1 00:00:00,024 --> 00:00:02,329 My fellow citizens, 2 00:00:02,625 --> 00:00:03,877 Today we bid farewell to a year 3 00:00:03,877 --> 00:00:06,278 that has brought with it a host of changes. 4 00:00:06,278 --> 00:00:07,597 One small change is that 5 00:00:07,597 --> 00:00:10,790 today I am the one speaking to you on New Year’s Eve 6 00:00:10,790 --> 00:00:12,926 as your Federal Chancellor. 7 00:00:14,542 --> 00:00:17,538 The smooth, amicable transition 8 00:00:17,538 --> 00:00:19,411 from the old to the new Federal Government 9 00:00:19,411 --> 00:00:22,866 was met with great approval around the world, 10 00:00:22,866 --> 00:00:25,794 and is a positive reflection of the strength of our society. 11 00:00:28,522 --> 00:00:31,911 2021 has been a very challenging year for us all. 12 00:00:31,911 --> 00:00:34,220 We are all still feeling the burdens and 13 00:00:34,220 --> 00:00:38,228 far-reaching restrictions that the coronavirus pandemic has brought. 14 00:00:39,069 --> 00:00:41,395 And we will not soon forget the devastating floods 15 00:00:41,684 --> 00:00:45,403 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. 16 00:00:46,253 --> 00:00:48,153 As terrible as both of these events have been, 17 00:00:48,417 --> 00:00:49,934 there is also 18 00:00:50,222 --> 00:00:53,125 also very good news in our response: 19 00:00:54,213 --> 00:00:56,418 In Germany, we as a society 20 00:00:56,418 --> 00:00:59,082 have faced these challenges with great resolve. 21 00:01:00,475 --> 00:01:03,062 After the floods, we all worked together to tackle the destruction they had wrought. 22 00:01:03,326 --> 00:01:04,909 Together, we helped out on the ground, 23 00:01:05,197 --> 00:01:07,837 cleaned up and started rebuilding. 24 00:01:07,837 --> 00:01:11,029 And we will keep working on this for a long time to come. 25 00:01:12,112 --> 00:01:14,291 And in the fight against the pandemic, more than 26 00:01:14,555 --> 00:01:16,956 60 million people in our country have now been vaccinated, 27 00:01:16,956 --> 00:01:18,803 a number that is growing by the day. 28 00:01:20,917 --> 00:01:24,466 These days, some people complain that our society is “divided” 29 00:01:24,466 --> 00:01:27,130 I’d like to take this opportunity to make very clear that in fact, 30 00:01:27,130 --> 00:01:29,192 the opposite is true: 31 00:01:29,192 --> 00:01:31,065 our country is standing together. 32 00:01:31,329 --> 00:01:36,130 What I see everywhere is tremendous solidarity, 33 00:01:36,130 --> 00:01:38,334 an incredible spirit of helping others, 34 00:01:38,334 --> 00:01:40,999 and people coming together in mutual support. 35 00:01:42,082 --> 00:01:45,317 Today I would like to specifically thank all those 36 00:01:45,317 --> 00:01:48,246 who work day in and day out for our well-being. 37 00:01:48,509 --> 00:01:50,909 For our health and our security, 38 00:01:51,174 --> 00:01:52,494 both at home and abroad. 39 00:01:52,758 --> 00:01:56,765 In hospitals, nursing care, doctor’s offices and vaccination centres, 40 00:01:57,029 --> 00:01:59,670 at police stations and in the Bundeswehr. 41 00:01:59,670 --> 00:02:04,470 I thank you for everything that you do for our country, for each and every one of us! 42 00:02:06,657 --> 00:02:09,172 Of course, in our daily interactions with each other 43 00:02:09,172 --> 00:02:11,572 we also experience differences of opinion, 44 00:02:11,837 --> 00:02:13,444 especially when it comes to coronavirus. 45 00:02:13,444 --> 00:02:15,292 This is often difficult. 46 00:02:15,292 --> 00:02:18,220 But a strong society can withstand disagreements 47 00:02:18,484 --> 00:02:20,357 – as long as we listen to one another. 