About: Frank Walter Steinmeier
Erdogan’s Germany visit exposes splits despite warmer tone
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showed a more conciliatory tone on a hugely sensitive visit to Germany but both sides still have daunting task ahead to rebuild relations and trust battered by a succession of disputes.
Merkel points to grand coalition with Social Democrats
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday (25 November) welcomed the prospect of talks on a "grand coalition" with her Social Democrat (SPD) rivals and defended the record of the previous such government, saying it had worked well.
Martin Schulz’ position as SPD leader ‘untenable’
The leader of Germany's Social Democrats came under growing pressure yesterday (23 November) to drop his opposition to a new "grand coalition" with Angela Merkel's conservatives, with senior politicians arguing the party had a duty to promote stability.
Bütikofer: In the name of EU, Steinmeier will put pressure on his comrades
Germany's failed coalition talks are hurting Europe's reform agenda so Brussels and EU capitals should lean on the country's political leaders to find an agreement and avoid another election, Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, who took part in the talks, said on Thursday (23 November).
Austria to file legal challenge against German highway toll
Austria said on Friday (31 March) it would file a legal challenge against plans by Germany to introduce a road toll for foreign-registered cars using German highways.
Germany elects ‘anti-Trump’ Steinmeier as president
Billed as Germany's "anti-Trump", former foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected Sunday (12 February) as the new head of state, vowing to stand up to simplistic populist rhetoric.
Germany gears up for election as SPD chooses candidate to face Merkel
On Sunday (29 January), Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) will meet to nominate its candidate to face Angela Merkel for the decisive upcoming election. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Far-right ‘counter-summit’ claims ‘Europe will wake up in 2017’
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen urged European voters to follow the example of Americans and the British and "wake up" in 2017, at a meeting of far-right leaders aiming to oust established parties in elections this year.
Germany says NATO concerned about Trump ‘obsolete’ remark
Germany's Foreign Minister said yesterday (16 January) that US President-elect Donald Trump's comments that NATO was obsolete had aroused concern across the 28-member alliance.
Berlin Christmas market attack ‘affects all Europe’
French President François Hollande and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker sent the German people their sympathies after a truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin yesterday evening (19 December) killing 12 people in what police this morning described as "an attack".
European relief at Austrian far-right election defeat
Austrian voters have resoundingly rejected anti-immigration and eurosceptic Norbert Hofer's bid to become the European Union's first far-right president, a result greeted with relief from centrist politicians across the continent.
Ukraine peace talks end without agreement
Four-way talks on ending a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine finished without a breakthrough yesterday (29 November), with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier declaring that "lip service" statements were not enough to achieve lasting peace.
Steinmeier: Ukraine to show ‘responsibility’ at Minsk talks
Germany's foreign minister called on Ukraine and Russia to "show responsibility" and agree on a roadmap in four-way talks on Tuesday (29 November) on how to implement last year's ceasefire accord for eastern Ukraine, but dampened hopes for a breakthrough.
Schulz, the feared former football defender, now goes on the attack
Martin Schulz, a one-time football player feared for his defensive tackles, made up his mind in the last week of November to leave the European Parliament’s helm, considering it the right time to fight for the leadership of his party, and Germany.
Schulz to give up European Parliament for German politics
Martin Schulz will announce this morning (24 November) that he is giving up his bid to serve another term as European Parliament president and will instead campaign for a seat in the German Bundestag in next year's elections.
Turkey says it’s tired of ‘two-faced’ EU attitude
Turkey is "fed up" with European Union condescension in talks over its application to join the bloc, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said yesterday (15 November), reflecting Ankara's exasperation with EU criticism over human rights.
EU ministers criticise Turkey but not ready to halt membership talks
European Union foreign ministers yesterday (14 November) criticised Turkey's crackdown on alleged supporters of a failed military coup in July but Austria's call to suspend Ankara's EU membership bid failed to garner enough backing.
CDU and CSU back Steinmeier for president
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) have agreed to back Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, as the ruling coalition's candidate to replace Joachim Gauck as president next year, a conservative source said.
Commission, member states admonish Turkey over Kurdish arrests
The European Union is extremely worried by Turkey's arrest of Kurdish opposition lawmakers and has called a meeting of EU national envoys in Ankara, its foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday (4 November).
EU may be going to the dogs, Steinmeier warns
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Sunday (23 October) that the European Union faced an existential risks.
EU condemns Russia over Aleppo, to impose more Syrian sanctions
EU foreign affairs ministers yesterday (17 October) condemned Russia's air campaign in Syria, saying it may be guilty of war crimes, and it vowed to impose more sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad's government.
EU divided over Russia in Syria and more sanctions
Russia's role in Syria has led to calls for more sanctions against Moscow, but the deadline for deciding whether to renew the current raft of punitive measures is fast approaching. There are powerful figures on both side of the argument. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
France urges elections in Eastern Ukraine
French President François Hollande called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis, after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart yesterday (13 October) in which he urged early elections to be held in rebel-held Eastern Ukraine.