The Local Germany

German President 'very worried' about Trump and US-EU legacy

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 16:08:10 +0100

Outgoing President Joachim Gauck criticized US President Donald Trump in an interview on Friday, saying the American leader is calling into question what the US and Europe have worked towards together.

Germany’s democracy is in danger, says President

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 18:35:27 +0100

Outgoing President Joachim Gauck warned in a talk on Wednesday that his country's democracy is at risk amid major international shifts, including Donald Trump becoming US President on Friday.

Merkel's coalition at odds over next presidential candidate

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 10:18:54 +0100

Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners appeared more divided than ever on Sunday in their search for a joint candidate to be Germany's next president, highlighting the tensions between the parties ahead of next year's general election.

Police investigate after 'Nazi knifeman' threatens President

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 10:32:49 +0200

German President Joachim Gauck was confronted by some aggressive right-wing extremists during an official weekend visit to Saxony, including one man carrying a knife.

President tells Greece sorry for Nazi crimes

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 18:16:00 +0100

President Joachim Gauck begged forgiveness for Nazi war crimes at the end of his visit to Greece on Friday, in one of the clearest appeals to victims' families ever uttered by a German head of state.

Far-right complains over president 'loony' label

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 13:37:00 +0100

Germany's highest court heard a case on Tuesday on whether President Joachim Gauck was right to call a far-right anti immigrant group "loonies".

BMW donation to Merkel party sparks fears

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 13:40:00 +0200

Anti-corruption campaigners called on German President Joachim Gauck on Wednesday to clamp down on donations to political parties from big business after Angela Merkel's CDU accepted nearly €700,000 from BMW.

'He can flirt like you wouldn't believe'

Thu, 03 Oct 2013 16:21:00 +0200

Joachim Gauck was a popular figure even before he was selected as German President. Now a biography promises to show a new angle to the pastor, human rights activist and revolutionary. He is our German of the Week.

Leaders join hands at Nazi massacre site

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:18:00 +0200

The presidents of Germany and France on Wednesday joined hands with a survivor of the Nazis' worst atrocity on French soil in a historic moment of reconciliation.

President to visit French Nazi massacre site

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 17:40:00 +0200

Joachim Gauck and his French counterpart Francois Hollande will make a historic visit on Wednesday to a ghost village in west-central France where 642 people were massacred by Nazi soldiers in one of the worst atrocities during World War II.

German President 'wary of email' post scandal

Fri, 26 Jul 2013 11:42:00 +0200

German President Joachim Gauck said on Friday he had been so deeply troubled by the NSA spying revelations that he had wondered whether it was still safe to send emails and talk openly on the phone.

President: dodging tax is 'anti-social'

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:26:00 +0200

German President Joachim Gauck had harsh words for tax evaders on Thursday, whom he called “irresponsible” and “anti-social”. The rare political intervention for Germany's head of state came in the wake of a high profile tax-dodging scandal.

Suspected letter bomb to president found harmless

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:49:00 +0200

The police on Friday detonated a suspected letter bomb sent to the official residence of Germany's president in Berlin. It later turned out to be harmless.

President 'feels sorry' for ousted predecessor

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:19:00 +0100

German President Joachim Gauck, who celebrated his first year in office on Monday, has said he felt sorry for his beleaguered predecessor Christian Wulff and his now ex-wife Bettina.

'Europe will fail without a common narrative'

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0100

Germany's president has presented a vision for Europe that fills a leadership void left by Chancellor Angela Merkel and could possibly even show the EU the way out of its current crisis, comments ZEIT ONLINE's Ludwig Greven.

Gauck seeks to quell Europe's German fears

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:17:00 +0100

Germany is not seeking to impose its will on the rest of the European Union, the country's president said on Friday, also urging Britain to stay inside the Europe it helped "save" after World War II.

Gauck: Refugees offer hope for German future

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0100

President Joachim Gauck has called on Germans to see refugees and immigrants as a chance for the country's future, saying they should be welcomed with open arms as they could help maintain living standards for coming generations.

Olympic hero in doghouse over shooting

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:43:00 +0100

German Olympic hero David Storl, who won the shot put silver medal at London 2012, has been denied a state honour from the president because of an unfortunate incident with a dog and an air rifle.

President moves 'ugly' portraits of predecessors

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:19:00 +0100

President Joachim Gauck has moved a new series of portraits of his predecessors to a side room in the Bellevue palace, after a series of complaints from visitors that the paintings were ugly. The artist was unimpressed.

Gauck remembers Czech massacre victims

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:33:00 +0200

German President Joachim Gauck paid tribute on Wednesday to the Czech victims of a 1942 Nazi massacre that razed a village near Prague in retaliation for the assassination of a senior Nazi.