“We can do this!” — Merkel’s famous words five years on
By DW
05 September 2020 |
2:05 pm
It's five years to the day since German Chancellor Angela Merkel uttered her famous quote about taking in refugees. Today the numbers show that integration has made progress, though skepticism persists.
In this article
Related
15 Jul 2021
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to visit US President Joe Biden on July 15. The two leaders are keen to bolster ties between their countries. But there are also points of contention.
26 Jul 2021
As Angela Merkel prepares to leave office, she leaves behind a mixed legacy in terms of climate policy.
31 Aug 2021
Many African heads of state saw German Chancellor Angela Merkel off at the Compact with Africa summit in Berlin. Merkel once more underlined Africa's potential — and what needs to be done to use it.
9 Sep 2021
The German Chancellor and the celebrated Nigerian feminist author discussed politics, and how they are influenced by social media — and fashion.
21 Sep 2021
As chancellor, Angela Merkel has led Germany through many international crises. How successful was she? A DW documentary interviewed former heads of state, historians and journalists.
17 Sep 2021
The DW documentary "Angela Merkel - Navigating a World in Crisis" features leading figures in politics and science recounting personal experiences with the German chancellor. The film airs September 17 on YouTube.
16 Oct 2021
During her first term as German chancellor, Angela Merkel had to deal with the economic and financial crisis of 2008, which helped forge her image as a defender of Germany's interests and her fellow citizens' savings. But there would be more challenges to come: the migrant crisis in 2015, and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. How will German history remember this scientist by training, who grew up in what was then East Germany, who defied the odds to become Germany's first woman chancellor? As Merkel prepares to bow out after 16 years in power, our Berlin correspondents report on her legacy.
29 Sep 2021
The country's first female chancellor has taken on alpha males in the politics world. But as her nearly 16 years in power ends, Merkel has not been able to enact gender parity or equity in many realms. Why not?
28 Sep 2021
The long-serving chancellor and lawmaker is about to retire. What's next for her?
2 Oct 2021
Both the outgoing chancellor and her would-be successor, Armin Laschet, have congratulated Scholz. The center-left SPD emerged as Germany's largest party in the Bundestag following Sunday's election.
16 Oct 2021
Angela Merkel is headed to Israel for a last official visit. With the shared history of the Holocaust ever present, the German chancellor deepened the firm alliance between the two countries during her time in office.
11 Oct 2021
After 16 years as the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is calling it a day. The 67-year-old decision to retire has many reflecting on the legacy of the country’s first female chancellor, who is leaving the office with high approval ratings.
Over the years, she has earned swag of nicknames: the world’s most powerful woman, chancellor of the free world, the Queen of Europe, the Merkelator, and the liberal west’s “last defender”. In Germany, she is affectionately known as Mutti - short for mummy.
Latest
9 mins ago
A judicial investigation is finally underway after Peru carried out a forced sterilisation program of mainly indigenous women during the late 1990s. Our reporter meets some of the victims who are still suffering to this day. Also Sudan's newest recruits to martial arts are now fearing the fact they are women will see authorities demand an end to their involvement.
9 mins ago
Wolves were once the stuff of myths. But decades of conservation efforts have gradually brought them back to life, with the predator reclaiming lost territory across Europe. Their return, though, has sparked tensions within rural communities and questions over how man and wolf can peacefully coexist.
9 mins ago
Emily O'Reilly, who heads the EU Ombudsman, says she has been stonewalled by the European Commission when asking for information in relation to the "Pfizergate" affair. At the core of this controversy is an exchange of text messages between the EU Commission chief and the CEO of Pfizer in the run-up to a major contract signed between the EU and the pharmaceutical company for a Covid-19 vaccine.
2 hours ago
The United Kingdom is experiencing a wave of strikes on a scale not seen since the 1980s under then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. With double-digit inflation, the spiralling cost-of-living crisis means that those on stagnating and low salaries, especially public sector workers, are struggling to make ends meet. This Wednesday, half a million people are expected to go on strike, from teachers to civil servants to train drivers.
2 hours ago
A suicide bomber killed dozens of police officers at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan. It is the country's worst terrorist attack in years as a wave of Taliban-fueled militancy targets the state.
2 hours ago
US President Biden has said the US will deliver 31 of its sophisticated M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The announcement came just hours after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that Germany will transfer 14 of its modern Leopard 2 tanks.