Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflict in Libya and the situation in the eastern Mediterranean in a video call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Merkel's spokesman said in a statement on June 16.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday (Jun 4) she is "absolutely not" planning to stand for re-election to a fifth term despite her overwhelming popularity.

"No, absolutely not," Merkel told reporters from public broadcaster ZDF, saying her decision was "very firm".

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban had a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, with the discussions aimed, among others, at the situation of Romanian seasonal workers in Germany.

"I fear German power less than her inactivity," remarked Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski at the height of the eurozone crisis. More than Germany leading Europe, Europe must fear a Germany that eschews its leadership responsibilities.

It took a courtroom of scarlet-robed judges to spur Angela Merkel to make one of her boldest moves in 15 years as German chancellor: propose huge cash handouts to the European Union's weaker economies.

Merkel was already worried about the future of the Union after the coronavirus pandemic struck Europe in February, triggering a wave of deaths and crippling lockdowns.

The German "Land" of North Rhine-Westphalia has lifted quarantine for citizens of the European Union (EU) as well as associated countries of the Schengen area that enter Germany through its territory .

German Chancellor Merkel warned that while the coronavirus' "first phase is over…we still have a long fight ahead of us." Social distancing measures remain in place until June 5, but parts of the economy will reopen.

"Yesterday during the online pledging event we raised €7.4 billion ($8 billion) in initial funding to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines to fight #coronavirus!", the European Commission announced on its Twitter account.

Its decision to stop funding the WHO over its handling of the coronavirus is not only regrettable but may have a lasting, devastating, impact on global health endeavors.

As I write these lines on the Saturday just ahead of Easter, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has just finished a speech on public TV in prime time - something he normally does only at Christmas. Chancellor Angela Merkel also talked about the coronavirus crisis in a speech about a month ago - normally she only speaks to citizens every New Year's Day.