After being elected to a fourth term and forming a coalition government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is thinking about the future of Europe. A few weeks ago, she met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a road map for the future of the European Union. Both leaders are concerned about emerging threats to the cohesion of the EU, especially Brexit and rising populism.
“We now want to find common paths ahead. I am determined to get there and I think we can do it. It is more necessary than ever that Europe be united in a geopolitical situation in which multilateralism is under pressure,” Chancellor Merkel said.
As part of the German coalition deal, Chancellor Merkel’s government plans to greatly expand funding for AI research and digitization in order to compete with the U.S. and China. France just announced its similar intentions. Germany and France recently partnered to establish the Joint European Disruption Initiative (JEDI), a public-private partnership for research and innovation – especially in the realm of AI. Some are hailing JEDI as the beginnings of a “European DARPA.”
In 2015, the Boston Global Forum presented Chancellor Merkel with the World Leader in Peace, Security, and Development Award.
