Spahn sees three serious errors in Merkel-Era
With a balance of her long-tenured chancellorship, Jens Spahn speaks on Merkel's 70th birthday. Three milestones of her government tenure he identifies as major errors. Merkel might be happier with the praise from SPD leader Esken.
Union deputy Jens Spahn has described central decisions of Angela Merkel's chancellorship as errors in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on her 70th birthday. "Massive irregular migration since 2015 has destabilized and overwhelmed German society," said the former health minister. When many, especially Syrian refugees, came to Germany via Hungary and Austria in late summer 2015, Merkel decided not to close the German borders.
Spahn continued: "We should have handled Putin's Russia differently starting in 2014." However, Merkel, unlike his opinion, had not given herself any illusions about Vladimir Putin's true character. "The exit from nuclear energy was also a serious error from a climate policy perspective," said Spahn.
However, in the first half of her chancellorship, Merkel achieved much, according to Spahn. She stabilized the pension system and introduced the pension age of 67, mastered the financial crisis, doubled research spending, and halved youth unemployment. "Under Merkel, there was the longest economic upswing in the history of the Federal Republic," said Spahn. The Union, with Merkel at the helm, won many election victories and came close to absolute majority in the 2013 federal election. Merkel celebrates her 70th birthday on this Wednesday.
Esken finds Merkel very empathetic
SPD chair Saskia Esken attributes Merkel a particularly pronounced ability to empathize. Merkel impresses Esken with her "special gift" of finding the connecting thread in dealing with people and understanding the deeper motivations of others, Esken told RND. "Compromises are possible in negotiations, which can not only be endured but also carried together."
The first time she entered her office in the Chancellery, Merkel told her: "Your way to the party leadership is not unlike mine." There is a lot of truth in that, so Esken. "We have held each other longer than they initially believed possible."
Saskia Esken, the SPD leader, commends Angela Merkel's empathetic nature, praising her ability to find common ground and understand others' motivations. In contrast, Jens Spahn, a Union deputy, criticizes several decisions made during Merkel's chancellorship, including her handling of the migration crisis in 2015, her approach to Putin's Russia, and the exit from nuclear energy from a climate policy perspective.
