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105-760: The building is regularly visited by German and Vietnamese state guests, politicians and business leaders and is a venue for international events. After the Deutsches Haus received its first political mention by the German Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2008, the construction project was approved in 2013. Chancellor Angela Merkel regarded the building permit as an “important symbol” of further rapprochement between Germany and Vietnam. According to her statement, German institutions and interested German companies will have their common seat at

210-532: A Cairo court sentenced 683 individuals to death for inciting violence during protests in summer 2013, following the military overthrow of elected President Mohammed Morsi . Following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt , he warned that any move by Turkey to reinstate the death penalty would derail its efforts to join the European Union. He criticized the 2016–present purges in Turkey . In response to

315-577: A Greek withdrawal from the eurozone , calling for a serious search for a solution. Reacting to a growth of euro-skeptic political parties across Europe by early 2014, Steinmeier offered the United Kingdom limited support on renegotiating the Treaties of the European Union , saying Germany wanted to see Britain's influence in the "midst" of the EU, not on "the sidelines". After Britain's vote to leave

420-464: A Lemgo hardware shop from 1958 to 1961 and subsequently worked in a Lage retail shop and after that as an unskilled construction worker and a sales clerk in Göttingen while studying at night school for a general qualification for university entrance ( Abitur ). He did not have to do military service because his father had died in the war. In 1966, Schröder secured entrance to a university, passing

525-593: A "supply-side agenda" to respond to globalisation, the demands of capital markets and technological change. Schröder's efforts backfired within his own party, where its left-wing rejected the Schröder–Blair call for cutbacks to the welfare state and pro-business policies. Instead, the paper took part of the blame for a succession of six German state election losses in 1999 for the Social Democratic Party. Only by 2000, Schröder managed to capitalise on

630-746: A Turkish prison in October 2017, German media reported that Schröder had acted as mediator in the conflict and, on the request of Gabriel, met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to secure the release. After the 2018 and 2023 Turkish presidential elections, he represented the German government at Erdoğan's inauguration ceremony in Ankara (jointly with Christian Wulff , 2023). Schröder's plans after leaving office as chancellor and resigning his Bundestag seat included resuming his law practice in Berlin, writing

735-573: A breakup of the single currency. In both February and November 2012, his parliamentary group voted largely in favour of the Merkel government's proposal for eurozone bailout packages for Greece , while criticizing the measures as being "not an enduring solution for the Greeks". In July 2014, he helped build the opposition's support for a euro zone rescue package for Spanish banks. Later, as foreign minister, he publicly advised against "frivolous" talk of

840-793: A coalition with Russia and France against the U.S.-led war against Iraq . Meanwhile, he approved the decision to install a German intelligence officer in the Qatar-based office of General Tommy Franks , the American commander of the U.S. invasion in Iraq, who passed on to the United States information being gathered in Baghdad by two German intelligence officers operating there. In 2004, Steinmeier participated in diplomatic negotiations settling on compensation payments with Libya for victims of

945-484: A conflict over privatization plans at German railway operator Deutsche Bahn ; the plans eventually fell through. In 2016, he was appointed by Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel to mediate (alongside economist Bert Rürup ) in a dispute between two of Germany's leading retailers, Edeka and REWE Group , over the takeover of supermarket chain Kaiser's Tengelmann. Following the release of German activist Peter Steudtner from

1050-595: A exceptional role model on international cooperation that Putinite Russia will unavoidably get "like us" by merely "intertwining of interests" ( Verflechtung ), and also that "a pan-European peace order and a lasting solution to important security problems (…) can only be achieved with Russia, not without it or even against it". Steinmeier helped to admit Putin's Russia into the WTO , which occurred in 2011. On 18 December 2007, Steinmeier and Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement on behalf of BASF to exploit another gas field. At

1155-766: A five-year delay in Europe's currency union. After taking office, he made his first official trip abroad to France for meetings with President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in October 1998. A 2001 meeting held by both leaders in Blaesheim later gave the name to a regular series of informal meetings between the French President, the German Chancellor, and their foreign ministers. The meetings were held alternately in France and Germany. At

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1260-711: A full-time President of the European Council , chosen by heads of state and government; their agreement later formed the basis of discussions at the Convention on the Future of Europe and became law with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon . Ahead of the French referendum on a European Constitution , Schröder joined Chirac in urging French voters to back the new treaty, which would have enshrined new rules for

1365-620: A greater mediation role for the OSCE , including the convening of local "round table" talks in Ukraine to defuse conflicts. The Steinmeier formula , as it is known to readers of Russian media, is synonymous with the Minsk II agreement. Between 2015 and 2016, Steinmeier hosted a series of Normandy format meetings in Berlin to negotiate a solution of the situation in the East of Ukraine . During

1470-465: A kidney to his wife in August 2010, Steinmeier returned to his office in October 2010. During his time as leader of the parliamentary opposition, Steinmeier regularly accused Angela Merkel's government of increasing the national debt and pandering to the rich. In 2011, Steinmeier argued that Merkel's decision to appoint her economics adviser, Jens Weidmann , to be the next head of Bundesbank undermined

