Mayor Koch on the G7 summit: "We got it pushed on"
Created: 06/28/2022, 14:27
By: Christian Fellner, Dominik Göttler
The G7 summit in Elmau is not well received by the general public.
There will hardly be a third time again.
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
Garmisch-Partenkirchen's Mayor Elisabeth Koch draws a critical interim balance at the summit because of the burden on the locals.
A third meeting in Elmau is currently not an issue.
Elmau – G7 summit at Schloss Elmau?
"Every year, if you please," said the lord of the castle, Dietmar Müller-Elmau, beforehand.
Many in the region see things differently - and there is a good chance that they will no longer have to take part in the three-day state of emergency at the G7 summit in Elmau.
Government circles have heard that a different venue is to be sought for the next G7 summit.
G7 summit in Elmau: A different castle was actually targeted
In any case, it was not planned that Elmau Castle was chosen again this time.
Initially, the organizers apparently had Weissenhaus Castle in Schleswig-Holstein in mind.
But the planned date in September burst due to the US President's scheduling problems, as the owner of the castle estate, Jan Henric Buettner, now revealed to the "Lübecker Nachrichten".
Elisabeth Koch (CSU), Mayor of Garmisch-Partenkirchen © PETER KORNATZ
Instead, the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers took place in May on his estate in northern Germany.
And for the big summit, Elmau was chosen again, from where the group photos of the heads of state and government have been going around the world again since Sunday.
The people of Garmisch-Partenkirchen are partly annoyed, partly relaxed
For the citizens of the region, the days of the political spectacle are once again a stress test.
"That's borderline," says Garmisch-Partenkirchen Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU).
People are annoyed.
Because these days there are hardly any parking spaces to be found.
Because the helicopter rotors are constantly rattling in the sky.
And because streets and squares are repeatedly closed because of the anti-G7 demos or the state escorts.
"That's hard for us to bear."
When the US President arrived by car late on Saturday evening from the Pömetsried landing site to Elmau, she had the town hall unlocked again so that the emergency services on the protocol route could use the toilets.
Locals who were traveling by car at that time sometimes had to have a lot of patience.
Despite everything, Elisabeth Koch has recently experienced many relaxed Garmisch-Partenkirchners at the greengrocer and in the café - even if it is currently much quieter in the pedestrian zone because some shops and restaurants locked their doors during the summit.
Some locals in the tourist resort even enjoy this tranquility: "I've also been told: Now there's finally space at the Eibsee."
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Koch does not doubt the basic idea behind the G7 summit
Koch makes it clear: "We didn't apply for this summit, we got it pushed on." In contrast to the G7 opponents, who took to the streets in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with a massive police escort, she has no doubts about the basic idea of the summit meeting.
“I think it is extremely important that we talk to each other personally.
No video conference can replace that.”
G7 summit 2022 in Elmau: Pictures of the most powerful politicians in the world in front of a spectacular mountain backdrop
View photo gallery
After the experiences of the past few days and weeks, she suggests whether a different format would not be appropriate: "Of course, the view in the Elmauer Valley is sensational and the conference venue is easy to seal off - but does it really have to take place in such a sensitive landscape?" From their point of view, a conference location near the airport would make more sense.
