Germany Bundestag election: from Merkel to Scholz?

After the German parliamentary elections, Angela Merkel, who has dominated German and European politics for sixteen years, will begin her final months in office as a caretaker chancellor. The CDU she has led, almost hegemonic in its role in German politics, now fears it is heading to its worst election performance since its foundation. The SPD hope to cling on to a belated revival that could secure them the chancellorship, the Greens hope their own relative resurgence proves durable and the liberal FDP may face some difficult choices about their role in the next government. The German scene seems set for profound changes, with months of coalition haggling ahead. But with a change of players and, maybe, a change of parties, will much really change in German policy?

The panel consisted of Denzil Davidson, Adviser on EU Institutions; Thomas Gratowski, Senior Practice Lead MENA and previous staffer to a member of the Bundestag; and Ana Martinez, Practice Lead in EU Policy. They broke down their predictions of who is most likely to win the elections, what is in the programme of each major party and how these may be affected by coalition compromises, and what all this means for Brussels politics and for the balance of power in Europe.