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Germany’s Scholz to give televised speech on Sunday

The German Chancellor will address the nation on Sunday evening on the 77th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Published: 7 May 2022 16:24 CEST

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is waiting for the arrival of India's Prime Minister Modi for the German-Indian government consultations.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is waiting for the arrival of India's Prime Minister Modi for the German-Indian government consultations. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will address the people of Germany in a televised speech on Sunday, May 8^th – 77 years after the German capitulation which ended the Second World War.

He will talk about the end of the war and the fighting in Ukraine, which he described earlier in the week as “the greatest catastrophe of our time”.

Government spokeswoman, Christiane Hoffmann, said the Chancellor decided to make the speech because it was a special anniversary and because two countries that had been victims of German aggression in World War II were now at war with each other.

In a speech on Friday, the German Chancellor said that “Russia’s cruel war of aggression and annihilation marks a radical break with the European peace order after the end of the Cold War”.

The commemorative speech, which will be recorded on Sunday afternoon, will be broadcast by ARD at 8.20 pm.

On this historic date, Scholz will also be hosting a digital conference with the other G7 countries to discuss the situation in Ukraine, and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky will also be attending online.

READ ALSO: Zelensky invites Germany’s Scholz and Steinmeier to Kyiv

A wide variety of events and demonstrations are planned to take place across the country on Sunday, and a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry reported that the security services will be keeping a close eye on events.

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Germany's Scholz rejects calls for later retirement in Labour Day message

“For me, it is a question of decency not to deny those who have worked for a long time the retirement they deserve,” said Scholz.

Employees in Germany worked more hours in 2023 than ever before: “That’s why it annoys me when some people talk disparagingly about ‘Germany’s theme park’ – or when people call for raising the retirement age,” he said.

Scholz also warned of creating uncertainty due to new debates about the retirement age. “Younger people who are just starting out in their working lives also have the right to know how long they have to work,” he said.

Scholz did not explicitly say who the criticism was targeted at, but at its party conference last weekend, the coalition partner FDP called for the abolition of pensions at 63 for those with long-term insurance, angering its government partners SPD and the Greens.

Scholz saw the introduction of the minimum wage nine years ago – and its increase to twelve euros per hour by his government – as a “great success”. “The proportion of poorly paid jobs in our country has shrunk as a result,” he said.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Is it worthwhile to set up a private pension plan in Germany?

However, he said there were still too many people “who work hard for too little money,” highlighting the additional support available through housing benefit, child allowance and the reduction of social security contributions for low earners.

“Good collective wage agreements also ensure that many employees finally have more money in their pockets again,” he added.

And he said that the country wouldn’t “run out of work” in the coming years.

“On the contrary! We need more workers,” he said, explaining that that’s why his government is ensuring “that those who fled to us from Russia’s war in Ukraine get work more quickly.”

Work means “more than making money,” said Scholz. “Work also means: belonging, having colleagues, experiencing recognition and appreciation.”

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