Category: Angela Merkel

Merkel Says Weak Euro Isn’t Her `Problem’ in Stand on Trump

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the euro has a “valuation problem” that’s beyond her control and questioned President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the German luxury cars in his New York neighborhood reflect an unfair trade advantage. Merkel said the euro’s exchange rate does contribute to Germany’s trade surplus, though that’s because European Central Bank’s needs to set monetary policy that responds to disparate economic performances across 19 nations.

Germany Picks Ex-Foreign Minister Steinmeier as President

A special assembly elected former German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier by an overwhelming majority Sunday to be the country’s new president. Steinmeier was elected in Berlin by the assembly made up of the 630 members of parliament’s lower house and an equal number of representatives from Germany’s 16 states.

Germany Picks Anti-Trump President as Trans-Atlantic Bonds Fray

The Social Democrat who served two stints as foreign minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged as her governing coalition’s candidate last November as the parties sought to avoid a political spat over the appointment in an election year. With the support of Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democrats in a special assembly on Sunday, Steinmeier is all but assured victory to the mostly ceremonial post.  While Merkel steered clear of sharing her views on Trump before his election as president, her top diplomat vociferously derided what he saw as a campaign that broke taboos and threatened trans-Atlantic bonds.

EU’s – Dead’ Bank-Tax Plan Lives on in German, French Elections

A European proposal for a tax on financial transactions is trapped in limbo: financial realities won’t let it come to life while political opportunism won’t allow it to die a quick death. The tax initiative is being kept alive largely for domestic political reasons as German Chancellor Angela Merkel bids for a fourth term and France prepares for presidential elections this year.

EU Populists See Trump Victory as Beginning of End for Old Order

Europe’s populist right predicted Donald Trump’s entry into the White House will herald the end of the old way of doing business in the west, as the continent’s leaders wrestled with how to deal with the new president. Anti-establishment politicians including Marine Le Pen, head of the National Front in France, and Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party echoed the combative language of the new U.S. president’s inaugural address at a celebratory rally in Koblenz, western Germany, on Saturday while Chancellor Angela Merkel was trying to reassure her supporters at a meeting in the country’s industrial heartland.

Facebook Pushes Back as Germany Weighs Fines for Malicious Posts

Facebook Inc. defended itself against criticism in Germany that it’s not doing enough to combat hate speech and fake news, telling Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party lawmakers that ridding its platform of such content is highly complex. The social media giant takes its responsibility to fight hate speech and fake news “very seriously,” but countermeasures shouldn’t be applied with a broad brush, because that might have an undesirable impact on free speech, said Eva-Maria Kirschsieper, Facebook’s chief lobbyist in Germany, at a conference Wednesday organized by Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led caucus in Berlin.

Fink Signals Support for Merkel Policies in German Election Year

One of Wall Street’s most influential figures, BlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink, signaled his support for Angela Merkel as Germany’s chancellor prepares to campaign for re-election this fall, saying she has provided “moral leadership” to the world. “I sincerely hope that Germany chooses to continue its role as a leader and stabilizing force in the world,” Fink, the chairman and chief executive officer of the world’s biggest asset manager, said in a speech Monday evening at a reception hosted by Deutsche Boerse AG in Frankfurt.

Trump’s Emerging Europe Policy Prompts Calls for Closer EU Unity

European governments called for cool heads and tighter unity as they reacted with shock to President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks slamming NATO and predicting European Union nations would follow the U.K. out of the bloc. Trump’s comments, which call into question the depth of continued U.S. support for free trade and European defense, sent shock-waves around the EU at a time when governments are already battling to deal with the rise of nationalism, Brexit and a belligerent Russia.

Facebook to Test Fake News Filtering in Germany

The social media giant has announced a series of measure to curb online disinformation ahead of Germany’s national election later this year. Facebook on Sunday announced it will take measures to identify and reduced the distribution of fake news on its platform in Germany.

Merkel Said to Close Off Banks-for-Cars Brexit Deal Before Talks

Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to stiffen German resolve on Brexit, singling out the car industry as vulnerable to any British attempt to strike market-access deals ahead of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union. In a closed-door meeting with German lawmakers, Merkel said some industries might press for such accords with the U.K. government and that political leaders should oppose them, according to two people who attended.