48 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:22,205 And as long as we treat each other with respect. 49 00:02:23,550 --> 00:02:24,890 We are all aware that 50 00:02:24,890 --> 00:02:27,290 the pandemic is not over yet, 51 00:02:27,290 --> 00:02:31,011 unfortunately. After the past 21 months, 52 00:02:31,011 --> 00:02:33,122 we have all been hoping very much for it to end. 53 00:02:34,128 --> 00:02:37,506 But tonight we will once again have to do without 54 00:02:37,770 --> 00:02:40,962 big New Year’s Eve parties or grand fireworks. 55 00:02:42,069 --> 00:02:45,905 We are making these sacrifices to stop the virus from spreading more 56 00:02:45,905 --> 00:02:48,808 and to avoid placing an additional strain on our hospitals. 57 00:02:49,073 --> 00:02:52,529 By going without these things, we are supporting the work of our doctors 58 00:02:52,529 --> 00:02:56,199 and other medical staff, who are also working tonight. 59 00:02:57,595 --> 00:02:59,846 My fellow citizens, 60 00:03:00,111 --> 00:03:02,511 I would also like to express my personal thanks to you 61 00:03:02,511 --> 00:03:05,967 for your efforts to follow the rules. 62 00:03:06,786 --> 00:03:08,103 One thing is clear: 63 00:03:08,103 --> 00:03:10,214 coronavirus will cast its shadow over 64 00:03:10,214 --> 00:03:12,615 the coming days and weeks. 65 00:03:12,878 --> 00:03:14,750 The virus has changed. 66 00:03:14,750 --> 00:03:17,654 A new variant is currently spreading very quickly. 67 00:03:17,654 --> 00:03:21,111 You have surely heard its name, omicron. 68 00:03:22,217 --> 00:03:24,925 Many of you are wondering what this means for us 69 00:03:25,188 --> 00:03:26,269 and what will happen next. 70 00:03:27,351 --> 00:03:31,547 I promise you that we will respond to it swiftly and resolutely. 71 00:03:31,547 --> 00:03:35,217 And I am very happy that we can rely 72 00:03:35,217 --> 00:03:38,674 on the advice of independent experts. 73 00:03:40,285 --> 00:03:43,857 Today and in the coming weeks, there will be significant restrictions, 74 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,256 some of them affecting private contacts. 75 00:03:46,256 --> 00:03:49,639 The new omicron variant means that the virus can now 76 00:03:49,639 --> 00:03:51,511 be transmitted even more easily. 77 00:03:52,330 --> 00:03:55,134 Please take these restrictions very seriously. 78 00:03:55,397 --> 00:03:58,325 To protect yourselves and your family. 79 00:03:58,325 --> 00:04:00,437 To protect all of us. 80 00:04:02,359 --> 00:04:05,476 We know that those who are not yet vaccinated 81 00:04:05,476 --> 00:04:07,348 are at particular risk 82 00:04:07,611 --> 00:04:09,913 of becoming infected and suffering from 83 00:04:10,178 --> 00:04:11,786 long and severe illness. 84 00:04:12,628 --> 00:04:14,931 For this reason, I would like to urge you once more 85 00:04:14,931 --> 00:04:16,275 to get vaccinated. 86 00:04:17,645 --> 00:04:20,592 I know that some people are sceptical. 87 00:04:20,592 --> 00:04:24,312 Some are worried that the vaccination could have negative effects. 88 00:04:25,418 --> 00:04:26,688 But there are now 89 00:04:26,952 --> 00:04:29,616 almost four billion people around the world who have received the vaccine. 90 00:04:29,616 --> 00:04:31,993 Without major side effects. 91 00:04:32,256 --> 00:04:35,713 And countless vaccinated people have become parents of healthy babies. 92 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,904 The benefits of the vaccine are truly great. 