A “New Era”? Toward a Realignment of German Foreign Policy after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s speech to the Bundestag on February 27, 2022, announced a new orientation in foreign policy and challenged the principles that had been the consensus in Germany for the past thirty years.
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s speech in the Bundestag marks the beginning of a “new era” in German foreign, security and energy policy.
- The foreign policy incorporates the logic of military deterrence by promising to invest 100 billion euros and to reach the target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product defined within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for defense spending.
- The Russian-Ukrainian war has shown Germany’s energy dependence on Russia, making it likely that Germany’s desired energy transition policy will be modified.
- This turning point for German foreign policy integrates diplomacy and makes Europe the preferred framework for action in order to strengthen the “European sovereignty”.
Paul Maurice is a Research Fellow at the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) at the French Institute of International Relations - Ifri, where he specifically works on issues of foreign and security policy of Germany and Franco-German relations in the context of European integration.
This publication is available in French: "Un « changement d’époque » ? Vers une réorientation de la politique étrangère allemande après l’invasion russe en Ukraine" (pdf)
Author(s)
Paul MAURICE
Secrétaire général du Comité d'études des relations franco-allemandes (Cerfa) de l'Ifri