1575-780: A member of the party. Schröder was born in Blomberg , Lippe , in Nazi Germany . His father, Fritz Schröder, a lance corporal in the Wehrmacht , was killed in action in World War II in Romania on 4 October 1944, almost six months after Gerhard's birth. His mother, Erika (née Vosseler), worked as an agricultural labourer to support herself and her two sons. After the war, the area where Schröder lived became part of West Germany. He completed an apprenticeship in retail sales in

1680-464: A million copies. The fact that Schröder served on the Volkswagen board (a position that came with his position as minister-president of Lower Saxony) and tended to prefer pro-car policies led to him being nicknamed the car chancellor ( Auto-Kanzler ). In 1997, Schröder joined the minister-presidents of two other German states, Kurt Biedenkopf and Edmund Stoiber , in making the case for

1785-611: A planned US missile defense complex in Poland would upset the strategic balance in Europe – and who then left without challenge Russian General Nikolai Solovtsov's threat of retaliation against Poland and the Czech Republic if they deployed U.S. defensive systems. Russian opposition activists later celebrated when Steinmeier and the SDP lost the 2009 election, signaling their discontent with Steinmeier. Oleg Petrovich Orlov , head of

1890-535: A pragmatic new Social Democrat who would promote economic growth while strengthening Germany's generous social welfare system. After the resignation of Oskar Lafontaine as Leader of the Social Democratic Party in March 1999, in protest at Schröder's adoption of a number of what Lafontaine considered " neo-liberal " policies, Schröder took over his rival's office as well. In April 1999, in Germany's first session in

1995-588: A preemptive strike against Russia or China and that the planned missile defense would be valuable primarily in an offensive context as an adjunct to a US first-strike capability. The article elicited a semi-official Russian response from ex-PM Yegor Gaidar in the Financial Times a few days later. In 2007, the US government reportedly was reportedly deeply irritated, although publicly silent, about Steinmeier, who had sounded supportive of Russian accusations that

2100-419: A range of foreign policy issues, from confronting Iran over its nuclear program to negotiating binding goals to combat climate change . In one significant foreign-policy disagreement, Steinmeier held in 2009 that Germany should by 2013 lay the groundwork for withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, a deployment that around two-thirds of Germans opposed by then. Unlike Merkel, he also favored Turkish entry into

2205-549: A subordinate role". In Steinmeier's opinion, the "[r]ejection of capital punishment is one of the keystones of German human-rights policy. The death penalty goes against our fundamental ethic and moral principles". He personally called for the abolition of the death penalty in Uzbekistan ; capital punishment in Uzbekistan has been abolished since 2008. In April 2014, he summoned the Egyptian ambassador Mohamed Higazy after

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2310-525: Is a German former politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). As chancellor, he led a coalition government of the SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens . Since leaving public office, Schröder has worked for Russian state-owned energy companies, including Nord Stream AG , Rosneft , and Gazprom . Schröder

2415-597: The 1986 terrorist bombing of the LaBelle disco in Berlin. A major controversy during Steinmeier's term as chief of staff was the imprisonment of a German-born Turk, Murat Kurnaz , in Guantánamo Bay from 2002 until August 2006. Steinmeier denied during a parliamentary inquiry in March 2007 that he had blocked Kurnaz's release. Instead, he claimed that Berlin had feared Kurnaz was a threat and should go to Turkey, not Germany, if released. Only after Merkel's election

2520-553: The 1998 state elections , Schröder's Social Democrats increased their share of the vote by about four percentage points over the 44.3 percent they recorded in the previous elections in 1994 – a postwar record for the party in Lower Saxony that reversed a string of Social Democrat reversals in state elections elsewhere. Following the 1998 national elections , Schröder became chancellor as head of an SPD-Green coalition. Throughout his campaign for chancellor, he portrayed himself as

2625-779: The 2003 invasion of Iraq and refused any military assistance in that invasion. Schröder's stance caused political friction between the US and Germany, in particular because he used this topic for his 2002 election campaign. Schröder's stance set the stage for alleged anti-American statements by members of the SPD. The parliamentary leader of the SPD, Ludwig Stiegler , compared US President George W. Bush to Julius Caesar while Schröder's Minister of Justice, Herta Däubler-Gmelin , likened Bush's foreign policy to that of Adolf Hitler . Schröder's critics accused him of enhancing, and campaigning on, anti-American sentiments in Germany. After his 2002 re-election, Schröder and Bush rarely met and their animosity

2730-631: The Abitur exam at Westfalen-Kolleg, Bielefeld . From 1966 to 1971 he studied law at the University of Göttingen . In 1976, he passed his second law examination, and he subsequently worked as a lawyer until 1990. Among his more controversial cases, Schröder helped Horst Mahler , a founding member of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group, to secure both an early release from prison and permission to practice law again in Germany. Schröder joined