93 00:04:40,010 --> 00:04:43,414 And the new virus variant should tip the balance further 94 00:04:43,414 --> 00:04:44,471 in favour of vaccination. 95 00:04:44,471 --> 00:04:47,135 This is our way out of the pandemic. 96 00:04:47,399 --> 00:04:48,742 What I ask of you 97 00:04:49,007 --> 00:04:50,590 is to please make an appointment in the next few days 98 00:04:50,590 --> 00:04:54,046 at a vaccination centre or doctor’s office. 99 00:04:54,046 --> 00:04:55,845 Or take advantage of the walk-in opportunities 100 00:04:55,845 --> 00:04:58,748 to be vaccinated without an appointment. 101 00:04:58,748 --> 00:05:01,940 Please do not put it off for later. 102 00:05:02,204 --> 00:05:05,660 And for all of you who are already vaccinated, I urge you 103 00:05:05,660 --> 00:05:09,381 to get your booster, your third vaccination, as soon as possible. 104 00:05:10,465 --> 00:05:12,787 This will give you better protection from 105 00:05:12,787 --> 00:05:15,979 severe illness if you become infected. 106 00:05:17,086 --> 00:05:18,379 Speed is what matters now. 107 00:05:18,379 --> 00:05:20,492 We have to move faster than the virus! 108 00:05:20,492 --> 00:05:23,683 We have managed more than 30 million vaccinations 109 00:05:23,683 --> 00:05:25,028 in Germany since mid-November. 110 00:05:25,028 --> 00:05:28,748 Probably more than in any other EU country. 111 00:05:28,748 --> 00:05:32,468 This is good, but we want to do even better. 112 00:05:32,468 --> 00:05:36,188 We want to achieve another 30 million vaccinations by the end of January. 113 00:05:36,188 --> 00:05:39,116 This will protect us against omicron. 114 00:05:40,186 --> 00:05:43,363 Together, let’s do everything, truly everything 115 00:05:43,627 --> 00:05:47,876 we can to finally conquer coronavirus in 2022. 116 00:05:49,967 --> 00:05:51,765 My fellow citizens, 117 00:05:52,029 --> 00:05:54,141 Getting coronavirus under control 118 00:05:54,405 --> 00:05:57,597 is a major task for us in the new year. 119 00:05:57,862 --> 00:06:01,846 Our other major task is to lay the groundwork 120 00:06:01,846 --> 00:06:04,245 for our country to keep moving forward. 121 00:06:04,509 --> 00:06:08,494 The 2020s will be a decade of new beginnings. 122 00:06:09,841 --> 00:06:13,077 We have set ambitious goals for this: 123 00:06:13,341 --> 00:06:17,349 within less than 25 years, we want Germany to become climate-neutral. 124 00:06:17,349 --> 00:06:19,652 To achieve this, we will move forward with the greatest transformation 125 00:06:19,939 --> 00:06:22,051 our economy has seen in more than a century. 126 00:06:22,316 --> 00:06:24,188 In this period, we will achieve 127 00:06:24,188 --> 00:06:26,852 independence from coal, oil and gas. 128 00:06:26,852 --> 00:06:29,946 At the same time, we will generate at least twice as much electricity 129 00:06:29,946 --> 00:06:33,139 from wind, solar power and other renewable energy sources as we do today. 130 00:06:33,139 --> 00:06:35,538 This is a monumental task! 131 00:06:35,538 --> 00:06:40,050 To face it head-on, we are initiating massive investments: 132 00:06:40,314 --> 00:06:42,715 in new power grids, in charging stations for electric vehicles, 133 00:06:42,979 --> 00:06:44,850 in wind turbines, in rail lines and much more. 134 00:06:44,850 --> 00:06:48,306 This will create new prosperity and good jobs. 135 00:06:48,306 --> 00:06:52,819 We will achieve our climate targets as a modern industrialised nation. 136 00:06:53,082 --> 00:06:56,275 And our technologies will remain at the global forefront. 