Armin Laschet

Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party has elected Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany's most populous state, as its new leader- sending a signal of continuity months before an election in which voters will decide who becomes the new chancellor.

There are five candidates in the race, points out Austrian daily "Standard".
The paper reminds that the CDU assembly had to be postponed twice because of the coronavirus, and it is now scheduled for January 16, when a new party leader should be elected, and the meeting with 1.001 delegates will be digital.

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".

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 .

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban stressed, in Munich, the full legitimacy of Romania's aspirations for joining the Schengen area, given that our country has long met the technical criteria in this regard. The Romanian prime minister participated as a guest of honor on Sunday in the panel discussion "Eurovision Contest: A Europe That Protects", within the Munich Security Conference.