Government of Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel's heir apparent shook up German politics on Feb. 10 by declaring she would step down as the governing party's leader and not run for chancellor, fueling uncertainty in the country seen as Europe's anchor of stability amid Brexit and pressure from the far right.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, announced today that she will not run for chancellor. She will also step down from her position heading the party, German media report.

The European Commission has issued a recommendation to the Council to open negotiations on a new partnership with the United Kingdom.

This recommendation is based on the existing European Council guidelines and conclusions, as well as on the Political Declaration agreed between the EU and the United Kingdom in October 2019.

The European Union grudgingly let go of the United Kingdom with a final vote Wednesday at the EU's parliament that ended the Brexit divorce battle and set the scene for tough trade negotiations in the year ahead.

Today, the European Commission set out its ideas for shaping the Conference on the Future of Europe, which should be launched on Europe Day, 9 May 2020 and run for two years.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has congratulated Katerina Sakellaropoulou on her election as Greece's first female head of state, welcoming the development as a step toward "a new era of equality" for the country.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday talked on the phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his dismay that Greece was not invited to attend Sunday's Berlin Conference on Libya.
On Thursday, Mitsotakis vowed to veto any solution on the North African country if the maritime border deal between the Tripoli-based government with Turkey is not scrapped.

According to her, this also applies to the military sphere

Europe must be ready to take more responsibility in world politics and to develop its military potential, as its relations with the United States continue to change. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with the Financial Times.

€ 13 billion and € 500 million is Germany's budget surplus for 2019, the Berlin Finance Ministry announced, news agencies said.

The unexpectedly large positive balance is due to higher tax revenues, lower interest rates on public debt and delays in infrastructure projects.

AGERPRES special correspondent Dana Piciu reports: Prime Minister Ludovic Orban is set to have a meeting on Thursday with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss, among other things, the EU budget and the Green Deal.