09.01.2024: Economics Minister Habeck sets off on Middle East trip
Berlin (dpa) – During a trip to several Middle Eastern countries, Germany’s Economics Minister Robert Habeck plans to support the dialogue process in view of the Gaza war. “There must be peace again. The Palestinian population needs a clear prospect of a two-state solution,” Habeck said before departing for Oman. “Israel needs protection and has the right to defend itself. But above all the killing must now stop,” he demanded. After Oman, Habeck also intends to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank.
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08.01.2024: International research expedition on the future of the ocean
Kiel (d.de) – An international research expedition has started in the eastern Mediterranean led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel with the aim of obtaining information on future changes in the world’s oceans. The research vessel METEOR set off from Cyprus on a more than four-week voyage through the eastern Mediterranean. According to the Helmholtz Centre, this ocean basin is undergoing rapid change since it is particularly affected by climate change and human activity. Investigations are to be carried out from the seabed to the surface with the aim of obtaining information on what these changes look like and what the consequences will be for the ecosystems of the tropical and subtropical ocean in the future. 28 scientists from twelve countries are taking part in the expedition, including staff from GEOMAR in Kiel, the University of Haifa and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, the Marine Biological Laboratory and the University of Chicago in the US, and Xiamen University in China.
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05.01.2024: New armaments package for Ukraine
Berlin (dpa/d.de) – Germany has delivered a first package of military equipment to Ukraine in 2024. The aid package included ammunition for the medium-range variant of the IRIS-T air defence system and a Skynex short-range air defence system, the Federal Government announced. Ukraine also received ten Marder infantry fighting vehicles, ten heavy trucks, two additional WiSENT mine-clearing armoured vehicles and another Biber armoured vehicle for bridge-laying. The package also included ammunition, protective equipment and winter camouflage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Germany and in particular Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “German support is helping to save lives,” he wrote on the social network X, adding that this would make it possible to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and Europe more quickly.
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04.01.2024: Germany and allies warn Houthi
Berlin (d.de) – Germany has joined the governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom in condemning the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea as “illegal, unacceptable and deeply destabilising”. The attacks “threaten the lives of innocent people around the world and pose a significant international problem that requires collective action”, the statement continues. The states warn the Yemeni Houthi against carrying out further attacks: “We remain committed to the rules-based international order and are determined to hold malicious actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.”
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02.01.2024: Germany sets out priorities for its foreign policy in 2024
Berlin (d.de) – At the start of the new year, the Foreign Ministry has set out the priorities of its policy for 2024. In addition to specific issues, Germany is fundamentally committed to shaping a just global order based on the rule of law. Cooperation with partners in Asia, Africa and Latin America is consistently geared towards joint action. German policy is embedded in strong partnerships in the EU, NATO, G7 and G20.
Together with its partners, Germany will continue to vigorously support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian war of aggression. This winter, Russia is once again deliberately bombing civilian infrastructure in order to deprive people of their livelihoods. For this reason, the Federal Government is supporting the country with a winter package and will be doubling military aid to 8 billion euros. Germany is set to host the Ukraine Reconstruction and Recovery Conference in June.
The key to peace in the Middle East lies in a negotiated two-state solution: this is the only way to ensure that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security in the long term. The terrorist attack by Hamas has inflicted untold suffering on Israel. Alongside the fate of the hostages at the hands of Hamas, it is the terrible suffering of the people in Gaza that is now dominating the headlines. For this reason, Germany is actively advocating a humanitarian pause in the fighting, as well as seeking dialogue with its Arab partners. Qatar and Egypt have shown themselves to be indispensable mediators, while Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia likewise have a key role to play.
NATO is a central pillar of German security and defence policy. Finland recently joined the alliance in April 2023, with Sweden due to follow this year. 2024 sees the 75th anniversary of NATO, which is to be celebrated with an “anniversary summit” of heads of state and government in Washington in June.
Meanwhile COP29 in Baku will be a key milestone in the fight against the climate crisis. Implementation of the COP28 resolutions – in particular the first-ever agreement to phase out fossil fuels – will shape the path to COP29 in Azerbaijan in December 2024.
