Germany Votes 2025 – Volume 5 – Beyond Berlin: International Issues Driving the Election Debate
Download a PDF of this articleWelcome to the 5th Volume of Germany Votes 2025!
Germany’s Federal Election is more than a national event — it’s a defining moment with European implications and beyond. As the EU’s largest economy, Germany’s choices will shape migration, defense, climate, and economic policies across the bloc. At the same time, geopolitical shifts have also thrust foreign policy into the spotlight on the national level. In this edition, we explore how foreign policy drives the German election and its potential impact on the EU, along with an in-depth look at extremist parties like the AfD and BSW. Stay informed and ahead of the curve!
Germany’s Federal Election is more than a national event — it’s a defining moment with European implications and beyond. As the EU’s largest economy, Germany’s choices will shape migration, defense, climate, and economic policies across the bloc. At the same time, geopolitical shifts have also thrust foreign policy into the spotlight on the national level. In this edition, we explore how foreign policy drives the German election and its potential impact on the EU, along with an in-depth look at extremist parties like the AfD and BSW. Stay informed and ahead of the curve!
Caroline Mücke-Kemp
Head of Public & Government Affairs Germany
In a nutshell:
- Foreign policy week: Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ (SPD) and CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz’ visits to Kyiv, along with the ousting of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, have thrust foreign policy to the forefront of German politics. Combined with the re-election of Donald Trump, these issues are set to dominate the foreign policy discourse in the upcoming election campaign.
- Election outlook: Current polling indicates a high likelihood of a CDU/CSU-led coalition with the SPD, potentially marking the end of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) political career after the election.
- A new role for Germany in Europe: “The German Federal Election could shift political discourse rightward, see a potential CDU-led government align with EU on migration and defense, increase investment via relaxed debt rules, and reshape Franco-German dynamics,” opine Hans Hack, Head of FTI Office
Brussels, and Kerstin Duhme, Head of Energy and Industrials Brussels.
Days left until German Federal Election on 23 February 2025
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Without a change in policy, ‘we are threatened with election results in 2029 that could bring extreme forces to power like the AfD'
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