2835-592: The CDU/CSU , and thus became the presumptive electee, as the coalition held a large majority in the Federal Convention . He left the cabinet on 27 January 2017. He was elected president by the Federal Convention on 12 February 2017 with 74% of the vote. On 13 February 2022, he was re-elected by the Federal Convention for a second and final term with 78% of the vote. Steinmeier belongs to

2940-513: The European Parliament , Steinmeier stated that "[t]here is a certain trend toward [media] hysterics and one needs to get a sense of reason back into the debate". Dr Frank Umbach had warned as early as February 2006 that Germany had become too dependent of Russia but Steinmeier, citing the new Ostpolitik , disregarded him. In March 2007 Steinmeier published a long article in reply to Umbach explaining his rationale on EU being such

3045-466: The European Union . Also, Steinmeier became known for his rather Russia-friendly stance, arguing strenuously for engagement with the increasingly assertive power to the east, rather than its isolation. He formulated a policy toward Russia deliberately reminiscent of " Ostpolitik ", the eastward-facing policy pioneered by Chancellor Willy Brandt in the early 1970s. Together with Gernot Erler,

3150-530: The Memorial human rights group , said that Steinmeier had prolonged Schröder's policies on Russia and that Germany's policies were "extremely bad for civil society, democracy and the country as a whole". In February 2009, Steinmeier became the first member of Merkel's cabinet to be received by the incoming Obama administration . During his time in office, Steinmeier managed to extract German hostages from Iraq and Yemen. In 2007, he also succeeded in securing

3255-418: The Minsk II talks on a ceasefire for eastern Ukraine in early 2015, he successfully negotiated with Russian President Vladimir Putin on allowing German doctors to visit Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko , who had been on hunger strike for more than two months in a Russian jail. Steinmeier has repeatedly ruled out arms shipments to resolve the conflict, and that was German policy until two days after

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3360-598: The Orange Revolution . In 2005, Schröder suggested at the ceremonial introduction of the Airbus A380 in Toulouse that there was still "room in the boat" of EADS for Russia. In his last days in office in 2005 he signed a deal between Germany and Russian state-owned Gazprom to build Nord Stream 1 before leaving office and almost immediately joining the pipeline company's board. He rejected criticism of

3465-589: The Public Prosecutor General initiated proceedings related to accusations against Schröder of complicity in crimes against humanity due to his role in Russian state-owned corporations, while the CDU/CSU group demanded that Schröder be included in the European Union sanctions against individuals with ties to the Russian government. An SPD party arbitration committee ruled in March 2023 that he had not violated any party rules and would remain

3570-523: The September 11 attacks in 2001. When Schröder left office, Germany had 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, the largest contingent from any nation other than the United States, UK, France, Canada and after two years Afghanistan. During their time in government, both Schröder and his foreign minister Joschka Fischer were widely considered sincerely, if not uncritically, pro-Israel. Schröder represented

3675-518: The South East Asia Property Awards 2016 . In November 2016, the topping-out ceremony took place. The distinguished guests included Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier. In September 2017, the building was completed and opened as part of a soft opening . The Vietnamese Party secretary for Ho-Chi-Minh City, Nguyễn Thiện Nhân , and others attended the ceremony. The German-born CEO of the owner company, Horst Geicke , sees

3780-542: The budget of the European Union be cut, saying his country was paying most for European "waste." He later moderated his views when his government held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 1999. In 2003, Schröder and Chirac agreed to share power in the institutions of the European Union between a President of the European Commission , elected by the European Parliament , and

3885-598: The donations scandal of his Christian Democratic opposition to push through a landmark tax reform bill and re-establish his dominance of the German political scene. Schröder's tenure oversaw the seat of government move from Bonn to Berlin . In May 2001, Schröder moved to his new official residence, the Federal Chancellery in Berlin , almost two years after the city became the seat of the German Government. He had previously been working out of

3990-628: The flight and expulsion of Germans after World War II . Following his Abitur , Steinmeier did his military service from 1974 to 1976, then studied law and political science at the Justus Liebig University Giessen , where Brigitte Zypries was a fellow student. In 1982 he passed his first and in 1986 his second state examination in law. Steinmeier worked as a scientific assistant to the professor of public law and political science at Giessen University until he obtained his doctorate of law in 1991. His dissertation explored

4095-612: The protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , Steinmeier condemned what he called "brutal actions" against demonstrators in Tehran and summoned the Iranian ambassador Alireza Sheikhattar to explain. After Germany had only narrowly managed to avoid a deficit warning from the European Commission in 2002, Schröder and Steinmeier became

4200-524: The "strategic partnership" between Berlin and Moscow, including the opening of a gas pipeline over the Baltic Sea exclusively between Russia and Germany (see "Gazprom controversy" below). During his time in office, he visited the country five times. Schröder was criticised in the media, and subsequently by Angela Merkel, for calling Putin a "flawless democrat" on 22 November 2004, only days before Putin prematurely congratulated Viktor Yanukovich during