Humanitarian aid remains a central concern of German foreign policy, also in connection with crises that are not in the international spotlight. As an active contributor to the humanitarian system, Germany remains a donor to the UN and to international and national organisations that are committed to humanitarian principles.
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29.12.2023: Germany and other countries condemn uranium enrichment in Iran
Washington (dpa) – Germany , France, the UK and the USA have condemned the recent increase in uranium enrichment in Iran. According to a statement issued by the US State Department, the decision shows that Iran lacks the good will to de-escalate, also noting that such action is irresponsible given the tense situation in the region. “We urge Iran to reverse these steps immediately and de-escalate its nuclear programme,” the statement continues.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) previously stated that, according to its findings, Iran had ramped up the production of highly enriched uranium. Iran denied this. Meanwhile the statement by the four states says that according to IAEA data, Iran has tripled its monthly production, adding that there is no credible civilian justification for such production and that the reported levels of production also harbour considerable risks. For years, Iranian politicians have stated clearly that they do not wish to build nuclear weapons. A nuclear bomb requires uranium enrichment of at least 80 percent.
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27.12.2023: Germany identifies suspected Russian soldiers
Berlin (dpa) – The suspects in the first German investigation into a war crime in Ukraine have been identified. “The suspected shooters and officers responsible have been identified,” said Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann. Initiated in mid-July, the proceedings concern targeted shots fired by members of the Russian armed forces at fleeing civilians, including a person with German citizenship. “If we catch the perpetrators, we will press charges,” said Buschmann. Otherwise Germany would make the evidence available to other states such as Ukraine, said Buschmann. In the case of war crimes and other serious offences, convictions in absentia are not possible under German criminal procedure law.
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22/12/2023: Development Ministry publishes Gender Action Plan
Berlin (d.de) – At the beginning of the year Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze presented Germany’s feminist development cooperation strategy. By 2025 the aim is for 93% of newly approved project funding to be awarded to projects which contribute to gender equality. Now the ministry has published its Gender Action Plan which is aimed at monitoring progress in the strategy. The strategy aims to strengthen the rights, resources and representation (known as the “3 R’s”) of women and marginalised groups. Development Minister Svenja Schulze said, “For me feminist development policy is a question of justice. Women and girls make up half of the world’s population. They should hold half of the power.”
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21.12.2023: German support for energy supplies in Ukraine
Berlin (d.de) – Germany’s Federal Government is providing a winter package for Ukraine worth just under €90m for an energy support fund. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Federal Foreign Office are contributing a further €88.5m to the fund. According to the two ministries, Ukraine is expected to use the support fund to purchase energy infrastructure, replacement parts and equipment such as transformers and generators which will help maintain energy supplies in Ukraine.
At the end of last year the Federal Government paid €129.5m into the Energy Support Fund, so this year’s payment brings Germany’s total contribution to €218m. Germany remains by far the biggest donor to the fund, which has collected around €400m since February 2022. The contributions to the Energy Support Fund are part of this year’s Federal Government Winter Package of support to Ukraine, worth over €1.6 billion and includes military support for air defences, development policy support and humanitarian aid.
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19.12.2023: German Defence Minister Pistorius visits Niger
Niamey (dpa) – Four and a half months after the military coup in Niger, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is the first member of the German government to travel to the West African country for talks. Pistorius plans to meet with the Nigerien General Salifou Modi, who became the head of his country’s defence ministry following the coup. Pistorius will also be visiting the more than 100 German soldiers stationed at the Bundeswehr’s air base on the outskirts of Niamey.
