Welcome
#GemeinsamStark Tour of Germany: Dialogue with Foreign Minister Baerbock
In Chemnitz, Foreign Minister Baerbock and Wladimir Klitschko talked to the people about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, © Kira Hofmann/photothek.de
Foreign Minister Baerbock is meeting with members of the public, companies and associations across Germany from 13 to 21 July. The aim is to hear what they have to say and to work on solutions together. For only together can we be strong – as a country and as a society.
The tour focuses on resilience in the face of the varied foreign, security and European policy challenges of our times.
Germany’s future is something we will all build together – politicians along with innovative entrepreneurs and scientists, and the countless people who serve our country in a voluntary capacity, be it in sports clubs, in volunteer fire brigades, or in integration or anti-racism projects in their own neighbourhoods. I look forward to discussing the issues openly and honestly with them in the coming days.“
– Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
The agenda
The first stop on the tour is in Dresden on 13 July, where Foreign Minister Baerbock and Economics Minister Habeck are to visit a plant owned by Infineon, one of the biggest semiconductor manufacturers in the world. The questions asked there will include: How can we strengthen European technological sovereignty? And how can we advance the digital and green transformation of our economy through innovative technologies? A meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) on 14 July will focus on cross-border cooperation, in particular as concerns fire services and public services. On the same day, Foreign Minister Baerbock will visit civil society and cultural projects in Chemnitz, which is to be the European Capital of Culture in 2025. In the evening, she will address a town hall meeting and talk to the people about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, together with Wladimir Klitschko.
The tour continues on 18 July with a visit to Deutsche Telekom in Bonn. The topic of discussion there will be the risk of cyberattacks and the risks associated with using Chinese components in German network infrastructure. That evening she will attend a further public meeting in Frankfurt am Main. On the morning of 19 July, Foreign Minister Baerbock will meet with representatives of the Deutsche Bank, the Commerzbank and the Unicredit-HypoVereinsbank, to exchange views on the opportunities and challenges of the growing Asian market and globalisation, and to talk about forms of climate finance. At BASF in Ludwigshafen, the Foreign Minister will be briefed on upstream and downstream market diversification, in particular with regard to China, and will talk to members of staff. In Bruchsal, she will visit a geothermal project, which also produces lithium. The importance of sustainable energy sources and independence from commodity imports is a key security policy issue, as has been clear at the latest since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The tour of Germany will be concluded on 21 July with appointments devoted to Franco-German friendship. In Wörth am Rhein, Foreign Minister Baerbock is to meet school pupils who have participated in Franco-German training projects and who will present their project, Smart Factory. Together with her French counterpart Catherine Colonna, the Foreign Minister will visit a waterworks at the border, and will also talk to a Franco-German audience about Europe and how we in Europe can remain strong together.