137 00:06:57,380 --> 00:07:01,264 I am confident of this because we have everything we need: 138 00:07:01,264 --> 00:07:04,192 well-trained skilled workers, 139 00:07:04,192 --> 00:07:05,991 knowledgeable engineers, 140 00:07:05,991 --> 00:07:08,102 and active craft enterprises and businesses. 141 00:07:09,449 --> 00:07:11,844 By working together, we will be able to 142 00:07:12,109 --> 00:07:14,772 master the major changes of our era. 143 00:07:15,037 --> 00:07:17,964 If we pull together as a community. 144 00:07:18,846 --> 00:07:21,948 This requires respect, appreciation and 145 00:07:22,212 --> 00:07:24,060 good opportunities in life for everyone. 146 00:07:24,060 --> 00:07:28,068 Decent pay is also a matter of respect. 147 00:07:28,068 --> 00:07:30,131 That is why in 2022, we will be taking a major step and 148 00:07:30,394 --> 00:07:33,058 increasing the legal minimum wage to 12 euros per hour. 149 00:07:33,323 --> 00:07:35,195 And it is also important to me 150 00:07:35,195 --> 00:07:38,122 me that everyone be able to live decently in retirement 151 00:07:38,122 --> 00:07:40,498 from the fruits of their own labour. 152 00:07:42,252 --> 00:07:43,977 My fellow citizens, 153 00:07:43,977 --> 00:07:45,585 Progress for a better world 154 00:07:45,849 --> 00:07:48,753 is a goal that no country can achieve alone. 155 00:07:48,753 --> 00:07:51,416 It can only be attained if the international community 156 00:07:51,681 --> 00:07:53,289 works together. 157 00:07:53,552 --> 00:07:57,199 For a period of a year beginning tomorrow, Germany is assuming 158 00:07:57,462 --> 00:08:02,262 the presidency of the G7, the group of seven economically strong democratic countries. 159 00:08:03,309 --> 00:08:05,343 We will use our presidency to make 160 00:08:05,343 --> 00:08:08,799 this group of countries a trailblazer 161 00:08:08,799 --> 00:08:13,047 for a climate-neutral economy and for a just world. 162 00:08:14,130 --> 00:08:16,597 International cooperation is important. 163 00:08:16,597 --> 00:08:19,790 In a world of what will soon be ten billion people, 164 00:08:19,790 --> 00:08:22,717 we can only make our voice heard 165 00:08:22,717 --> 00:08:26,173 if it is joined with many others. 166 00:08:26,173 --> 00:08:30,157 That is why we will continue to work for the success of the European Union. 167 00:08:30,157 --> 00:08:33,613 A strong and sovereign Europe is our goal. 168 00:08:33,878 --> 00:08:37,069 A Europe that lives by its shared values of peace, 169 00:08:37,069 --> 00:08:40,262 democracy and the rule of law. 170 00:08:41,595 --> 00:08:43,634 Transatlantic cooperation is also 171 00:08:43,634 --> 00:08:47,090 essential for security in Europe. 172 00:08:47,090 --> 00:08:49,489 In this area, we are currently 173 00:08:49,754 --> 00:08:52,417 facing new challenges regarding Ukraine. 174 00:08:52,417 --> 00:08:56,137 The inviolability of borders is precious, 175 00:08:56,402 --> 00:08:58,777 and is not negotiable. 176 00:08:59,908 --> 00:09:01,751 My fellow citizens, 177 00:09:02,015 --> 00:09:04,679 We are at the beginning of the new decade. 178 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:07,055 A new era is dawning. 179 00:09:07,055 --> 00:09:11,328 An era that will be successful if we actively shape it. 180 00:09:11,328 --> 00:09:13,176 Because we can make a difference 181 00:09:13,176 --> 00:09:16,631 if we remain determined and take our fate into our own hands. 182 00:09:17,450 --> 00:09:20,761 For the New Year I wish you all the best, 183 00:09:20,761 --> 00:09:23,206 and above all good health. 184 00:09:23,470 --> 00:09:26,689 My great wish for 2022 185 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:28,969 is that we keep standing together!