy Christian Lindner has been the leader of the business-oriented, neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) since 2013, inheriting a party that had just lost representation in parliament in the election. As Finance Minister during a time of multiple crises, he has been struggling to limit government spending while protecting the wealthy from tax hikes.
Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens)
The vice chancellor is a member of the more moderate wing of his environmentalist party. He quickly outshone the chancellor with his open communication style, but then lost support in his attempt to implement a pragmatic wartime energy policy. The philosophy major and former author of children's books was previously Environment and Agriculture Minister in his home state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Image: Christian Spicker/IMAGO Images
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
Germany's top diplomat emphasizes a "values-guided" and "feminist" foreign policy. Some months after Russia's war on Ukraine began, she has become the most popular member of the government. She has ruffled feathers by urging a tougher tone on China. Baerbock is only the second Green politician to take on the post, after Joschka Fischer in the late 1990s.
Possibly the biggest surprise in Scholz's new Cabinet, Faeser was elevated from SPD party leader in Hesse to one of Germany's biggest ministries, her first role at federal level. She has taken a tough line, especially on far-right extremism. She is the first woman to hold the office.
Image: Hannibal Hanschke/REUTERS
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD)
The virologist was a popular choice for Germans who enjoyed his outspoken appearances on TV talk shows, advocating a tough health policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It has not all been smooth sailing for him since then. Lauterbach has vowed to tackle reforming Germany's overstretched hospital system.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP)
Christian Lindner is said to be the face of the FDP, but his childhood friend Marco Buschmann is said to be the brain. From humble beginnings, he excelled in his legal academic career. First elected to the Bundestag in 2009, his signature issue has been protecting individual freedoms. He is not one of the conservative hawks in his party but is cautious about immigration.
Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens)
The veteran Green Party politician joined the federal government after over a quarter-century in the German parliament. The first-ever German Cabinet minister with Turkish parents is a party moderate and outspoken critic of Turkish President Erdogan. He co-chaired the Green Party for close to a decade.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. MacDougall
Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens)
The ministry with the longest name has gone to the much-respected Steffi Lemke, among the handful who co-founded the Greens' East German branch in 1989. During her first spell in the Bundestag (1994-2002), she was also one of the few Green Party parliamentarians to initially oppose German participation in the Afghan war.
Image: Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance/dpa
Transport and Digital Infrastructure Minister Volker Wissing (FDP)
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing is the party's second most powerful politician after leader Christian Lindner. He spent five years as Rhineland-Palatinate's Economy Minister in a coalition with the SPD and the Greens. Although the hugely popular €9 ticket in the summer of 2022 was his brainchild, Wissing is known mainly for refusing to implement a speed limit on German motorways.
Image: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/dpa
Construction and Housing Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD)
One of only two East Germans in the new Cabinet, Klara Geywitz heads a new ministry set up at the insistence of the SPD. Housing has become an acute issue in Germany, where urban areas are fast running out of affordable housing. Geywitz's ambitious announcement that 400,000 new units would be constructed each year seems to have proved unrealistic.
Image: Imago Images/M. Müller
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD)
Heil held the same post in the previous government. During his first year in the new government, he led the overhaul of the social security scheme, and the increase in Germany's minimum wage to €12 ($13.60) an hour.
Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD)
Angela Merkel's last environment minister became Scholz's first development minister. The outspoken opponent of nuclear power is a member of several environmental organizations. As the government is failing to phase-out fossil fuels as it scrambled to replace Russian gas imports in 2022, environment and climate policy has come under fire from activists.
Image: Birgit Maass/DW
Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP)
Stark-Watzinger was part of the party's negotiating team in coalition negotiations and is a specialist in finance and education policy. She has called for an "educational revolution" in Germany, ushering in a major digitalized overhaul of the current system. Earlier in her live, she lived in the UK for nine years.
Image: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/dpa
Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Minister Lisa Paus (Greens)
An economist by training, Paus has served as a Member of the German Bundestag for the city-state of Berlin since 2009. She has put the fight against human rights violations against children and women at the center of her ministry's work.
Image: Felix Zahn/photothek/picture alliance
Chief of Staff and Minister for Special Affairs Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD)
Scholz's right-hand man in the Cabinet is Wolfgang Schmidt, who worked with Scholz when he was mayor of Hamburg. Chief of staff with a special ministerial brief that gives the chancellorship extra weight in the Cabinet, Schmidt's role largely involves coordinating the ministerial work of the three parties.
Image: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/dpa
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth (Greens)
Claudia Roth moved into the spotlight of German cultural policy. Within the Chancellor's office, she is also responsible for DW. Former party leader Roth is one of the most prominent faces of the Greens. Most recently, the former manager of the anarchist band Ton Steine Scherben was Vice President of the Bundestag.