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18.12.2023: Bundeswehr flies aid to Egypt for patients from Gaza
Wunstorf (dpa) – Germany’s Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, flew medical aid supplies to Egypt for patients from Gaza on Saturday. A Luftwaffe (Air Force) Airbus A400M commissioned by the German government transported the aid from Wunstorf Air Base in Lower Saxony to Cairo, where it is needed to treat people from the Gaza Strip. According to the Luftwaffe, 7.6 tons of equipment on a total of nine pallets were on board – above all ventilators and incubators for babies, as well as patient monitors. According to information from the German Press Agency, the aid shipment transported by the Luftwaffe on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office was worth around 1.4 million euros. Further Bundeswehr flights in cooperation with the EU’s humanitarian airlift are to follow.
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15.12.2023: Second German Patriot air defence system in Ukraine
Berlin/Kyiv (dpa) – As promised, Ukraine has received a second Patriot air defence system from Germany before the end of the year. Missiles for the Patriot were also sent with it, the German government announced in its list of military assistance for the country under attack from Russia. According to the updated list, Ukraine also received another nine Bandvagn tracked all-terrain vehicles and 7,390 rounds of 155 mm artillery shells. Germany has also sent three more mobile remote-controlled mine clearing systems and eight tankers. Germany has played an important part in ensuring that Ukraine is now better protected against Russian air strikes involving rockets, cruise missiles and drones. Besides the Patriots, the Iris-T systems and Gepard anti-aircraft guns have proven very effective.
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14.12.2023: German government supports refugees in poorer host countries
Geneva (dpa) – The German government is committed to supporting refugees in poorer host countries. Development Minister Svenja Schulze has called for improved opportunities for work and education, saying at the start of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva that children must be able to attend school. She explained that the German government has among other things funded education projects that are benefitting 500,000 children from Syria and from the neighbouring countries in which they had sought refuge.
According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, 114 million people around the world are fleeing from conflicts and violence. Three quarters of those displaced beyond the borders of their home country have found refuge in neighbouring countries that for the most part are poorer. Grandi is hosting the Forum in Geneva, which is being attended by around 3,000 government and civil society representatives. The event’s goals are to find lasting solutions for refugees, assistance for host countries, better integration opportunities and ways to successfully combat the root causes of displacement. The Forum is taking place for the second time since 2019.
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13.12.2023: New strategy for development cooperation with Asian partners
Berlin (d.de) – Germany’s Development Ministry (BMZ) is placing its cooperation with the countries of Asia on a new footing. Its strategy lays down five cornerstones for the future alignment of development cooperation with Asian partner countries:
1. feminist development policy,
2. promoting climate-compatible development,
3. good work – strengthening “green jobs”,
4. strengthening social protection systems,
5. preserving biodiversity.
Talking about the new strategy, Development Minister Svenja Schulze said: “No relevant global problem can be resolved without cooperating with the Asian countries. This applies especially to climate change, which is hitting Asian countries with particular force. Our goal is to jointly shape an ecologically sustainable and socially just transition.” Germany has been closely tied to Asia in development cooperation for decades. Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia, Laos and Mongolia are bilateral partner countries. The BMZ works with India, Vietnam and Indonesia on solving global issues of future relevance. China and Germany work together on the basis that they are two development cooperation donor countries whose standards and objectives differ greatly in some cases.
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12.12.2023: Germany and EU push for binding COP28 declaration
Berlin (d.de/dpa) At the COP28 climate conference, more than 100 countries in total – including Germany, the EU, the group of island nations and other countries – want the phase-out of coal, oil and gas to be defined as a target in the battle against climate change. For this reason, the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai has been extended on Tuesday, as expected. Originally, the meeting of nearly 200 states and many NGOs was scheduled to end in the morning, but the wrangling over an acceptable final declaration has led to the conference being extended for an initially undefined period.
“The current proposal is disappointing” is how the German foreign ministry described the first draft of the final declaration, commenting that key elements were unacceptable to the European Union. The draft lacked the necessary instruments to implement it in order to achieve the UN’s 1.5 degree target, the statement added.