4305-477: The 1994 and 1998 state elections. He was subsequently also appointed to the supervisory board of Volkswagen , the largest company in Lower Saxony and of which the state of Lower Saxony is a major stockholder. Following his election as Minister-President in 1990, Schröder also became a member of the board of the federal SPD. In 1997 and 1998, he served as President of the Bundesrat . Between 1994 and 1998, he

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4410-570: The 2002 election, the SPD steadily lost support in opinion polls. Many increasingly perceived Schröder's Third Way program to be a dismantling of the German welfare state . Moreover, Germany's high unemployment rate remained a serious problem for the government. Schröder's tax policies were also unpopular; when the satirical radio show The Gerd Show released The Tax Song ( Der Steuersong ), featuring Schröder's voice (by impressionist Elmar Brandt ) lampooning Germany's indirect taxation , it became Germany's 2002 Christmas #1 hit and sold over

4515-422: The 24 February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , at which time Chancellor Olaf Scholz ended it. In 2015, Steinmeier hosted a meeting of the delegations from Libya's two rival governments, who were battling for control of the country, and United Nations Special Representative Bernardino León to discuss a UN-sponsored peace and power-sharing proposal despite splits among some of the parties. Steinmeier later

4620-449: The CSU's Edmund Stoiber . On 10 October, it was announced that the parties had agreed to form a grand coalition. Schröder agreed to cede the chancellorship to Merkel, but the SPD would hold the majority of government posts and retain considerable control of government policy. Merkel was elected chancellor on 22 November. On 11 October 2005, Schröder announced that he would not take a post in

4725-739: The Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999. In 2004, he and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao established a secure, direct telephone line. He also pressed for the lifting of the EU arms embargo on China. After leaving public office, Schröder represented Germany at the funeral services for Boris Yeltsin in Moscow (jointly with Horst Köhler and Helmut Kohl , 2007) and Fidel Castro in Santiago de Cuba (jointly with Egon Krenz , 2016). Schröder and Kurt Biedenkopf served as mediators in

4830-575: The Deutsches Haus as the main address for German, Central European and global companies and investors in Vietnam and ASEAN. Since September 2018, there are three Buddy Bears in the lobby of the Deutsches Haus, symbolizing the bond between Germany and Vietnam, whose motifs show different aspects of the German-Vietnamese relationship. In January 2024, German Federal President Steinmeier (as he did before as Federal Foreign Minister) visited

4935-707: The Deutsches Haus in Ho Chi Minh City. In October 2015 was the official groundbreaking ceremony in the presence of international guests from the political, societal, and economic fields. Also in 2015, the project was also distinguished as the Best Office Development and Best Green Development by the Vietnam Property Awards . In 2016, the Deutsche Haus received the award for Best Green Building Development at

5040-549: The Deutsches Haus with a delegation and meetings were held with Vietnamese politicians and the German-Vietnamese business community. The architectural concept expresses Germany's leading role as an industrial and technological nation through transparency and structured nature, economic construction, and energy efficiency. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the building will set new standards for energy efficiency and environmental building standards in Vietnam by

5145-504: The EU in 2016, he argued that the union lacked the cohesion to undertake major new integration steps and should instead focus on migration, high youth unemployment and security. At the same time, Steinmeier worked to develop new formats and revive new ones. In December 2014, he met with the foreign ministers from the three Nordic countries Denmark , Finland and Sweden – Margot Wallström , Erkki Tuomioja and Martin Lidegaard – for

5250-458: The European Union in the first half of 2007. Following Franz Müntefering 's departure from the cabinet on 21 November 2007, Steinmeier also filled the position of Vice-Chancellor . During his time in office, Steinmeier was widely regarded as having good working relations with Angela Merkel but often taking a different stance on foreign affairs. By and large, he allowed Merkel to set the pace in foreign policy., working harmoniously with her on

5355-606: The German government at the funeral service for King Hussein of Jordan in Amman on 9 February 1999. When British planes joined United States forces bombing Iraq without consulting the United Nations Security Council in December 1998, Schröder pledged "unlimited solidarity". But, along with French President Jacques Chirac and many other world leaders, Schröder later spoke out strongly against

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5460-407: The Iraq war without a UN mandate. In the summer of 2002, during the federal election campaign, he proclaimed the "German Way" as an alternative to the "American warmongering" in Iraq and presented Germany as a peace power. In May 2019 at WORLD.MINDS in Belgrade, 20 years to the day after the bombing of Belgrade by NATO troops, Schröder stated unequivocally that in retrospect, if he had to make

5565-473: The Nazi regime and appointed Otto Graf Lambsdorff to represent German industry in the negotiations with survivors' organisations, American lawyers and the US government. Schröder sent forces to Kosovo and to Afghanistan as part of NATO operations. Until Schröder's chancellorship, German troops had not taken part in combat actions since World War II . At the beginning of the Iraq crisis, Schröder declared in March 2002 that Germany would not take part in

