German Chancellor Olaf Scholz headed to Paris and Brussels on Friday for talks with French and European Union leaders, as the bloc faces a growing list of foreign policy crises.
With the 27-member bloc confronted with growing tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, as well as divisions over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and relations with China — Scholz is looking to hammer out a unified EU strategy, as France prepares to assume the six-month rotating Council presidency.
Normandy format back on the table
The newly sworn-in German chancellor first traveled to Paris for a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron.
First on the menu was how to deal with Russia, as tensions endure over Moscow's military presence near the border with Ukraine.
Scholz said: "It's very clear that Germany, the European Union and many other countries would react if border violations occurred."
But Scholz wanted to hold out an olive branch as he called for renewed diplomatic efforts, starting with fresh four-way talks with Russia.
"We have a good basis that needs to be revived — for example the talks in the Normandy format," Scholz said in a joint news conference with Macron, referring to discussions between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine aimed at solving the crisis.
Repeated US warnings about the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine's border have highlighted the scope for redoubled diplomatic efforts to calm the conflict in Ukraine's east. Moscow denies having any intention of invading its neighbor, "unless we're provoked by Ukraine, or by somebody else," according to Russian deputy ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky.
Macron expressed a need to "avoid any unnecessary tension," as he warned of "self-fulfilling" prophecies over the issue.
"What we all want, Europeans and Americans, is to show that we are paying close attention to the situation."
Friday's talks also offered up an opportunity for President Macron and Chancellor Scholz to get better acquainted
Germany and France on the same page
Echoing the sentiments of his French counterpart, Scholz said he was keen to "make Europe strong and sovereign," regarding "economic, security and foreign policy issues."
"It is important that we act in the same direction."
And Macron spoke of a "convergence of views" as he said the pair had "demonstrated the will to work together."
Besides a long list of topics and urgent challenges, the visit is also an opportunity for Macron and Scholz "to get to know each other better," said DW correspondent Barbara Wesel.
"This is the crucial relationship in Europe — the president of France and chancellor of Germany have to work together, or everything fails," she noted.
Next stop Brussels
After talks in Paris, Scholz then headed to Brussels for discussions with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
"It is important that Europe stands together and that we cooperate closely," Scholz said after arriving in Brussels.
Von der Leyen said she welcomed the opportunity to work with her compatriot after serving alongside Scholz in the grand coalition of his predecessor, Angela Merkel, before she became Commission president towards the end of 2019.
Scholz now heads a three-way coalition of his Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP).
EU mentions Russia sanctions, stops short of Nord Stream 2 ban
Von der Leyen struck a sterner tone than Macron, though, when it came to the topic of Russia.
"Aggression must have a price tag," she said, without elaborating. "Therefore, we will communicate these points in advance in an appropriate form to Russia."
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a project to deliver natural gas from Russia directly to Germany, bypassing pipelines in Ukraine and eastern Europe, could play a major role in pressuring Moscow. Von der Leyen, though, stopped short of suggesting a ban on the operation would be an appropriate measure.
"In general, it is important that energy should never be used as a means of exerting pressure and that the energy security of Europe and its neighbors must be guaranteed," the top EU official said.
Later in the evening, the newly installed chancellor met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss security issues.
"NATO's relationship with Ukraine is going to be decided by the 30 NATO allies and Ukraine — no one else," Stoltenberg said, in reference to Russian pressure to formally rescind a long-term conditional offer of membership to Kyiv dating back to 2008. "We cannot accept that Russia is trying to re-establish a system where big powers like Russia have spheres of influence, where they can control or decide what other members do."
What else is on the agenda?
Tackling the ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic as well as measures to combat climate change are also on Scholz's agenda, both in Paris and in Brussels.
Scholz is also expected to set out Berlin's stance on China and Russia — which are two potential points of friction with Macron and other EU leaders.
Scholz was guarded on the subject of China on Friday and declined to say whether Germany would join a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. "We are still looking for talks with many others because we want to act in a coordinated manner here," he told reporters. Macron has already announced France would not be joining a diplomatic boycott of the event.
Why is the trip so significant?
In choosing Paris as his first port of call as chancellor, Scholz is following in the footsteps of other German leaders.
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 have become a core pillar of German foreign and European policy.
In his capacity as Germany's finance minister under Merkel, Scholz is no stranger to high-level talks with leaders in the EU and beyond.
While Scholz's foreign policy goals within Europe appear to be consistent with those of Angela Merkel — namely strengthening the EU on the global stage and maintaining close cooperation with the United States — officials and analysts will be watching closely to see where the new chancellor could potentially deviate.
