He also held government responsibility for almost two decades – as head of the Federal Chancellery, interior minister and finance minister. “He has repeatedly shown foresight and moved forward,” emphasized Bas.
Schäuble’s name is also inextricably linked “to one of the happiest hours in our country”: the overcoming of German division. The CDU politician had “become the architect of German unity,” said Bas.
The President of the Bundestag also recalled Schäuble’s achievements in the debate about moving the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin. The CDU politician made “a passionate plea for Germany’s historic capital” here.
Bas called Schäuble’s election as Bundestag President in 2017 the “highlight of a life as an exceptional parliamentarian.” The SPD politician emphasized: “He protected the dignity of our house in a time of increasing social – and parliamentary – polarization.”
In her speech, the President of Parliament also praised Schäuble’s commitment to German-French friendship: relations with France were “a particular matter close to his heart.” It is thanks to Schäuble’s efforts that the Bundestag and the French National Assembly are linked by a parliamentary assembly.
A state mourning ceremony in honor of the deceased politician will take place in the Bundestag on Monday. CDU leader Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will speak as funeral speakers.
Schäuble died on Boxing Day at the age of 81 in Offenburg. The politician, born in Freiburg in 1942, was, among other things, Federal Minister of the Interior and Federal Minister of Finance, leader of the Union faction and leader of the CDU. From 2017 to 2021 he was President of the German Bundestag, of which he was a member for 51 years.