5670-413: The Reformed Bethlehem congregation in Berlin-Neukölln . He was baptized into his father's church (the Church of Lippe ) as a youth. Steinmeier became an adviser in 1991 for Law of Communication media and media guidelines in the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony in Hanover . In 1993, he became director of the Personal Office for the prime minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder . In 1996, he became

5775-514: The SPD and SI chairman, who reviewed Olle & Wolter at that time, had just asked for more books on the subject. In 1985, Schröder met the GDR leader Erich Honecker during a visit to East Berlin . In the 1986 Lower Saxony state election , Schröder was elected to the Landtag of Lower Saxony and became leader of the SPD group. After the SPD won the state elections in June 1990, Schröder became Minister-President of Lower Saxony as head of an SPD- Greens coalition; in this position, he also won

5880-481: The SPD parliamentary group. He also became chairman of the SPD Hanover district. Considered ambitious from early on in his political career, it was widely reported and never denied, that in 1982, a drunken Schröder stood outside the West German federal chancellery yelling: "I want to get in." That same year, he wrote an article on the idea of a red/green coalition for a book at Olle & Wolter, Berlin; this appeared later in Die Zeit . Chancellor Willy Brandt ,

5985-419: The SPD's decisive defeat in the elections – the party's worst performance since World War II by then – Steinmeier, who had been elected to represent Brandenburg an der Havel – Potsdam-Mittelmark I – Havelland III – Teltow-Fläming I , was elected Peter Struck 's successor as chairman of the SPD's parliamentary group in the Bundestag , and as such leader of the opposition. After a hospitalization for donating

6090-418: The SPD's leading Russia expert and the deputy foreign minister, Steinmeier initiated Germany's so-called Partnership for Modernization with Russia (announced in 2008), which became an official EU policy in 2010. Pressed by lawmakers to say more on his attitude toward Russia in the wake of the high-profile murders of opposition figures Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko at a January 2007 hearing at

6195-488: The Secretary of State and head of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony. Steinmeier was appointed in November 1998 as Secretary of State, a junior Chancellery bureaucrat, and Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services at the office of the chancellor following Schröder's election victory . He replaced Bodo Hombach as the head of the office of the chancellor in 1999, after the later entered European Union politics. He held onto his Secretary of State rank and therefore

6300-509: The Social Democratic Party in 1963. In 1978 he became the federal chairman of the Young Socialists , the youth organisation of the SPD. He spoke for the dissident Rudolf Bahro , as did President Jimmy Carter , Herbert Marcuse , and Wolf Biermann . In 1980, Schröder was elected to the German Bundestag (federal parliament), where he wore a sweater instead of the traditional suit. Under the leadership of successive chairmen Herbert Wehner (1980–83) and Hans-Jochen Vogel (1983–86), he served in

6405-416: The United States as the world's most competitive economy by 2010. Instead, he urged the EU to reform the Pact to encourage growth, and to seek the reorientation of the €100,000,000,000 annual EU budget towards research and innovation. By 2005, he had successfully pushed for an agreement on sweeping plans to rewrite the Pact, which now allowed EU members with deficits above the original 3% of GDP limit to cite

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6510-419: The building in eastern Berlin used by the former leaders of East Germany . Throughout the build-up to the 2002 German election , the Social Democrats and the Green Party trailed the centre-right candidate Edmund Stoiber until the catastrophe caused by rising floodwater in Germany led to an improvement in his polling numbers. Furthermore, his popular opposition to a war in Iraq dominated campaigning in

6615-552: The coalition, which would have continued the policies of Schröder's government, but had objected to Angela Merkel replacing him as chancellor. The conference voted overwhelmingly to approve the deal. In his first term, Schröder's government decided to phase out nuclear power , fund renewable energies , institute civil unions for same-sex partners, and liberalise the naturalization law. During Schröder's time in office, economic growth slowed to only 0.2% in 2002 and Gross Domestic Product shrank in 2003, while German unemployment

6720-452: The costs of "the reunification of Europe" as a mitigating factor. Schröder was regarded a strong ally of Prime Minister Leszek Miller of Poland and supporter of the 2004 enlargement of the European Union . On 1 August 2004, the sixtieth anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising , he apologised to Poland for "the immeasurable suffering" of its people during the conflict; he was the first German Chancellor to be invited to an anniversary of

6825-400: The decision again, he would authorize the aerial bombardment of the former Yugoslavia again. Schröder said that "the easiest solution would be to first accept Serbia into the European Union and then within, as an integral part the EU, find a solution [to the Kosovo issue]." With Germany having a long experience with terrorism itself, Schröder declared solidarity with the United States after

6930-435: The driving forces behind weakening the Stability and Growth Pact , a rule-based framework for the coordination of national fiscal policies originally intended as the guarantor of a stable euro. In a joint article in the Financial Times on 14 December 2010, Steinmeier and Peer Steinbrück proposed to solve the European debt crisis with "a combination of a haircut for debt holders, debt guarantees for stable countries and

