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DW
6 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Poland to extend border checks – DW – 07/24/2025
The border controls with Germany and Lithuania were due to expire next month. Meanwhile, Germany's second-largest airport is reportedly planning a "repatriation terminal" to process migrant deportations. DW has Left Party () has criticized the German government's decision not to sign an appeal to end the war in the Gaza Strip immediately and called for a special parliamentary debate on the subject. A total of 28 countries, plus the executive body of the European Union, the European Commission, have signed the appeal which calls on Israel to "adhere to its commitments in regards to international humanitarian law" by ending its war in Gaza. Germany, however, is not among the signatories, arguing that the appeal is not explicit enough in naming the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023, as the cause of the war. Left Party chairs Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann called the government's failure to sign the appeal as "a complete admission of failure" and insisted: "Germany must also join the public pressure [on Israel] and finally turn words into actions." The far-left opposition party, which has 64 seats (10.16%) in the Bundestag, has also called for a special sitting of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. "The government continues to close its eyes to the suffering in Palestine and is not prepared to live up to its responsibility and act," said Reichinnek and Pellmann, adding that lawmakers must be informed of "all information on the current situation" in Gaza. Representatives of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), including Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan, and the environmentalist Green party have also called on the German government to sign the appeal. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) has referred to constant, ongoing discussions between the German and Israeli governments concerning the latter's actions in Gaza. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The German Football Federation (DFB) says Euro 2025 was a "success" for Germany, despite Wednesday night's dramatic semifinal defeat to Spain, and has backed head coach Christian Wück to lead the team into the future. "We are one hundred percent convinced by Christian and his path," said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf before the departure of the German delegation from Zürich on Thursday morning. "He aimed to bring about a transformation and we have to say he has succeeded." Germany lost 1-0 to Spain on Wednesday night, taking the world champions to extra-time just days after holding on for over 130 minutes with just ten players to beat France on penalties in a dramatic quarterfinal. President Neuendorf was full of praise for the young German team, saying: "This is precisely the path we want to be on." An average of 14.26 million German viewers tuned into watch the semifinal, and head coach Wück said he was "proud" that his team had "generated such euphoria." Germany's Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was in the stadium to support the team in person on Wednesday, called the players "true role models" and praised them for "playing this tournament with so much passion and footballing ability." Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is known to be a supporter of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, wrote on Instagram: "You fought until the very end … thank you for these brilliant football moments – we are proud of you!" Spain will face reigning European champions England in the final on Sunday. The western German city of Duisburg on Wednesday night marked the 15th anniversary of the Love Parade tragedy, which saw 21 people killed and more than 650 injured in a deadly crush at a music festival on July 24, 2010. Although experts found numerous failings in the planning and authorization of the event, no individuals were ever brought to justice for one of the deadliest tragedies in modern German history. After a decade-long investigation, charges of involuntary homicide and physical injury resulting from negligence brought against the city of Duisburg and the event organizers were dropped in 2020 on the grounds that no relevant blame could be leveled at any individuals. Rather, the court found that a "number of circumstances" led to the tragedy. Wednesday night's memorial event, which saw 1,000 candles lit for the victims, is likely to be the last of its kind, with the association responsible for organizing it set to be wound up. "For some, the tenth anniversary was already the opportune moment to find closure," said spokesperson Jürgen Widera, saying that the emotional need for an annual event was dropping off. A permanent memorial at the site of the tragedy just south of Duisburg city center features the words (Love never ends) in seven languages to reflect the mother tongues of the victims from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, China and Australia. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police in the southern German state of Bavaria last week carried out raids and made arrests in connection with a suspected million-euro fraud case related to COVID-19 medication, it was confirmed on Thursday. Raids took place at 16 premises in the Bavarian cities of Munich, Regensburg, Bamberg and Bayreuth, resulting in the arrest of two people who remain in custody on suspicion of selling the government-procured drug Paxlovid "outside the prescribed distribution mechanism" — in other words, on the black market — in 2023. State prosecutors are investigating damages of up to €2.6 million ($3 million). The German government purchased large amounts of Paxlovid at the height of the pandemic and the drug was approved in January 2022. Doctors could prescribe the drug to patients who could then receive it for free at pharmacies, which in turn were compensated by the state. Germany's Police Union (GdP) has called for tighter immigration checks at German airports after a media report highlighted thousands of cases of "secondary migration," or asylum claims being made in Germany despite asylum having already been granted elsewhere in the European Union (EU). "The federal police control bridges, motorways and major roads on the borders with Poland and Austria, checking for irregular entry attempts being made by migrants and asylum seekers," said a spokesman. "But there's a loophole at airports." The comments came after a report by Germany's media group revealed that around 8,000 recognized asylum seekers had applied for asylum in Germany between January and May this year, despite having already been granted asylum in Greece, which is also in the EU. The group obtained the figures from the German Interior Ministry, which said that a total of 26,000 such secondary applications had been made in 2024. According to EU law governing "secondary migration" in the bloc's free-movement Schengen zone, recognized asylum seekers may spend up to 90 days in another EU country, but may not make another application for asylum there. "People who have been granted protection in Greece must make use of that protection there," said a ministry statement. In April, Germany's Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled that single, healthy migrants who are able to work could legally be deported to Greece, where the court said they would face no extreme hardship. The Greek government, however, has said it will not take back refugees who make asylum claims in Germany, even if they've first made claims in Greece. Refugee aid organizations continue to speak of an "inhumane situation" for refugees in Greece. "No bed, no bread, no soap," one such group told the group, a "drastic formula" which "has not changed in years." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron put on a show of unity during the latter's visit to Berlin on Wednesday. But while the two presented a united European front in response to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump and an intention to discuss corruption issues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, disagreements remain regarding the development of the joint Franco-German FCAS next-generation fighter jet and the condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza. "Big topics, great unity," headlined German public broadcaster on Thursday morning, while news magazine quipped: "No fish rolls, at least" – a reference to Macron's visit to Germany in October 2023 when Merz's predecessor Olaf Scholz treated him to a , a local Hamburg delicacy with an acquired taste. Read more about what Merz and Macron discussed on DW. The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) said on Thursday that it was "appalled" by the suffering being endured by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and called on the German government to ensure the enforcement of international law. "The humanitarian situation for the civilian population in Gaza is catastrophic," ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). While acknowledging that Israel "has a legitimate right to defend itself against the terrorist organization Hamas," she said that didn't absolve the Israeli government from its responsibility to respect international law. Stetter-Karp also said Israel's military operations were impacting the civilian population to an "unjustifiable" extent and highlighted the acute threat of starvation, illness and death facing children in the besieged enclave. "We are aghast that 875 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid at the distribution centers in Gaza," she said. "This approach by the Israeli government must end immediately!" Stetter-Karp also highlighted the plight of Palestinian Christians in the occupied West Bank, who she said were increasingly the targets of Israeli settler violence. Germany's second-largest airport is reportedly planning to construct a special deportation terminal in which police will process the repatriation of migrants to be deported. According to a planning document seen by the Reuters news agency, the so-called "repatriation terminal" at Munich Airport is to be around 60 meters (about 200 feet) long and spread over two floors. The facility, which is designed to facilitate "up to 100 arrivals and departures processing up to 50 individual measures and group charter flights daily," is planned for 2028 and will also include a "central check-in in order to coordinate repatriations efficiently," according to the document. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, both of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), have taken a strong stance on deportations of migrants with criminal convictions or rejected asylum claims. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter, of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), said the deportation of those convicted of crimes to their home countries was a sensible measure. "Therefore I don't think it's fundamentally wrong to propose such a terminal," he said. But political support is not universal. Local Green party politician Gülseren Demirel told the broadsheet: "We are more than critical of a specific terminal for deportations." While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing. Welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Germany on Thursday, July 24. Despite Germany's dramatic defeat in the Euro 2025 semifinal last night, we all have to carry on, so here's what's on the agenda today:
Local Sweden
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish migration minister called to testify to parliament about relative's white supremacism links
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell has been called to appear in front of a parliament committee to answer questions about his close relative's links to white power extremism. Advertisement The Left Party's migration spokesperson, Tony Haddou, told the Expressen newspaper that he had asked Forssell to answer questions from the social insurance committee (which among other things handles migration legislation) as soon as parliament is back in session. 'He can't hide, he has to put all the cards on the table,' said Haddou, adding that he didn't rule out also reporting Forssell to parliament's constitutional committee, the committee that scrutinises whether ministers and the government are acting in accordance with the law. 'We're not ruling anything out. But the most relevant thing right now is that we want to know, what did the minister know? Did he cover up something? And how has this affected asylum and migration policy? This is a minister who has to be held accountable, we're talking about Sweden's security,' he told Expressen. 'He's been very outspoken on issues of lack of good conduct, for example. Right now, when it comes to right-wing extremism, the government is trying to tone it down. It's double standards.' The move comes after anti-racist magazine Expo last week broke a story that a government minister, whose identity was kept anonymous at the time, has a close relative who is allegedly active in, and trying to recruit people to, extreme right and white supremacist movements. In an anonymous comment to the TT news agency, sent via the prime minister's press secretary in order to keep the minister's identity hidden, the minister said that they had only recently found out that their relative had been 'hanging out in completely the wrong circles' and that they had been working closely with the security police since then. 'I detest all kinds of political extremism and strongly distance myself from it,' read the comment. 'I have had long and frank conversations with the minor who is both remorseful and sad. All association with these circles is a closed chapter.' Advertisement Most mainstream newspapers initially kept Forssell anonymous, due to the young age of his relative and the fact that the Swedish press ethics strongly urge caution when publishing damaging information linked to a person who isn't a public figure (in this case his relative). But late last week, several local newspapers named Forssell, including Nyhetsbyrån Järva, Västerbottens-kuriren and Gefle Dagblad, citing among other things the public interest in a minister in charge of migration issues having links to the extreme right via a close relative, and the government's refusal to answer follow-up questions. On Wednesday, Expressen became the first national newspaper to name Forssell. The Local has contacted Forssell's office for a comment.
DW
06-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Thousands join Cologne's CSD parade – DW – 07/06/2025
The western German city has been preparing for this year's Pride event with some 60,000 participants expected. Meanwhile, Pride events also took place in eastern Germany, amid far-right protests. Follow DW for more. Cologne's annual Pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), kicked off on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend. The annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts people from around the a visit to NATO-member state Lithuania on Sunday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier assured the country of German support for its security. "With the stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania, we're giving a lasting promise: Your security is our security." Steinmeier was visiting Vilnius during its national day. The Baltic country, along with Estonia and Latvia, forms part of the NATO border with Russia. "Whoever defends Lithuania, is defending Europe and is defending European values," Steinmeier said. A German tank division is being stationed in Lithuania in 2027, including 5,000 soldiers. The number of people in monastic orders in Germany is sinking, with many convents and monasteries facing dissolution. But what happens to the buildings, traditions, and the communities they once housed? Read the full story on Germany's disappearing monasteries and convents. A report by the research services of the German parliament has expressed "substantial doubt" that strikes by Israel and the US on Iran can be legally justified. The report was produced at the request of Left Party lawmaker Ulrich Thoden. The research services said an "overwhelming number of experts in international law" consider the necessary criteria for Israel's claim of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter as unfulfilled. The 54-page report said that Israel would have had to prove that Iran was directly about to build a nuclear weapon, not just that it had a sufficient amount of nuclear material. It also said Israel would need to prove Iran was planning to use a nuclear weapon against it. It did not exclude the option that Israel's secret service had further information. "Nevertheless, Israel is now obliged to legally justify its military actions against Iran," the report said. The German government did not immediately respond to the report, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave his outspoken support to the strikes, saying that Israel was doing the "dirty work for all of us" in Iran. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Following the decision of the German government to turn back migrants at the border, several individuals have launched lawsuits after their asylum applications were immediately rejected. Germany's magazine reported on Sunday that the government was facing three more lawsuits after a court in June ruled in favor of three Somali nationals who were turned back at a checkpoint on the German-Polish border. "There are currently three further court cases pending in connection with the rejection of asylum seekers," quoted a spokesman for the Interior Ministry as saying. A Berlin Administrative Court made its ruling, which was a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, against the government argument that since they were coming from a safe third country — Poland — officials did not have to consider their application. The court found the immediate transfer of the Somali nationals back to Poland without an adequate review of their applications was unlawful. The government had feared that the ruling would result in a wave of lawsuits, however, this has not appeared to be the case. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that Berlin would take the case to the European Court, saying he was "convinced that our actions are in line with European law." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Polish officials are set to begin carrying out checks on the border with Germany at midnight on Sunday, following German plans to increase spot checks on its side of the border. Germany had already been conducting spot checks on the border with Poland, but the new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced in May, shortly after taking office, that the checks would be increased as a measure to tackle irregular migration. Poland said that for its side, no physical barriers would be set up, but signs would tell drivers to slow down and spot checks would be carried out with a focus on buses and cars with multiple passengers. Polish authorities will also introduce checks on the border with Lithuania. Both Poland and Germany are part of the Schengen Zone that allows cross-border travel without checks, however, countries are allowed to introduce temporary measures as "last resort" and "in exceptional situations." Germany introduced limited checks on the Polish border in October 2023, but has repeatedly renewed the temporary measures. Germany last extended its border checks until September 15, 2025 in March, citing "Serious threats to public security and order posed by continued high levels of irregular migration and migrant smuggling, and the strain on the asylum reception system." More than 1.4 million German pensioners are still working after having retired, according to a response from the Bundestag to a question from the Left Party and reported by the RND network. Almost 375,000 of those working pensioners were holding down jobs that counted as more than a small side job. The numbers provided by the Bundestag were dated to December 31, 2023. Dietmar Bartsch, from the Left Party, remarked that Germany is the biggest economy in Europe, but its pension level — the relation between the average income of workers and the average income of pensioners — is ten points lower than the EU average. "Austria, the Netherlands or Denmark are at more than 80%, we're below 50%, no wonder then that more and more old people continue working — many not because they want to, but because they must." Bartsch also called for a "major pension reform" in line with the Austrian is preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to show up for the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT). Organizers and police are expecting around 60,000 participants. Some 90 floats are also expected to join the march. CSD traces its origins back to the Stonewall riot in New York on June 28, 1969, when people at the Stonewall LGBTQ+ bar fought back against a police raid. The incident is an important historical date for the LGBTQ+ community. The Stonewall bar was on Christopher Street, hence the name for the Cologne event. The motto for this year's CSD is "For queer rights. Many. Together. Strong." Cologne's CSD is one of the biggest Pride events in Europe and attracts people from around the world. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Several hundred people on Saturday celebrated the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade to promote diversity and tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community in Falkensee, a town in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. On the same day, several dozen participants protested against Pride events. Police say both the march and the counter demonstration remained peaceful. Paris Saint-Germain have booked a spot in the Club World Cup semifinals after a tense 2-0 win over Bayern Munich — but the match was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to young German star Jamal Musiala. Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 78th minute after Joao Neves robbed Harry Kane near midfield and sparked a quick counter that ended with Doue's left-footed shot beating Manuel Neuer at the near post. PSG finished with nine men after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, but clung on as Bayern threw everything forward. Ousmane Dembele sealed the win deep into stoppage time with a breakaway goal. Bayern had two goals ruled out for offside, including a Harry Kane header, and saw a late penalty overturned by VAR. Musiala's injury stunned both teams. In first-half stoppage time, PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collided with Musiala's left ankle while diving for a loose ball, leaving the 22-year-old's foot hanging at an unnatural angle. Donnarumma was visibly shaken as Musiala was stretchered off. PSG will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's semifinal at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Saturday's quarterfinal drew 66,937 fans to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — the city's biggest crowd yet ahead of next year's World Cup. A father and his child have gone missing after a boating accident on the Eibsee, an Alpine lake in southern Germany, police said on Saturday. The family of four was out on a pedal boat when the six-year-old fell into the water and the father jumped in to rescue them — but neither resurfaced. Emergency responders are caring for the mother and the couple's other child, aged four. Police said the family is from Bavaria. A major rescue operation is underway with helicopters and divers searching the lake. Firefighters and emergency personnel continue to battle the forest fire in the Gohrischheide region on the border between the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg. The situation on the Saxony side remains more difficult. Around 700 firefighters were deployed on Saturday afternoon, according to a statement from the Meissen district office. The situation in the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia has been stabilized, according to authorities. Emergency services were able to prevent the fire from spreading overnight."Our emergency services have the situation under control," the Thuringian State Chancellery, which called the forest fire "the largest of its kind" in the state in over 30 years, posted on X. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party leader Alice Weidel says the cente-left Social Democrats' (SPD) push to consider banning her party reminds her of "very dark times." Speaking in Berlin on Saturday, Weidel compared the idea to Adolf Hitler's crackdown on other parties and the press. The SPD's party conference last weekend called for constitutional bodies to prepare conditions to file an application to have the AfD declared unconstitutional. Any party ban would have to be decided by Germany's Constitutional Court and requested by the federal government or parliament. Calls for a ban have gained momentum after Germany's domestic intelligence service upgraded its assessment of the AfD, citing "confirmed right-wing extremist tendencies." The party is challenging this label in court. Meanwhile, AfD lawmakers passed a new code of conduct on Saturday, with co-leader Tino Chrupalla aiming to polish the party's image ahead of any future term in office. The code calls for a united and moderate front in parliament, along with rules to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest. Germany captain Giulia Gwinn will miss the rest of the Women's Euros in Switzerland due to a left knee injury, the German football federation (DFB) announced on Saturday. "Our captain sustained a medial ligament injury in her left knee yesterday in the match against Poland. She is expected to be out for several weeks.", the DFB posted on X. Gwinn had to be helped off the field in tears in the 40th minute of Germany's opening 2-0 victory over Poland on Friday in St. Gallen. She suffered an injury after making a crucial tackle on Poland's striker, Ewa Pajor. It was originally feared that she had suffered a third anterior cruciate ligament tear since 2020. Anti-German graffiti has appeared on shops and cars on the Spanish island of Mallorca, a popular holiday destination for many Germans, the German-language newspaper reported on Saturday. The perpetrators defaced dozens of German-owned shops and cars with foreign licensed plates with slogans such as "Germans out" and "Foreign buyers go to hell" in the small southern village of Santanyi. Police have confirmed the incidents to German news agency "It is frightening to feel such a wave of hatred after 34 years on the island, where I pay taxes and currently employ nine people," one man affected was quoted as saying by the newspaper. In recent years, there have been rising tensions between tourists, foreign property owners, and locals on the holiday island. Thousands have protested at regular rallies against mass tourism and a housing shortage. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video from Bonn! We are continuing our coverage of news from Germany over the weekend. Anti-tourist graffiti was sited on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca, a beloved holidaying spot for Germans. Wildfires continued to rage in eastern Germany. Stick around for the latest on these stories and much more from DW.