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11.12.2023: Prize for Human Rights awarded
Berlin (d.de) On Human Rights Day (10 December), the foreign ministers of Germany and France, Annalena Baerbock and Catherine Colonna, announced this year’s twelve winners of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. The prize-winners are at the helm of non-governmental organisations, work as journalists or, as activists, defend the inalienable rights of every human being. They stand up for those whose voices would otherwise often not be heard: women, refugees, members of the LSBTIQ+ community or detainees. They fight for justice, political participation and unbiased reporting in the media. They come from all parts of the world and often risk their freedom, and frequently even their lives.
Since 2016, France and Germany have taken Human Rights Day as an opportunity to jointly honour individuals worldwide who show outstanding commitment to the cause of human rights.
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08/12/2023: German police officers back at work in UN South Sudan mission
Berlin (d.de) – German federal and state police officers are returning to South Sudan to help make the country more peaceful and secure. Germany’s Federal Government has approved the deployment of these officers with the United Nations UNMISS mission. German police officers were withdrawn from the mission in 2016, but they can once again be deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan.
In this Germany wants to make a wide-ranging and long-term contribution to ending the conflict and stabilising South Sudan. It also aims to improve humanitarian conditions there. Germany is particularly alert to the need to protect civilians, especially women and children. In addition to the police officers, up to 50 German troops are on deployment with UNMISS in coordinating roles and as military observers.
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07/12/2023: Baerbock arrives to lead German negotiating team at COP28
Berlin (d.de) – Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will take the lead role in Germany’s negotiating team in the final stages of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. The international community aims to agree concrete steps there by 12 December to combat the climate crisis. Baerbock said she was optimistic: “Unlike all other global climate conferences, COP28 has come out of the starting blocks well,” she said. “Instead of spending ages arguing about the agenda, we worked with others to help set up the fund for climate damage and losses right on day one. That doesn’t just show that tenacious climate diplomacy pays off when you stick at it and forge alliances. Through the fund we’re also extending a helping hand to the countries which have been hit hard, those which can do least about the climate crisis but which are suffering most from its effects.”
Containing the climate crisis is a top priority for the Federal Government. On the very first day of the conference Germany and the United Arab Emirates were the first countries to donate to the Loss and Damage Fund, each paying in $100m. Other countries followed suit and only a few days later there is over €700m in the fund. Baerbock said: “The new alliances which we are forging across continents and living conditions are setting the geopolitical game in motion. If we go about it the right way we will not only boost climate protection but also give confidence back to a world in which multilateralism delivers results.”
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06/12/2023: Human Rights Special Commissioner travels to Middle East
Berlin (d.de) – Germany’s Special Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, Luise Amtsberg, is travelling to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. Amtsberg said, “the aim of this trip is to speak to stakeholders from civil society and politics, above all to listen attentively to them and understand their perspectives on the present situation, and their view of what needs to happen for a peaceful future for all. In times such as these what matters is creating and protecting spaces to speak for all involved.” She condemned the “brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas” on Israel and stressed its right to protect its population against terror attacks. At the same time she emphasised that for Israel “fighting Hamas must go hand-in-hand with protecting the civilian population in Gaza.” In all her talks Amtsberg pledged to put a “special focus on access to humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
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05/12/2023: Brazil and Germany to work more closely in future
Berlin (dpa/d.de) – Germany and Brazil plan to work together to push for a swift conclusion to negotiations over a free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, the South American trading bloc. “We are making every effort to get the agreement signed off quickly,” said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz after German-Brazilian governmental consultations in which he met the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two countries issued a joint statement of intent on “the partnership for a socially just and environmentally friendly transformation.” The talks took place under the motto of “Brazil and Germany: strong partners for progress and sustainability”. Key issues on the agenda included economic cooperation, renewable energy, environmental and climate action, science, and combating hunger and food insecurity.
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05/12/2023: Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock travels to Slovenia
Berlin (dpa) – On a visit to Slovenia Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock learned about the impact of catastrophic flooding during the summer. She visited the Slovenian national logistics centre for civil and disaster protection along with her Slovenian colleague Tanja Fajon. Flooding hit two-thirds of the country in early August, causing massive damage. Before departing for Slovenia, Baerbock said “fighting the climate crisis” was “the greatest security risk for humanity”, and was as such the fulcrum for delivering the German-Slovenian action plan.