7035-438: The elections, neither Schröder's SPD-Green coalition nor the alliance between CDU/CSU and the FDP led by Angela Merkel achieved a majority in parliament, but the CDU/CSU had a stronger popular electoral lead by one percentage point. On election night, both Schröder and Merkel claimed victory and chancellorship, but after initially ruling out a grand coalition with Merkel, Schröder and Müntefering entered negotiations with her and

7140-415: The established Social Democratic political tradition of Wandel durch Handel . Schröder also began seeking a resolution ways to compensate Nazi-era slave labourers almost as soon as he was elected chancellor. Reversing the hard-line stance of his predecessor, Helmut Kohl , he agreed to the government contributing alongside industry to a fund that would compensate people forced to work in German factories by

7245-417: The expanded EU of 25 member states and widened the areas of collective action. Also in 2003, both Schröder and Chirac forced a suspension of sanctions both faced for breaching the European Union's fiscal rules that underpin the euro – the Stability and Growth Pact – for three years in a row. Schröder later called for a revision of the Lisbon Strategy and thereby a retreat from Europe's goal of overtaking

7350-518: The fortieth anniversary of the Elysée Treaty , both sides agreed that rather than summits being held twice a year, there would now be regular meetings of a council of French and German ministers overseen by their respective foreign affairs ministers. In an unprecedented move, Chirac formally agreed to represent Schröder in his absence at a European Council meeting in October 2003. In his first months in office, Schröder vigorously demanded that Germany's net annual contribution of about $ 12,000,000,000 to

7455-415: The ground floor area to both street fronts and connect the entries with the different lobbies and areas. The building complex is also called Deutsches Haus HCMC or Deutsches Haus in Vietnam . The owner is Deutsches Haus Vietnam Invest Ltd. , a consortium of investors . The British, French and US consulates-general are located next to Deutsches Haus. The Federal Republic of Germany originally bought

7560-444: The latter and opted not to join the board of Russian state-run gas company Gazprom . He also had roles as a global manager for investment bank Rothschild , and as chairman of the board of football club Hannover 96 . After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Schröder was criticized for his policies towards Vladimir Putin 's government, his work for Russian state-owned companies, and his lobbying on behalf of Russia. In March 2022,

7665-591: The limited introduction of European-wide bonds in the medium term, accompanied by more aligned fiscal policies". In February 2011, Steinmeier proposed Steinbrück as a candidate to lead the European Central Bank. Under Steinmeier's parliamentary leadership, the Social Democrats raised pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel to agree to more burden-sharing to stem the euro zone crisis , repeatedly calling on her to assume greater risks to avert

7770-496: The ministry or abroad. Over the course of 2014, Steinmeier alternated with Merkel as Germany's most popular politician in polls of eligible voters. In light of criticism from the United States, Steinmeier stood firm on Germany's approach in the Russo-Ukrainian War , where it was balancing support for European economic sanctions on Russia with leaving the door open to a revived partnership. In May 2014, he proposed

7875-697: The move and announced legal action over reports he would be paid between €200,000 (£134,000) and €1m a year. In 2022 he was reportedly paid about $ 270,000 a year as chairman of the shareholder committee. Only a few days after his chancellorship, Schröder joined the board of directors of the Nord Stream joint venture, thus bringing about new speculations about his prior objectivity. In his memoirs Decisions: My Life in Politics , Schröder still defends his friend and political ally, and states that "it would be wrong to place excessive demands on Russia when it comes to

7980-555: The new cabinet and, in November, he confirmed that he would leave politics as soon as Merkel took office. On 23 November 2005, he resigned his Bundestag seat. On 14 November 2005, at a SPD conference in Karlsruhe , Schröder urged members of the SPD to support the proposed coalition, saying it "carries unmistakably, perhaps primarily, the imprint of the Social Democrats". Many SPD members had previously indicated that they supported

8085-490: The new grand coalition government, Steinmeier was appointed foreign minister for a second time in December 2013. He replaced Guido Westerwelle , who had signed the P5+1 accord with Iran in November 2013. His deputies are Michael Roth (SPD) and Maria Böhmer (CDU). Upon taking office, Steinmeier initiated an ambitious review of Germany's foreign policy, holding meetings nationwide and drawing in more than 12,000 people who work at

8190-561: The party's campaign to unseat incumbent Helmut Kohl as chancellor. During the campaign, Schröder served as shadow minister of economic affairs, energy and transport. In 1996, Schröder caused controversy by taking a free ride on the Volkswagen corporate jet to attend the Vienna Opera Ball , along with Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piëch . The following year, he nationalized a big steel mill in Lower Saxony to preserve jobs. In

8295-409: The political independence and public trust in the German central bank. In late 2012, Steinmeier was once again considered a possible candidate to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in the 2013 general election, but soon withdrew from the contest. As a consequence, SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel later announced that the leadership agreed to nominate Peer Steinbrück . After the elections of 2013 and

