The election of Angela Merkel for a third term as German Chancellor is an historic landmark for post-war Germany and Europe, as well as an opportunity for the continent to move forward with more confidence to the next stage of co-operation.
Merkel described her victory at the polls as a vote of confidence in the European Union and “a strong vote for a united Europe”. And she singled out Ireland for praise, saying the country has made “huge progress, not thanks to Germany, but because of its own recognition of the things that had not gone well.”
I see Merkel’s election for a third term as the most important event in post-war German history since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it provides a great opportunity to build a better Europe – an opportunity Ireland should not waste.
It was the reunification of Germany that paved the way for the country to emerge as the most powerful nation in the European Union, and Angela Merkel the most influential European politician today.
Berlin Wall’s fall a high point
On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Chancellor Merkel agreed to walk across the former border crossing at Bornholmer Strasse in northern Berlin accompanied by Lech Walesa, the former Polish president and Michael Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader. It was at that location two decades earlier that guards gave up trying to hold back crowds of East Berliners, among them a young Angela Merkel.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was the high point of the peaceful revolution that had spread rapidly across the countries of eastern Europe during 1989 and transformed the map of the continent almost overnight.
It was a triumph for the people of Europe, who took to the streets demanding change without a shot being fired, and matched the foresight and courage of those who, following the Second World War, took the first steps to launch what is now the European Union.
Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany and the first from the former communist east. She is now by far the most powerful politician in Europe and is capable of providing the lead in taking Europe forward in terms of peace and prosperity and as a key player on the world stage.
Although Merkel’s most recent success at the polls may be party explained by the fact that she is leader of Europe’s richest and most successful economy, and a country with low unemployment, her personal and political qualities must also be recognised.
Her unpretentious manner and non-celebrity style of leadership has won respect across the political spectrum. And her commitment to non-nuclear energy following the Fukushima disaster demonstrated a willingness to learn from experience and make changes.
Historic opportunity
Ireland and the rest of the EU should grasp the historic opportunity of Merkel’s successful re-election to build a better Europe and contribute more effectively to world politics. Germany has come to terms with its history, unlike Britain and France who cannot forget their imperial past, which perhaps explains their commitment to nuclear weapon defence.
Ireland and the network of neutral and non-aligned countries of Europe and the rest of the world have the chance to take this forward and help build a world of peace, one rid of all weapons of mass destruction and where disarmament and non-proliferation are taken seriously.
Michael McGowan is a former MEP and President of the Development Committee of the European Parliament.
