The German government needs to respond to a recent speech on Europe's future given by French President Emmanuel Macron, the head of the largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on Sunday. The challenges facing Europe should not be met with fear and cowardice, CDU chairman Friedrich Merz wrote in his weekly email to supporters. "And for that reason, Macron's speech this week deserves a forceful and convincing speech on Europe from Germany as well," Merz wrote in refere
Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has said there have been initial successes in limiting irregular migration to Germany. "Asylum applications are currently a fifth lower than in the same period last year. Our border checks have detained 708 smugglers since October and prevented 17,600 unauthorized entries," the Social Democrat politician told the Funke media group. Faeser referred to resolutions passed by the government, which are supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalitio
The discussion of military assistance to Ukraine in the Bundestag was marked by laughter following Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ response regarding Taurus missiles for Ukraine, Bild reported on Feb. 22.
"I welcome the German Bundestag's approval of 7.6 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in the 2024 budget. I appreciate that our agreements with (Chancellor Olaf Scholz) are being implemented," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social media platform X.
The German government is facing tough negotiations over the 2025 federal budget due to a shortfall of around €5 billion ($5.43 billion), according to the Finance Ministry. There is a "need for action" to find the lacking funds, a ministry spokeswoman said on Friday in Berlin, while warning that the figure could more than double before the budget is finalized. "In addition, there will be further burdens, so that we currently assume a need for action in the lower double-digit-billion range." Howev