Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday received the Federal Cross of the Order of Merit, Germany’s highest state award, which only two former heads of government had previously received.
Writes about it “European truth” with reference to Politico.
Merkel received Germany’s highest state award from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was vice-chancellor and foreign minister in her government, at his official residence, Bellevue Palace.
In his half-hour speech at the awards ceremony, Steinmeier called Merkel an “unprecedented politician” who successfully led Germany through difficult times, including the 2008 financial crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis.
“You have helped our country achieve economic success again in the face of unprecedented challenges. We look back on 16 years of almost uninterrupted economic growth during which the scourge of unemployment has increasingly lost its horror for most Germans,” he said.
The ex-chancellor herself spoke for only five minutes, thanking for the invitation and the award, and also expressing confidence that there is a good side to politics.
Prior to Merkel, the two chancellors who received the Federal Cross were Konrad Adenauer, the first post-war chancellor of West Germany, and Helmut Kohl, who came to power at the end of the Cold War and led the government during German unification and the creation of the European Union.
Some of Merkel’s party members from the CDU/CSU bloc, none of whom were invited to the awards ceremony, expressed dissatisfaction with him that the ex-chancellor received the award so quickly after leaving politics, even against the backdrop of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
For example, CDU top functionary Andreas Redder called Merkel’s award of the Federal Cross a year and a half after the end of her chancellorship a “mistake”, calling her position towards Russia one of the worst foreign policy mistakes of Germany.
Merkel’s longtime finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, also warned that it was too early to judge whether she should be added to the list of Germany’s “great” chancellors.
Angela Merkel became the first woman to hold the post of Federal Chancellor of Germany, which she held from 2005 to 2021. During her tenure, she was considered one of the most influential politicians in Europe and the world.
However, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Merkel came under fire for appeasing Russia, increasing dependence on Russian gas, and refusing to admit her mistakes in office.
