On September 26, 2021, Germany held its long awaited federal election after legendary Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced her retirement. Her party, the centrist “Christian Democrats Union” (CDU), lost 50 seats…
On November 9, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders gathered at the Berlin Wall memorial with roses to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the wall’s fall. On what is usually a day of celebration, Merkel cautioned: “The values on which Europe is founded — freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, human rights — they are anything but self-evident and they have to be revitalized and defended time and time again.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s remarks reflected her cautionary words: “Liberal democracy is being challenged and questioned.”
In July of this year, Ursula von der Leyen became the first woman nominated to the presidency of the European Commission. On November 1st, she and all her newly-confirmed commissioners were to officially take office and become the new European Commission.