Name? Angela Merkel
Westphalian identity? German
Age? 67
Why is she in the news? The outgoing chancellor of Germany brought her likely successor, Olaf Scholz, to the G20 summit in Italy this past weekend as a sign of continuity between the outgoing and incoming administrations.
Why do we care? To be honest, it’s hard to imagine international summits with the G20 or the upcoming COP26 without Angela Merkel. EU Council President Charles Michel said it best: “You are a monument. [EU summits] without Angela is like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel tower.”
Why should you care? In an uncertain world, especially amid the ongoing pandemic, leaders and citizens alike have found comfort in Merkel’s steadfast leadership. Understandably, many are skeptical that Scholz can fill her shoes…but in “a historic gesture,” Merkel reassured her counterparts at the G20 that while the German chancellor and governing party is changing, the nation’s commitment to the G20 isn’t. Not really a surprise, so you should care 4/10.
Who else cares? French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron likely believed that with Merkel stepping down, he would be the effective leader of Europe both within the Union as well as outside it. However, seeing Scholz tagging along with Merkel, and not to mention Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi shining as host of the G20 Summit, Macron faces competition to become the new center of gravity in the EU.
Any further comments? Despite criticism from climate activists and NGOs, Chancellor Merkel praised the climate resolutions of the G20 as a “good signal” for the COP26 conference in Glasgow this week. These resolutions included a commitment to reduce methane emissions and the end of the financing of coal plants overseas. As great as this all sounds, we’re siding with the critics on these resolutions considering none of them included new commitments on curbing the use of these fossil fuels domestically. But hey, maybe Merkel will prove us wrong this week!
