EU: Brussels' quiet confidence in the face of the new Scholz government

Olaf Scholz is sworn in at the Bundestag on December 8, 2021. AP - Michael Kappeler

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2 min

No psychodrama in Brussels despite the departure of Angela Merkel, the guardian of the European Union.

The European institutions do not go so far as to display overwhelming enthusiasm for the new German federal government, rather a form of quiet confidence.

The departure of Angela Merkel, feared for years by those who described her as a sort of "great helmsman" of the EU, is experienced here without apprehension as the German coalition program is pro-European.

If Emmanuel Macron has already expressly supported several points of the coalition program, the European institutions are preparing to experience a change in continuity, a change which is also viewed with serenity by most capitals.

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

For the European institutions, the new German government seems to represent the certainty that they will be supported.

The Greens' commitment to the climate will in particular be a major asset for the ambitions of the European Commission in this area.

Ethical commitments

The coalition agenda promises ethical commitments in foreign policy, something which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell badly needs as he prepares the strategic compass to determine the future of the geopolitics of the Twenty-Seven.

The German coalition also provides full support for the rule of law and European values, which will only cringe in Poland and Hungary.

Everyone can find their account

When it comes to money matters, the ones that usually annoy Europeans, everyone in the EU can find their way with the new team.

The supporters of austerity, the northern countries led by the Netherlands can be satisfied with the arrival in Finance of the liberal, Christian Lindner, who advocates respect for budgetary rules;

the more southerly countries supporters of solidarity remember that before being chancellor, Olaf Scholz was largely in the maneuver during the historic decision of Germany to support a European recovery plan and therefore a common debt.

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• European Union

• Germany

• Olaf Scholz

• Diplomacy

• Finance