December 15, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Merkel preparing to take the helm of both EU and G8 from January
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, December 15, Graphic News:  Since being voted her countryÕs first woman chancellor a year ago, Angela Merkel has battled to reverse GermanyÕs economic decline. As Berlin prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union in January, all eyes will be on Merkel to see whether she can do something similar for her countryÕs standing in the world.

She is respected rather than loved among voters and though approval ratings for her Òred-greenÓ coalition have fallen off slightly during recent months, commentators still credit the ÒMerkel factorÓ for rising consumer confidence and economic revival. Her stated priority is to get Germans back to work, and she has embarked on thorough reforms of labour and health laws that she says are costing the country dearly.

But even though Merkel has her hands full on the domestic front, the twin German presidencies of the European Union and the G8 group of rich industrialised nations in 2007 will propel Berlin into an international spotlight that it has shied away from in the past. The signs are that Merkel will seize the chance to help her reposition her country in global politics, and to breathe new life into the stalled European project.

Battling climate change will be another top priority, but the chancellor, like other world leaders before her, faces a tough task to bring the U.S. into line.

So far, however, the countryÕs first ÒOssieÓ (East German) chancellor has shown a talent for foreign policy that few expected. Born Angela Kasner in 1954, she grew up in rural East Germany and worked as a chemist before joining the pro-democracy movement. After the Berlin Wall fell, she became the spokeswoman of East GermanyÕs only democratically elected government, and in 1990 she joined the conservative Christian Democrats.

Chancellor Helmut KohlÕs patronage helped her to top office, first as minister for women and youth, and then as environment minister. But when Kohl and his defeated regime became tarred by a slush-fund scandal, Merkel allied herself with his critics, demonstrating an independent streak that has infuriated colleagues ever since.

She withstood stiff opposition to her appointment as chairwoman of the CDU, and in 2002 replaced Friedrich Merz as parliamentary leader. She was helped to victory in the 2005 elections by economic woes and disenchantment with Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder. By then Merkel, whose second husband is a chemistry professor, had ditched her pudding bowl hairstyle and acquired some designer suits, but she still represented a vote for substance over style.

Now, as then, MerkelÕs perceived strength is her calm, rational approach, and her focus on policy rather than personality. She will need these skills if she is to resurrect the controversial EU constitution. On March 25, EU leaders are scheduled to sign a ÒBerlin DeclarationÓ to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, and to reaffirm a commitment to the constitution and to the values of the union.

Another thorny issue is that of Turkish EU membership. Merkel has backed away from full membership for Ankara, favouring a more limited arrangement. In this she has echoed the views of a majority of Germans who fear a wave of new Turkish immigration, but is at odds with SPD members of her coalition who support accession.

As with most issues, however, Merkel is likely to go her own way. As chancellor, she has encouraged closer ties with the White House -- Merkel backed the Iraq war -- while distancing herself from Jacques Chirac of France and RussiaÕs Vladimir Putin. But she has not held back her concerns about either the U.S. prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, or the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Once dismissed as a frumpy Margaret Thatcher, Merkel, listed by Forbes as Òthe worldÕs most powerful womanÓ in 2006, has confounded low expectations of her government both at home and abroad.
/ENDS