Searching for Deutschland

The final episode of Searching for Deutschland —a special crossover with the World in 30 Minutes —sees experts from Berlin, London, Paris and Warsaw break down the result of Germany’s federal election and discuss what comes next. Coalition negotiations are underway; Germany's shifting political dynamics will shape the country's future while carrying significant implications for Europe. Guests: Pio...

On the morning after Germany's election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe  and Jana Puglierin  were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and Janka Oertel . They discussed the results; prospects of a coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD; likely chancellor Friedrich Merz's direction on China, the EU and the US; and the AfD and Left parties’ new “blocking...

In Searching for Deutschland’s last pre-election episode, hosts Jeremy Cliffe  and Jana Puglierin  review the Munich Security Conference, the US-Russia talks on Ukraine, and what the new era in transatlantic relations means for Germany and its next government. They also look ahead to Germany's polling day on 23rd February, before Moritz Gathmann  and Gustav Gressel  j...

Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, hosts Jeremy Cliffe  and Jana Puglierin  talk German defence and the future of the country's armed forces. They review the first televised debate between Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz and discuss new ECFR polling, which illustrates German pessimism about Europe's future. ECFR colleagues Ulrike Franke  and Rafael Loss  also join the podc...

This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss German election campaign frontrunner Friedrich Merz's bid to win Bundestag votes on migration with support from the far-right AfD. Political scientist Marcel Lewandowsky  joins the podcast to discuss the apparent rise of Euroscepticism in Germany: does Merz's gambit mean his CDU envisions a more unilateral Germany in Europe? What’s beh...

Germany's industrial model thrived for years thanks to soaring Chinese demand. But the relationship has recently become more contentious. This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin are joined by Janka Oertel to discuss the future impact of political and economic divisions over Germany's China policy. And another topic, hot off the press, is Friedrich Merz's controversial decision...

With President Donald Trump and his threat of sweeping tariffs looming large over the German election campaign, co-hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss the latest from the campaign trail before welcoming Tobias Gehrke and Daniela Schwarzer to discuss how Trump's tariffs could affect Germany—and how the country should respond. Could this development impact the election? And what does it m...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Searching for Deutschland, a new podcast by ECFR exploring the European and foreign policy dimensions of the German election on February 23rd. Hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin join Mark Leonard, ECFR's director, for a World in 30 Minutes [AS1]  crossover to discuss their plans for the coming weeks and the premise of the podcast, namely: has Germany go...

On 23 February, Germany will hold an election—but the country seems to have turned inwards. Relations with France and Poland, its two essential partners, have deteriorated; where the country previously provided the European project with leadership at crucial moments, it now drags its feet. As a result, Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin are “Searching for Deutschland”. This new podcast from the Euro...