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Analyses | | Kamil Frymark

Germany the new face of Die Linke

During its party congress in Potsdam (19–21 June), the Left Party (Die Linke) elected a new leadership team. The incumbent chair, Ines Schwerdtner, was re-elected (receiving 86% of the vote, compared with 80% in 2024) and is expected to…
OSW Commentary | | Kamil Frymark, Aleksandra Kozaczyńska

Waiting for reforms the future of the German welfare state

Friedrich Merz won the 2025 election on a promise to rebuild the capacity of the state. He pledged to curb illegal migration, take the initiative in European policy and deliver far-reaching economic and social reforms. While a shift in…
Analyses | | Kamil Frymark

European Commission criticises border controls as Germany rules out their swift removal

In an opinion published on 2 June, the European Commission criticised Germany – along with eight other Schengen states, including France, Italy and the Netherlands – for maintaining internal border controls.
Analyses | | Tadeusz Iwański, Marek Menkiszak, Łukasz Maślanka

The E3 and Ukraine continued pressure on Russia and direct talks with the Kremlin

On 7 June, the leaders of the E3 countries – President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Keir Starmer – met President Volodymyr Zelensky in London to coordinate further support for Ukraine and discuss the…
OSW Commentary | | Krzysztof Dębiec

Deeper reconciliation or reopening old wounds Controversy over the gathering of the German expellee association in the Czech Republic

The annual gathering of the Sudeten German Homeland Association – the largest organisation representing Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia and their descendants – has sparked considerable political controversy and media debate in the…
OSW Report | | Piotr Szymański, Jacek Tarociński

Security cooperation formats in the Baltic Sea Region. Recommendations for the Council of the Baltic Sea States

    Contents Introduction Summary I. Security-related cooperation platforms in the Baltic Sea region
OSW Commentary | | Kamil Frymark, Lidia Gibadło

A new Ostpolitik Ukraine as a priority of the Merz government

One year after the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition took office, the continuation of civilian and military support for Kyiv remains one of the principal directions of German foreign policy.
Analyses | | Jacek Tarociński, Andrzej Kohut, Lidia Gibadło

United States planned reduction of the US military presence in Germany

On 1 May, a spokesperson for the Pentagon announced that the Secretary of Defence (War) had decided to reduce the US military presence in Germany by around 5,000 troops over the next 6 to 12 months, without providing further details.
Analyses | | Kamil Frymark

Germany plans to lift permanent border controls with Luxembourg

Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) announced on 29 April that controls at the border with Luxembourg would be lifted at the beginning of May, with enforcement efforts instead focused on the immediate border area. At…
Analyses | | Justyna Gotkowska, Lidia Gibadło

Horizon of ambition the military strategy and capability profile of the Bundeswehr

On 22 April, Germany’s Ministry of Defence published a public summary of two classified documents: the Military Strategy and the Bundeswehr Capability Profile. The first outlines Germany’s security environment, the nature of contemporary…