The week began with Industry Day. Next up were the Federal Cabinet meeting, the government statement before the German Bundestag and the European Council meeting in Brussels. The week was rounded off with Germany’s match against Denmark in the EURO 2024 round of the last sixteen. The Federal Chancellor’s week in pictures.
Berlin, 24 June 2024: On Monday, Olaf Scholz gave a speech to the BDI Industry Day in which he called for the transformation of business to be seized as an opportunity to modernise Germany and stimulate new growth.
Berlin, 25 June 2024: The Siemens company is planning a new urban district on a site where it has been manufacturing goods for 100 years. The Federal Chancellor learned about the project during the ground-breaking ceremony in the Spandau district of Berlin on Tuesday.
“By 2035, the new Siemens City will be the home and workplace of 35,000 citizens. This is in itself a wonderful prospect in this day and age,” said Scholz. He added that the project linked the areas of work, research, housing and lifestyle in innovative ways.
Berlin, 26 June 2024: In the weekly meeting of the Federal Cabinet, it was decided to make it easier in future to deport people who endorse terrorist acts. The Cabinet members approved a corresponding draft presented by the Ministry of the Interior.
In his government statement delivered to the Bundestag, Federal Chancellor Scholz spoke about current affairs, the upcoming European Council meeting and the NATO Summit.
In the evening, the Federal Chancellor spoke at a ceremony that marked the 110th anniversary of the Carl Thiem Hospital in Cottbus. The new Medical University Lausitz – Carl Thiem was formally established at the same time, which will receive 1.9 billion euros from the Federal Government.
Later that day, the Federal Chancellor attended an evening function of the General Assembly of the German Farmers’ Association, to which he had been invited by the Farmers’ Association of the State of Brandenburg.
Brussels, 27 June 2024: The Federal Chancellor at the European Council meeting. The heads of state and government addressed issues such as further support for Ukraine, matters of security and defence, the situation in the Middle East and competitiveness.
The European Council nominated Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as Commission President and chose Kaja Kallas as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. António Costa was elected President of the European Council. Scholz feels that this choice shows “that Europe is in good shape to deal with great challenges over the next few years”.
After returning to Germany, Scholz visited the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC) in Neuss. It collects all security-related information about the matches of the European Football Championship. The information is then analysed to maximise the quality of nationwide police coordination.
The Federal Chancellor thanked the many staff members from various countries for their dedicated efforts to ensure security during the tournament.