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04.12.2023: German government presents IKI strategy up to 2030
Berlin (d.de) – For its International Climate Initiative (IKI), the German government has presented a strategy paper for the period up to 2030. With this funding programme, which was launched in 2008, the German government is supporting developing and emerging countries in ambitiously shaping and implementing climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. A vital part of Germany’s international climate funding, it has been coordinated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) since 2022 and is being implemented in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA).
The electrification of local public transport in Indonesia, the restoration of mangrove forests in Mexico or the introduction of energy-efficiency standards for climate-friendly refrigeration plants in Southern Africa are just three examples of the diverse range of IKI projects that are advancing climate action and biodiversity conservation worldwide. To date, more than 1,000 projects dedicated to climate and diversity across more than 150 countries globally have been supported with cumulative funding amounting to approximately six billion euros.
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01/12/2023: Germany promotes feminist foreign policy
Berlin (d.de) – Societies are more peaceful, prosperous and stable if everyone can participate equally in political, social and economic life. This is why Germany has committed to supporting efforts to achieve global gender equality by doing all it can through a feminist foreign policy. “Feminist foreign policy isn’t foreign policy for women; it’s for all members of society. It’s inclusive, not exclusive,” says Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock when describing the policy, which aims to boost equal participation around the world. One part of the efforts of German policymakers is the “Voices From Around the Globe” feminist foreign policy networking day which will take place in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin in early December. It will bring together around 200 participants from about 40 countries from all areas of civil society to share their experiences and ideas.
The guiding principles behind Germany’s feminist foreign and development policy were presented by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Development Minister Svenja Schulze in an 80-page document in March 2023. At the time Baerbock it was not about “foreign policy for women, but for all members of society.”
Find out more about German feminist foreign policy.
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30/11/2023: Baerbock stresses importance of OSCE
Skopje (dpa) – Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for efforts to maintain the operational capacity of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), despite Moscow’s attempts to block progress. Speaking before setting off for the annual meeting of OSCE ministers, Baerbock argued that if the OSCE is to go on protecting the security of 1.3 billion people in its 57 member states, efforts must be made to ensure that “it can remain at least halfway capable of doing its job, even in rough winds.” Baerbock will be joined at the two-day meeting of the 57 OSCE states in the North Macedonian capital Skopje by ministers from around 40 countries.
The Federal Foreign Minister criticised attempts by Russian President Vladimir Putin to separate the security anchor of the OSCE from its foundation. “Despite a fierce headwind, we have been able to preserve the OSCE’s place as a key piece in the puzzle of our security architecture in Europe.” Baerbock noted that taking a pragmatic approach had made it possible to save many projects which would have been cut due to a lack of a regular OSCE budget, “thanks to special contributes from Germany and friends like Japan,” she said. The Federal Foreign Minister added she was very pleased that with Germany’s Helga Schmid as General Secretary, there was “such an experienced diplomat and strategist at the head of the OSCE.”
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29/11/2023: Baerbock attends autumn meeting of NATO foreign ministers
Berlin (d.de) The foreign ministers of NATO countries have met in Brussels for a two-day autumn conference. Germany is being represented by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Speaking ahead of the meeting, she said, “In the last two years we have seen in an extreme way that peace and security must be defended each and every day, even in Europe. That’s why it’s vital that, as the NATO security alliance, we should work together now more than ever to strengthen our protective shield for peace, freedom and security across the whole of Europe.”
The meeting in Brussels will address a range of issues, from preparations for the summit in Washington to mark NATO’s 75th anniversary in 2024, to the situation in the western Balkans. It will also be the first time that the NATO Ukraine Council will meet at a level of foreign ministers, as NATO’s cooperation with Ukraine will be a key issue for the talks. Sweden is on the way to becoming a NATO member and come to Brussels as a guest. Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified Sweden’s accession. On this point, Baerbock stressed that “It has been said with absolute clarity that Sweden will become a member of our common alliance. This is now long overdue and this step must be taken.”
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