The last G7 summit, the last European Council, the last government declaration in the Bundestag - after 16 years Chancellor Merkel is saying goodbye to politics.
Angela Merkel * appears for the last time at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin.
Merkel will not run again in the federal election *.
Instead, Armin Laschet * will be the CDU's candidate for chancellor.
The last appearance of the Chancellor at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin in the live ticker.
Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) will come to the federal press conference on Thursday (July 22nd, 2021, 11.00 a.m.) and answer questions from the capital's journalists.
It will probably be her last appearance of this kind.
And she will take this opportunity to answer questions on all areas of domestic and foreign policy.
This year, the situation in the flood areas, the Corona * pandemic and the agreement that has just been reached with the USA * on the controversial Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 are likely to become central issues.
Angela Merkel (CDU) will no longer run in the federal election in September and will then withdraw from politics.
Flood
: After the devastating flood *, Chancellor Merkel visited particularly affected regions in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, got her own impression of the damage and promised rapid help.
"Together we will do everything we can to ensure that the money comes quickly to the people who often have nothing more than what they are wearing," said the CDU politician on Tuesday (July 20, 2021) in Bad Münstereifel.
On Wednesday (July 21, 2021) the federal cabinet decided on emergency aid of initially 200 million euros, which can also be topped up if necessary.
Because the federal government wants to co-finance every sum that the states pay as emergency aid in the same amount.
In addition, there is to be a reconstruction program, for which billions of dollars are estimated.
Less attention to Corona due to flood disaster
Corona:
The flood disaster has pushed the corona pandemic somewhat into the background in recent days, although the development is worrying.
The seven-day incidence * has been rising continuously for more than two weeks.
Most recently, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Thursday (July 22, 2021), it was 12.2 - at the latest low on July 6, it was 4.9.
"You have to expect that some things will be even more difficult in the next few months than in summer," said Merkel in August last year.
Health experts fear that again.
This sentence from the Chancellor, almost a year old, sounds like it is from today: "It remains the same: It is serious, still serious - and continue to take it seriously."
Nord Stream 2:
Gas is to flow from Russia directly to Germany through the almost completed pipeline - past the Ukraine, through which the existing pipeline runs.
The US sees the project as a “bad deal” because it increases Europe's dependence on Russian energy.
They also fear that Russia will use the pipeline as leverage against Ukraine.
When the Chancellor met US President Joe Biden * in Washington last week, the controversy was not yet resolved.
Nord Stream 2: US and Germany solution imminent
A breakthrough was achieved on Tuesday (July 20, 2021), Germany and the USA published a joint statement.
The two countries want to support Ukraine in building a “green energy sector” and work to secure gas transit through Ukraine in the next decade.
It also says: Should Russia try to use “energy as a weapon” or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine, Germany will act at the national level and press for effective measures including sanctions in the European Union.
Merkel emphasized in Washington: "Our understanding was and is and will remain that Ukraine remains a transit country for natural gas." (Ktho / dpa)
* fr.de is an offer from IPPEN-MEDIA