8400-510: The property in 1960. After a dispossession in 1975, Germany regained the usage right to the property in 2011. Frank-Walter Steinmeier Frank-Walter Steinmeier ( German: [ˈfʁaŋkˌvaltɐ ˈʃtaɪnˌmaɪ.ɐ] ; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, as well as vice chancellor of Germany from 2007 to 2009. Steinmeier

8505-498: The rate of domestic political reform and democratic development, or to judge it solely on the basis of the Chechnya conflict." Schröder's continued close connection to Vladimir Putin and his government after his chancellorship has been widely criticized in Germany. During his time in office, Schröder visited China six times. He was the first Western politician to travel to Beijing and apologise after NATO jets had mistakenly bombed

8610-538: The release of a German citizen who was imprisoned in Iran for illegally entering the country's waters on a fishing expedition. Steinmeier served as acting chairman of the SPD from 7 September 2008 to 18 October 2008. Domestically, throughout his term he was the only major politician with approval ratings consistently as high as or higher than Merkel's. This was helped by the especially high ratings foreign ministers generally receive in Germany. On 7 September 2008, following

8715-477: The resignation of SPD chairman Kurt Beck , Steinmeier was chosen as the SPD candidate for chancellor for the 2009 federal elections and also designated as acting SPD Chairman, pending the return of Müntefering to that position. In his election campaign, he argued for new tax rules to deter high executive pay and bonuses, and for minimum wages to slow the growing gap between Germany's highest and lowest earners. He also focused on improving public healthcare. After

8820-779: The restored Reichstag, to applause he quoted Albanian writer Ismail Kadare , saying: "The Balkans is the yard of the European house, and in no house can peace prevail so long as people kill each other in its yard." In a move meant to signal a deepening alliance between Schröder and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, the two leaders issued an eighteen-page manifesto for economic reform in June 1999. Titled "Europe: The Third Way", or "Die Neue Mitte" in German, it called on Europe's centre-left governments to cut taxes, pursue labour and welfare reforms and encourage entrepreneurship. The joint paper said European governments needed to adopt

8925-471: The right wing of the SPD, known as reformists and moderates. As chief of staff, he was a principal architect of Agenda 2010 , the Schröder government's reforms of the welfare state. His lenient policies toward countries such as Russia and China have earned him criticism both in Germany and internationally, and he has been criticized for prioritizing German business interests over human rights. Steinmeier

9030-664: The run-up to the polls. At 22 September 2002 vote, he secured another four-year term, with a narrow nine-seat majority down from 21. In February 2004, Schröder resigned as chairman of the SPD amid growing criticism from across his own party of his reform agenda; Franz Müntefering succeeded him as chairman. On 22 May 2005, after the SPD lost to the Christian Democrats (CDU) in North Rhine-Westphalia , Gerhard Schröder announced he would call federal elections "as soon as possible". A motion of confidence

9135-685: The so-called "N3 + 1" format to discuss issues of common concern for the first time. In August 2016, he joined French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in pledging to "reinvigorate" the Weimar Triangle and published a document 'A strong Europe in a world of uncertainties'. Between 2014 and 2016, he visited the three Baltic states – Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania – six times, the highest number of visits by any German Foreign Minister. Gerhard Schr%C3%B6der Gerhard Fritz Kurt " Gerd " Schröder ( German: [ˈɡeːɐ̯haʁt fʁɪts kʊʁt ˈʃʁøːdɐ] ; born 7 April 1944)

9240-455: The state's role in preventing homelessness. Steinmeier is married and has one daughter. On 24 August 2010, he donated a kidney to his wife Elke Büdenbender . In 2015, Steinmeier served as best man at the wedding of Rüdiger Grube and Cornelia Poletto in Hamburg. Steinmeier enjoys jazz , and is an avid football fan. Steinmeier is a Reformed Protestant and an active member of

9345-476: The time, 40 per cent of German demand was satisfied by Russian supply. In May 2008, he became the first foreign official to hold talks with President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after they took up their new positions following the 2008 Russian presidential election . In 2006, Foreign Affairs published an analysis of the state of US and Russian nuclear forces, concluding that post-Cold War US nuclear forces seemed designed to carry out

9450-422: The uprising. Both Schröder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also supported the accession of Turkey to the European Union . Marking a clear break with the caution of German foreign policy since World War II, Schröder laid out in 1999 his vision of the country's international role, describing Germany as "a great power in Europe" that would not hesitate to pursue its national interests. Schröder also continued

9555-413: The use of ecological building materials in combination with the latest technology from Germany. A double facade is adapted to the climatic conditions of the country and will contribute significantly to energy savings. A glass facade signals openness to the urban environment. The two buildings which are different in height are interconnected by “glass joints.” An arcade will open the high-rise buildings on

9660-546: The war's unpopularity). On his first official trip to Russia in late 1998, Schröder suggested that Germany was not likely to come up with more aid for the country. He also sought to detach himself from the close personal relationship that his predecessor, Helmut Kohl , had with Russian President Boris Yeltsin , saying that German-Russian relations should "develop independently of concrete political figures." Soon after, however, he cultivated close ties with Yeltsin's successor, President Vladimir Putin , in an attempt to strengthen