DW
01-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
No Pride, no Palestine: Bundestag boss claims neutrality – DW – 06/30/2025
Julia Klöckner was seen as a surprise choice for Bundestag president — a role that traditionally requires a calm and neutral presence. Klöckner is an outspoken figure with a taste for pointed language. When she was elected to the post in March, Julia Klöckner — an archconservative who enjoys wading in to culture wars — was considered a surprising choice for president of the German parliament, and she has done little to allay those concerned since then. In late June, she angered progressive Bundestag members by announcing that the rainbow Pride flag would not fly from the parliament building, the Reichstag, on Christopher Street Day on July 26, as has traditionally the case. Klöckner also decided that queer members of the Bundestag administration were not to attend the CSD parade in an official capacity. Her stance prompted Green and Left Party parliamentarians to mount a protest by wearing color-coordinated clothes in the chamber to create their own rainbow. By that time, Klöckner had already shown that she was going to enforce a strict interpretation of the Bundestag's clothing rules — these state, rather vaguely, that members' clothing must simply be "appropriate to the dignity of the chamber." In early June, that rule provided the Bundestag president with enough justification to send Left Party member Cansin Köktürk out of a debate for refusing to remove a T-shirt bearing the word "Palestine." Two weeks earlier, she did the same to Marcel Bauer, also of the Left Party, when he refused to take off his black beret. A former agriculture minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel, 52-year-old Klöckner has long been a senior politician of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and a confidante to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I have firmly resolved to always fulfill my tasks impartially, calmly and undauntedly, stay clear on the matter, while connecting with others," Klöckner said in her acceptance speech. Impartiality is certainly a watchword for someone in her office: The president of the Bundestag is formally the second head of the German state (after the president and ahead of the chancellor). And, though there is no regulation stipulating this, the office is traditionally held by someone from the largest parliamentary group — in this case, the CDU/CSU. Klöckner is known as a feisty conservative who is not shy of pushing buttons. In the run-up to February's federal election, she caused a stir by posting a combative statement on Instagram: "You don't have to vote AfD for what you want. There is a democratic alternative: The CDU." This was seen by critics as both a trivialization of Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a tacit admission that the CDU had adopted the far-right party's extreme anti-refugee stance. It was not the first time that Klöckner had taken a hard line on immigration policy: In 2015, when refugees came to Germany in large numbers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, Klöckner demanded that they be legally obliged to integrate into society. In 2023, she also reposted a false claim on social media that dental care for asylum-seekers had cost the German state €690 million ($746 million) in the previous year. Klöckner is not above calling for more reticence from others, especially the Christian church: In an interview with the newspaper in April, she said the church should talk less about day-to-day politics and more about spiritual matters. "I mean, sure, the church can express its opinion on the speed limit, but that's not necessarily why I pay church tax," she said. Nor was her appointment to the new Bundestag role without some detractors: Klöckner gave up her position as CDU treasurer after NGO Lobbycontrol pointed out that, as Bundestag president, she would be tasked with overseeing party donations. She said that she had planned to give up the post anyway before taking on the new job. Klöckner is the daughter of a winegrower from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Among her prestigious early roles was as German Wine Queen in 1995, an office that involves more than 200 public appointments a year. Trained as a journalist, Klöckner led the CDU in her home state from 2010 to 2022, during which time she spent four years, from 2018 to 2021, as federal agriculture minister. Environmental organizations criticized Klöckner for ineffective policymaking and a perceived closeness to the food industry — particularly Nestle: In 2019, she was accused of openly advertising for the international food processing giant by posting a video on social media in which she appeared beside Nestle's Germany chief and praised it for reducing the amount of sugar in its food — campaigners have long called on Germany to introduce a sugar tax. The president chairs the Bundestag's plenary sessions and supervises the laws governing the parliament. He or she also represents the parliament as a whole, speaking at commemorative ceremonies such as the one held every year on January 27 to mark the Holocaust. The president sometimes also speaks during state visits by foreign heads of government or heads of state. The president is obliged to respect the rights of all parties, which is why the post is often held by someone with extensive parliamentary experience who is held in high regard by all parliamentary groups and parties. This was particularly the case with Wolfgang Schäuble, a CDU veteran of several Cabinet posts, who was Bundestag president from 2017 to 2021. Klöckner, by comparison, is a less experienced and some would say a more divisive you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
SARAH VINE: Keir Starmer is a dishonourable, moral coward who openly loathes this country... and I've worked out the only thing he REALLY cares about
Another day, another humiliation for the Prime Minister. The Government's Welfare Bill, a much-needed piece of legislation designed to get a handle on the vast and unsustainable amounts of taxpayer money being dished out in PIP (personal independence payments) to people who, in the words of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall, are 'taking the Mickey', finally came to a vote. The opposition from the Left of the party had been incessant, aided and abetted by the usual interested parties and the handwringing liberal press.