Scholz speaks with Biden by phone
The new German chancellor also spoke with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
"Today, I spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to congratulate him on his appointment," Biden tweeted.
"I look forward to working closely together on the full range of global challenges, including transatlantic efforts to address Russia's destabilizing military buildup," the US leader added.
jsi, rs/sms, wd (AFP, Reuters)
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Meet Germany's government
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD)
Germany's chancellor was finance minister and vice-chancellor in Angela Merkel's government. He campaigned on stability and pragmatism to become the Federal Republic's ninth chancellor and the fourth Social Democrat to hold the office. The former mayor of Hamburg handed his center-left party a surprise win in September's election.
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Meet Germany's government
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP)
Media-savvy Christian Lindner has been leader of Free Democratic Party (FDP) since 2013, inheriting a party that had just lost representation in parliament in the election. The 42-year-old's reward for leading the neoliberal resurrection is the second most powerful office in the land — raising eyebrows among some who pointed out that his party actually finished behind the Greens in the election.
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Economy and Climate Protection Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens)
The Greens have expanded the influential Economy Ministry to include its signature issue, climate protection, while also enhancing the power of 52 year-old Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck. A member of the more moderate "realist" wing of the party, Habeck the author of childrens' books was already Environment and Agriculture Minister in his home state of Schleswig-Holstein.
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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party)
Angela Baerbock, the party's 40-year-old chancellor candidate, is set to be the new Foreign Minister, and has already ruffled feathers by taking a tougher tone on China. Baerbock is only the second Green politician to take on the post, after Joschka Fischer in the late 1990s.
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Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD)
Possibly the biggest surprise in Scholz's new Cabinet, Faeser has been elevated from SPD party leader in Hesse to one of Germany's biggest ministries, her first role at federal level. Some observers hope her appointment signal an intention to get tougher on far-right extremism. She is the first woman to hold the office.
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Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD)
A popular choice for Germans who have enjoyed his outspoken appearances on TV talk shows, Lauterbach has been the face of the SPD's tough health policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. His reward is a tricky post in which he will likely oversee the introduction of mandatory vaccines.
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Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP)
The 44-year-old Buschmann was first elected to the Bundestag in 2009 and remained an influential politician in the party throughout the FDP's lean years from 2013 to 2017. His signature issue in parliament was protecting individual freedoms, though he has now come out in favor of mandatory vaccines.
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Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD)
Angela Merkel's last justice minister has now been put in charge of Germany's armed forces and one of the biggest budgets at the Cabinet table. Some political observers had the 56-year old pegged for the Interior Ministry role, and her experience with military affairs is seen as limited.
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Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens)
The veteran Green Party politician will finally join 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.
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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.
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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 is also no stranger to a coalition with the SPD and the Greens, having spent five years as Rhineland-Palatinate's Economy Minister.
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Construction and Housing Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD)
One of only two East Germans in the new Cabinet, Klara Geywitz has been tapped to head 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 was Scholz's co-candidate in their failed bid for the SPD leadership in 2019.
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Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD)
43-year-old Heil will keep the post that he held during Angela Merkel's last government, indicating that his party his pleased with his work. Among his key issues has been trying to increase pay for care home workers, which Germany is desperately short of. He will also oversee the increase in Germany's minimum wage to €12 ($13.60) an hour.
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Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD)
Angela Merkel's last environment minister is to become Scholz's first development minister. The 53-year-old Schulze is an outspoken opponent of nuclear power and a member of several environmental organizations.
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Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP)
Head of the Hesse FDP, 53-year-old Stark-Watzinger was part of the party's negotiating team in coalition negotiations and a specialist in finance and education policy. She has called for an "educational revolution" in Germany, ushering a major digitalized overhaul of the current system. She also lived in the UK for nine years.
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Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth Minister Anne Spiegel (Greens)
The 41-year-old Anne Spiegel has already had a meteoric career at state level. Having held the Family Ministry in Rhineland-Palatinate since 2016, she became the state's new Climate Protection minister in May after leading the Greens' election campaign in this year's state election. She has now been promoted even higher.
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Chief of Staff and Minister for Special Affairs Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD)
Scholz's right-hand man in the Cabinet will be Wolfgang Schmidt, who worked with the chancellor when Scholz was mayor of Hamburg. Chief of staff with a special ministerial brief that gives the chancellorship extra weight in the Cabinet, Schmidt's role will largely involve coordinating the ministerial work of the three parties.
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Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth (Greens)
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Author: Ben Knight, Lisa Hänel