Free Republic

Friedrich Merz is spending his first day as leader of Germany visiting France and Poland, promising a “fresh start” to EU relationships and signalling defiance to President Trump in saying they will never accept an “imposed” peace on the Ukraine War. The French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed newly appointed Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Paris on Wednesday, the leaders of the two largest and richest countries in Europe publishing a joint statement vowing greater cooperation on defence, economics, and the Ukraine War. Merz will later today travel to Poland for more meetings, which in both cases he said were to launch...

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is lamenting President-elect Donald Trump’s runaway win in the 2024 election race left her feeling “sad.” In an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel published on Friday – and first reported by Reuters ahead of the release of her memoir – Merkel said his victory had tugged at her heart strings. “If someone in politics does not allow for win-win situations, but only ever recognises winners and losers, then that is a very difficult task for multilateralism,” she said while explaining to Spiegel how his victory had filled her with sadness, continuing a...

Germany's agressive and reckless expansion of wind and solar power has come with a hefty pricetag for consumers, and the costs often fall disproportionately on the poor. Government advisors are calling for a completely new start. If you want to do something big, you have to start small. That's something German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier knows all too well. The politician, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has put together a manual of practical tips on how everyone can make small, everyday contributions to the shift away from nuclear power and toward green energy. The so-called Energiewende,...

Yesterday we had the Bundesbank making a very strong case for why a pan-European bailout (funded by Germany), would need a "fundamental change of regime occurs involving an extensive surrender of national fiscal sovereignty" (beneficial for Germany), today we see the next and final stage of the proposed annexation of Europe by Germany - that which focuses on procuring that which is really important. Hint: not spam. From Spiegel: "Minister Ursula von der Leyen pushes the hard line: any financial aid for euro countries should only come against collateral - as gold reserves or industrial holdings." More google-translated conditionality: "The...

Germany's far-Right set for poll gains By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 15/09/2006) Germany's far-Right is set to increase its power base in state elections this weekend, securing a historic foothold in a regional parliament for the third time in two years. The leading candidates for the National Democratic Party (NPD), Germany's oldest neo-Nazi party, have swapped their skinheads and combat boots for smart suits and gelled hair, in their attempt to attract a wider vote by shedding their thug-like image. A supporter of Germany's far-Right NPD holds a flag in Berlin Some of their campaign slogans, such as "working...