Brussels, 10/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, several European leaders reacted to the information from Germany that the CDU/CSU and SPD negotiators have agreed to form a broad coalition under the leadership of Angela Merkel (CDU President), who will thus become Germany's first woman chancellor.
Commission President José Manuel Barroso's spokesperson told the press on Monday that, if this (a broad coalition headed by Ms Merkel) is confirmed, then the president will be pleased that the political parties on both sides have come to an agreement to reach a solution that gives Germany a strong and stable government. “The nomination of a chancellor is good news (…), and the president is pleased that the waiting period is now over”, she added, before going on to state that Mr Barroso is delighted that he will have to work with Angela Merkel, whom he knows well.
The president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, said it was important for the two main German parties to reach an agreement on the composition of the future government. He went on to say in a press release that he congratulated Ms Merkel, who will also be the first woman chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. He pointed out that many European issues requiring urgent decisions have been left pending but that he is now convinced the next government will do everything it can to get things moving again. Mr Borrell also announced that he will invite the future chancellor to the European Parliament (once she has been officially elected by the Bundestag) so that she may present the course she intends to follow and her government's future European policy to MEPs.
EU High Representative for CFSP Javier Solana also congratulated Angela Merkel for her nomination at the head of the new government. He told the press that the very first thing he must do is congratulate her, wishing her all the best for herself, the new government and the German people.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stressed it was very important that a woman should become chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. During a joint press conference, on Monday in Brussels, Messrs Solana and De Hoop Scheffer nonetheless refused to speculate on the future policy of the new Germany government and on the possible impact this policy would have on the European Union and on the Atlantic Alliance.
The president of he European Council, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, also congratulated Ms Merkel. According to his spokesman, Blair had, on Monday, already stated his wish to have a first telephone contact with Ms Merkel.