It is likely to be Chancellor Merkel's last visit to the White House.
But there won't be much time for sentimentality: the list of topics on the working visit is long - and some of them are controversial.
Washington - Angela Merkel (CDU) will be received by US President Joe Biden in the White House today on her probably last trip to Washington as Chancellor.
The visit is intended to mark a new beginning in German-American relations after a low point in the era of Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.
Merkel is the first head of government from Europe that Biden has received in the White House since he took office in January.
For the Chancellor it should be the farewell visit to Washington.
Merkel will no longer run for the Bundestag election in September.
Nord Stream 2 among other subjects
The meeting will, among other things, deal with the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, which will bring Russian gas to Germany bypassing Ukraine. The project is the biggest point of contention between the US and Germany. Both sides have been trying to find a compromise for weeks and, according to Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, have come closer on many points. Before her trip, Merkel had been skeptical as to whether there would be a final solution when she visited Biden.
Other topics on Merkel's working visit are likely to include dealing with China and Russia, the threatening situation in Afghanistan shortly before the end of the international military operation and the corona pandemic. Before the visit, numerous organizations called on the Chancellor to give up her resistance to a weakening of the patent protection for corona vaccines. Biden has spoken out in favor of temporarily suspending patent protection in the global fight against the pandemic.
In view of the meeting between Merkel and Biden, the transatlantic coordinator of the federal government hopes for an understanding on the US entry restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.
"The USA should relax its corona entry restrictions for the Schengen area," said Peter Beyer of the "Rheinische Post".
The EU has decided that travelers from the United States will be able to re-enter the European Union more easily.
In the opposite direction, however, strict conditions still apply.
Foreign Minister Maas said on Wednesday that he did not expect any movement on this issue during Merkel's visit to the United States.
Honorary doctorate for Merkel
Prior to her talks in the White House, Merkel will have breakfast with US Vice President Kamala Harris today. Afterwards a meeting with representatives of the US economy is planned. The Chancellor will then be awarded an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. She will also give a speech on this occasion. The university praised Merkel in advance as a “global leader of unparalleled determination and integrity”. The Chancellor not only led Germany, "but was also a beacon for the world in times of crisis, from the great recession to the Covid-19 pandemic".
Before Merkel's return trip, President and First Lady Jill Biden will be giving a dinner in honor of the Chancellor. According to the White House, Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer will also take part. Biden is trying to repair relations with Germany and other US allies that were heavily strained under Trump. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said before Merkel's visit: "Your visit will reaffirm the deep and lasting bilateral relations between the United States and Germany." Biden invited Merkel last month on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Great Britain.
Biden's predecessor Trump saw Germany more as a competitor and less as an ally. The Republican had repeatedly criticized German defense spending, the German trade surplus and Nord Stream 2. Democrat Biden is now relying on cooperation - even if issues remain. Nord Stream 2 is still the largest of these. The USA and some Eastern European NATO partners fear that Europe is too dependent on Russian energy supplies and therefore reject the project. dpa
