German Chancellor, Olaf Schultz, Used his inaugural speech in Parliament to promise to defeat the pandemic and resolve the “few hateful extremists” who tried to overthrow the government’s coronavirus measures.
In an extensive speech, he said “There is a lot to do” and “There is no time to waste.” Scholz also acknowledged the huge challenge Germany The challenges faced in responding to climate emergencies include many people’s concerns that the transition to climate neutrality may have an impact on their lives.
He promised to “fairly distribute” costs and said everyone will benefit from the “safety and security” of switching to renewable energy. But he said that the vast majority of people must support the government’s commitment to stop using fossil fuels 7 years ahead of schedule—Germany’s 250-year prosperity is based on fossil fuels—so that the transition can work. He said that private investment supported by government subsidies will also become the core of encouraging climate-neutral innovation.
Scholz, his three-party coalition government is composed of his Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the pro-business FDP Took office a week ago, And also pay tribute to his predecessor Angela Merkel. He thanked her for her “calm attitude” for smoothly transitioning the power of the government to his government, and praised her for being “modest and unpretentious.” He said that the level of civilization of the transition “was admired by the whole world and won the respect of many people around the world.”
In his 90-minute speech, Schultz urged Germans to get vaccinated so that the country “returns to normal” and emphasized the need to work together to defeat the virus.
So far, less than 70% of Germans have received double spurs, while 26% have received booster doses.
In the first 10 minutes of his speech, he condemned the “denial of the truth, absurd conspiracy theories, wanton disinformation, and extremists who are prepared for violence” that led to the low vaccination rate in Germany. His tone was clearly more pandemic than Merkel. Scholz said he did not understand why although every adult in Germany can use two jabs and those who are the most vulnerable can use a strengthened jab, there are still many people who have not yet accepted the offer.
“If they have, we can control the pandemic now,” he said. “Then we can use our old freedom to experience a meaningful Christmas.”
He specifically attacked protesters trying to undermine the government’s measures to contain Covid-19, just as the focus on Wednesday was the emergence of reports about a conspiracy by coronavirus deniers to murder the leader of Saxony. This led to a police raid on MondayRecently, a torch parade was held outside the home of the Minister of Health of Saxony, and a series of death threats were issued to mayors and other public figures across Germany.
Scholz stated that he would not allow “a few extremists to try to impose their will on our society as a whole” and emphasized that “our democracy is ready to defend itself and know how to do it.”
Schultz emphasized his government’s determination to transcend the pandemic and developed his transportation plan, including increasing the number of trains, reviving abandoned train stations, and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
More affordable housing also occupies an important place on his agenda, including adding new buildings and introducing a ceiling for rent increases.
He called Germany a country of immigrants, and said that in the future it will be easier for people to become German citizens and be able to vote, and that multiple nationalities will also be possible to reflect “the reality of many people.”
He said that a minimum wage of 12 euros per hour will be implemented from next year and emphasized how the pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of various types of workers.
He also announced greater efforts to combat organized crime, political extremism and tax evasion, but said that the biggest threat to German democracy comes from right-wing extremism.
In a series of foreign policy issues including China and NATO, consistent with his predecessor, he stated that the success of the European project remains Germany’s “most important national concern”. He said that European unity is essential to oppose the “highly concerned” army build-up on the Ukrainian-Russian border.
