Scholz Made His Last Speech As Chancellor Of The Federal Republic Of Germany
- 3.05.2025, 22:16
He called for a united and peaceful Europe.
German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a united and peaceful Europe in his last public speech in office, Deutsche Welle reported.
The outgoing chancellor made the speech at a commemorative ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe and the liberation of concentration camps at Hamburg's Neuengamme Memorial.
Scholz linked his address to the ongoing war in Ukraine and authoritarian trends around the world. According to the chancellor, Germany has a special responsibility because of its history.
- One of the most important lessons from the war unleashed by the Germans, from the Nazi regime of terror, from the murder of millions of innocent women, children and men is our deep conviction that our continent, that we Europeans must put wars between our peoples in the past once and for all," Scholz said.
The more tragic, he continued, is that Putin has "brought war back to Europe." "We must not and will not tolerate this," the chancellor emphasized. He noted that Europe is "the living and breathing embodiment of freedom, democracy and the rule of law" and is therefore "incompatible with military imperialism and disregard for international law."
"It is therefore not surprising that autocrats, extremists and populists around the world, including in our own countries, attack and seek to destroy this peaceful and united Europe," Scholz said. Germany, he said, especially must not allow this to happen "because we are obliged to remember the horrors to which imperialism, disenfranchisement and racial hatred lead."
The new chancellor will be elected next week
A coalition agreement between the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democratic and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc is expected to be formally signed on May 5. The next day, May 6, the Bundestag will elect Christian Democrats leader Friedrich Merz (Friedrich Merz) as the new chancellor of Germany. On the same day, members of his government will be sworn in.