The German government on Wednesday sought to pour cold water over Britain's hopes of a bespoke post-Brexit arrangement for financial services. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman told reporters that Berlin's focus would remain on preserving a unified stance among the 27 EU nations as Brexit negotiations prepare to enter a critical phase. Britain's financial services industry is expected to be one the main battlegrounds in the next stage of talks.
A group of influential German business figures have launched a campaign to keep the UK in the European Union. The alliance, dubbed a New Deal for Britain, includes three ex-presidents of the Federation of German Industry.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to fight a snap election if necessary to secure a fourth term in office and end her country’s political crisis. Dr Merkel faces an uncertain future after coalition talks collapsed on Sunday evening after almost five weeks – two months after Germany’s federal election.
Talks on forming a coalition government in Germany have collapsed after the free-market liberal FDP pulled out. FDP leader Christian Lindner said there was no basis of trust with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Greens.
A special religious service is being held in the German town of Wittenberg to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On this day, 31 October, in 1517, Martin Luther is said to have nailed 95 theses to the door of All Saints' Church in the town.
German companies with a presence in the UK should be planning for a very hard Brexit, Germany's biggest industry body has warned. German industry looked with concern at the progress of the Brexit talks, said the boss of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Joachim Lang. Britain is lacking a clear concept despite talking a lot, he added.
By Gwynne Dyer - Angela Merkel’s slogan in her campaign for a fourth term as Chancellor was terminally bland and smug – “For a Germany in which we live well and love living” – but it did the job, sort of. Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is back as the largest party, so Merkel gets to form the next coalition government. But the neo-fascists are now in the Bundestag (parliament) too, for the first time since the collapse of Nazi Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany’s election Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the entry into parliament of the hard-right AfD in the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II. Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33% of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to preliminary results.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks almost certain to clinch a fourth term in the general election next Sunday while a far-right party is poised to enter parliament for the first time since the end of World War II.
Three weeks before elections, Angela Merkel appeared to powering ahead on Monday to a possible fourth term as chancellor of Germany, after her rival Martin Schulz failed to halt her advance in a crucial televised debate. Sunday's prime-time TV clash had been billed as Schulz's last chance to sway millions to his cause and halt a devastating popularity slide.