In view of the US election, Green Party co-chair Katharina Dröge has called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to refrain from going it alone in European policy.

"The outcome of the US elections is completely open. However, it is important for the European Union to focus on a united and common stance, especially in these days," the Green politician told the Reuters news agency on Friday. Strengthening Europe's sovereignty, including in foreign and economic policy issues, is right and important. The EU Commission has been working towards this in recent years. "It is important that Germany supports this course," Dröge warned. "In recent years, the German government under Chancellor Scholz has too often gone it alone, which has made European agreements more difficult. A course correction is urgently needed here."

Especially at a time like this, Germany should instead be the driving force behind joint European decisions "and not keep throwing sand in the gears", added the Green politician. For example, Scholz had used his authority to issue directives to push through the German government's "no" to EU punitive tariffs on imported electric cars from China against other positions in the German government, thereby going against the EU Commission.

(Report by Andreas Rinke; edited by Kerstin Dörr. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).