Berlin, 22 November 2021: Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the TUMO learning centre in Berlin. Here, young people can learn to use various digital technologies free of charge in a state-of-the-art environment.
It was important for girls and boys to take an interest in the so-called STEM professions – mathematics, engineering, science and technology, said Merkel; the TUMO learning centre gave them the chance to “find out hands-on where such skills can be applied – from design and music through to fashion.
Berlin, 24 November 2021: Flowers, thanks and lots of applause: the 161st Federal Cabinet meeting since the Grand Coalition took office in 2018 is likely to be the last chaired by Federal Chancellor Merkel. Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the Federal Chancellor with a bouquet of flowers – and thanked her on behalf of all ministers for her good teamwork as the leader of the Federal Government.
Following the cabinet meeting, the caretaker Federal Government assembled for a group photograph. The Federal Cabinet is not expected to meet again in this constellation.
In the late afternoon, the Federal Chancellor was presented with a Christmas tree which will adorn the Federal Chancellery courtyard during the run-up to Christmas. Donated by the Thuringian Forest Owners’ Association, the Colorado fir is around 15 metres high. There is a long tradition of putting up a Christmas tree in front of the Federal Chancellery in the week before the first Sunday in advent.
Berlin, 25 November 2021: Angela Merkel welcomes Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to the Federal Chancellery. One important issue addressed at the talks was the situation on the border of Poland and Belarus. The Federal Chancellor emphasised that Belarus’ actions were not only aimed at destabilising Poland but also at weakening the European Union as a whole. She assured Poland of full solidarity on the part of Germany.
Later in the day, the Federal Chancellor attended the virtual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) from Berlin. The two-day deliberations focused on how to strengthen cooperation between the two continents in order to boost shared growth. In view of the changes in the global political situation since the founding of ASEM 25 years ago, it was vital to provide fresh impetus, said the Federal Chancellor, adding that global issues could frequently only be solved by working together.