9765-456: Was Kurnaz released and brought back to Germany. On 22 November 2005, after the 2005 federal elections , Steinmeier became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Grand coalition cabinet led by Angela Merkel . He was the first SPD Foreign Minister since Willy Brandt (1966–1969). Upon taking office, Steinmeier led the preparations for Germany taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of

9870-432: Was a lawyer before becoming a full-time politician, and he was Minister President of Lower Saxony (1990–1998) before becoming chancellor. Following the 2005 federal election , which his party lost, and after three weeks of negotiations, he stood down as chancellor in favour of Angela Merkel of the rival Christian Democratic Union . He was chairman of the board of Nord Stream AG and of Rosneft but in 2022 resigned from

9975-424: Was also chairman of Lower Saxonian SPD. During Schröder's time in office, first in coalition with the environmentalist Green Party, then with a clear majority, Lower Saxony became one of the most deficit-ridden of Germany's 16 federal states and unemployment rose higher than the national average of 12 percent. Ahead of the 1994 elections , SPD chairman Rudolf Scharping included Schröder in his shadow cabinet for

10080-588: Was appointed Under-Secretary of State in the German Chancellery with the responsibility for the intelligence services . From 1999 to 2005 he served as Chief of Staff of the Chancellery . Following the 2005 federal election , Steinmeier became foreign minister in the first grand coalition government of Angela Merkel , and from 2007 he additionally held the office of vice chancellor. In 2008, he briefly served as acting chairman of his party. He

10185-632: Was born in 1956 in Detmold . Although his full name is Frank-Walter, his friends call him Frank. His father, a carpenter, was affiliated with the Church of Lippe (one of Germany's few Calvinist regional church bodies , and a member church of the Protestant Church of Germany ). His mother, born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland ), came as a refugee from a Lutheran part of Silesia during

10290-616: Was chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2016. Steinmeier is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), holds a doctorate in law and was formerly a career civil servant. He was a close aide of Gerhard Schröder when Schröder was minister-president of Lower Saxony during most of the 1990s, and served as Schröder's chief of staff from 1996. When Schröder became Chancellor of Germany in 1998, Steinmeier

10395-736: Was instrumental in convening the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) and the Syria peace talks in Vienna in October 2015, drawing together Saudi Arabia ; its main regional rival, Iran ; as well as Russia, the United States and other Western powers and regional actors including Turkey and Iraq . In the past, Human Rights Watch has labeled Steinmeier as " Realpolitik advocate", for whom, "when it comes to defining his relationship with countries" such as Russia, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia , "human rights play only

10500-631: Was nicknamed Die Graue Effizienz ( lit.   ' the grey efficiency ' ) – a pun on Graue Eminenz , the German for grey eminence . As Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services (a title often held by the Head of the Chancellery) Steinmeier was responsible for co-ordinating Germany's intelligence services. In 2003, he supported Schröder in his controversial decision to forge

10605-483: Was over the 10% mark. Most voters soon associated Schröder with the Agenda 2010 reform program, which included cuts in the social welfare system ( national health insurance , unemployment payments , pensions), lower taxes, and reformed regulations on employment and payment. He also eliminated capital gains tax on the sale of corporate stocks in an attempt to make the country more attractive to foreign investors. After

10710-548: Was seen as a widening political gap between the US and Europe. Bush stated in his memoirs that Schröder initially promised to support the Iraq war but changed his mind with the upcoming German elections and public opinion strongly against the invasion, to which Schröder responded saying that Bush was "not telling the truth". When asked in March 2003 if he was self-critical about his position on Iraq, Schröder replied, "I very much regret there were excessive statements" from himself and former members of his government (which capitalised on

10815-583: Was subsequently defeated in the Bundestag on 1 July 2005 by 151 to 296 (with 148 abstaining), after Schröder urged members not to vote for his government in order to trigger new elections. In response, a grouping of left-wing SPD dissidents and the Party of Democratic Socialism agreed to run on a joint ticket in the general election, with Schröder's rival Oskar Lafontaine leading the new group. The 2005 German federal elections were held on 18 September. After

10920-428: Was the SPD's candidate for chancellor in the 2009 federal election , but his party lost the election and he left the federal cabinet to become leader of the opposition. Following the 2013 federal election , he again became Minister for Foreign Affairs in Merkel's second grand coalition. In November 2016 he was announced as the candidate for President of Germany of the governing coalition, consisting of his own party and

11025-413: Was the only Head of the Chancellery to not be appointed Minister for Special Affairs, i. e. does not have cabinet rank, from 1984 to today. During this period Steinmeier was also one of the advisors to Schröder. He was crucial in securing a red-green majority in parliament for Schröder's contentious " Agenda 2010 " of economic reforms. Because of his effective management beyond the spotlight of politics, he

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