Olaf Scholz attended the Bekassinenau elementary school in Oldenfelde, and then switched to the Großlohering elementary school in Großlohe. After graduating from high school in 1977, he began studying law at theUniversity of Hamburg in 1978 as part of a one-stage legal training course.[6] He later found employment as a lawyer specialising in labour and employment law, working at the law firm Zimmermann, Scholz und Partner.[7] Scholz joined theSocial Democratic Party at the age of 17.[3]
Olaf Scholz's family is traditionallyLutheran, and he wasbaptized in theProtestant Church in Germany. He holds largelysecular political views, and left the Church in adulthood, but has emphasised a need for appreciation of Germany's Christian heritage and culture.[8]
Olaf Scholz joined theSPD in 1975 as a student, where he came into contact with theJusos, the youth organization of the SPD. From 1982 to 1988, he was Deputy Federal Chairman of the Jusos. Scholz was also Vice President of theInternational Union of Socialist Youth from 1987 to 1989. He supported the Freudenberger Kreis, aMarxist wing of the Jusos' university groups, arguing that society should "overcome the capitalist economy" in one of his publications.[9] In it, Scholz criticized the "aggressive-imperialistNATO", theFederal Republic as the "European stronghold of big business" and thesocial-liberal coalition, which puts the "bare maintenance of power above any form of substantive dispute".[10] Referring to this period in his life, Scholz later said that he "made almost all possible mistakes at some point".[9]
On 4 January 1984, Olaf Scholz and other Juso leaders attended a meeting inEast Germany withEgon Krenz, then secretary of the Central Committee of theSED, andHerbert Häber, member of the Politburo of the SED-Central Committee.[11] In 1987, Scholz crossed theinner-German border again and stood up for disarmament agreements as Juso-Vice at anFDJ peace rally inWittenberg alongside FDJ headEberhard Aurich.[12]
Scholz was elected to his first political office as a Deputy Member of the Bundestag representing the constituency ofHamburg-Altona in1998, aged 40.[13] During his tenure, Scholz served on the Committee for Labour and Social Matters.[14] In the committee of inquiry into the visa affair of the Bundestag, he was chairman of the SPD parliamentary group.[15] Scholz resigned his mandate on 6 June 2001, to take office as Senator.[clarification needed] Because his seat was anoverhang seat, it was not filled until the2002 German federal election.[citation needed]
During his brief time as Senator, Scholz approved the involuntary use ofemetics to gather evidence from suspected drug dealers.[16] The measure was controversial: the Hamburg Medical Chamber expressed disapproval of this practice due to potential health risks[17] as did his then coalition partnerGAL calling it “a serious violation of privacy and physical integrity”[18] and the practice was ruled illegal in 2006 by theEuropean Court of Human Rights.[16]
Scholz was elected again to theBundestag in the2002 German federal election. From 2002 to 2004, Scholz also served asGeneral Secretary of the SPD; he resigned from that office when party leader and ChancellorGerhard Schröder, facing disaffection within his own party and hampered by persistently low public approval ratings, announced he would step down as Leader of the Social Democratic Party.[21]
Scholz was one of a series of politicians who sparked debate over the German journalistic norm of allowing interviewees to "authorize" and amend quotes before publication. This came after his press team insisted on extensively editing an interview withDie Tageszeitung in 2003.[22][full citation needed][23][full citation needed]Die Tageszeitung editorBascha Mika condemned the norm as a "betrayal of the claim to a free press", and the newspaper ultimately published the interview with Scholz's answers blacked out.[24][25]
Scholz served as the SPD spokesperson on the inquiry committee investigating the 2005German Visa Affair. Following thefederal election later that year, he served as First Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD Bundestag Group. He also becameChief Whip of the Social Democratic Party. In this capacity, he worked closely with the CDU Chief WhipNorbert Röttgen to manage and defend thegrand coalition led by ChancellorAngela Merkel in the Bundestag.[26] Scholz also served as a member of theParliamentary Oversight Panel, which provides parliamentary oversight of the German federal intelligence services; theBND,MAD andBfV.[27]
Scholz in March 2011, on the government benches in theHamburg Parliament, shortly after his election as First Mayor
In 2011, Scholz was the lead SPD candidate at theHamburg state election, which the SPD won with 48.3% of the votes, taking 62 of 121 seats in theHamburg Parliament.[32] Scholz resigned as a Member of the Bundestag on 11 March 2011, days after his formal election as First Mayor of Hamburg;Dorothee Stapelfeldt, also a Social Democrat, was appointed his Deputy First Mayor.[33][34][35]
Scholz and the spouses of the heads of state and government at theG20 in Hamburg, 2017
In 2013, Scholz opposed a public initiative aiming at a complete buyback of energy grids that the city of Hamburg had sold to utilitiesVattenfall Europe AG andE.ON decades before; he argued this would overburden the city, whose debt stood at more than€20B at the time.[39]
Scholz was asked to participate in exploratory talks between the CDU, CSU and SPD parties to form a coalition government following the2013 federal election.[40] In the subsequent negotiations, he led the SPD delegation in the financial policy working group; his co-chair from the CDU/CSU was Finance MinisterWolfgang Schäuble.[41] Alongside fellow Social DemocratsJörg Asmussen andThomas Oppermann, Scholz was reported in the media to be a possible successor to Schäuble in the post of Finance Minister at the time; whilst Schäuble remained in post, the talks to form a coalition were ultimately successful.[42]
In a paper compiled in late 2014, Scholz and Schäuble proposed redirecting revenue from thesolidarity surcharge on income and corporate tax (Solidaritätszuschlag) to subsidize the federal states' interest payments.[43]
In 2015, Scholz led Hamburg's bid to host the2024 Summer Olympics with an estimated budget of€11.2B (US$12.6B), competing against Los Angeles, Paris,Rome, andBudapest. In a referendum, the citizens of Hamburg later rejected the city's candidacy, with more than half voting against the project.[47][48] Later that year, Scholz – alongsideMinister-PresidentTorsten Albig ofSchleswig-Holstein – negotiated adebt-restructuring deal with theEuropean Commission. The deal allowed German regional lenderHSH Nordbank to offload€6.2B in problematic assets, primarily underperforming ship loans, onto its government majority owners and avoid being shut down, saving around 2,500 jobs.[49]
In 2017, Scholz was criticised for his handling of riots that took place during theG20 summit in Hamburg.[7]
In late 2021, Scholz was widely criticised for his handling of theCumEx tax fraud atM. M. Warburg & Co. when he was the mayor of Hamburg.[50][51]
Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance (2018–2021)
After a lengthy period of inter-party negotiations following the2017 federal election, during which the CDU, CSU and SPD agreed to continue in coalition, Scholz was appointedFederal Minister of Finance. Scholz was sworn in alongside the rest of thefourth Merkel cabinet on 14 March 2018, also taking the role ofVice Chancellor of Germany underAngela Merkel.[52] Within his first months in office, Scholz became one of Germany's most popular politicians, reaching an approval rating of 50%.[53]
In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Scholz drafted a series of financial rescue packages for the country's economy, including a€130B stimulus package in June 2020. The stimulus package included support for businesses and freelancers as well as a decision to keep factories open. This is often credited as having prevented mass layoffs, and the effects of theCOVID-19 financial crisis on the German economy were initially relatively low.[55][56] Scholz also oversaw the allocation of funding received fromNext Generation EU, the European Union's€750B COVID-19 recovery fund. 90% of the€28B available to Germany was invested intoclimate protection anddigitization.[57]
Scholz was criticized in the context of theWirecard scandal; serious misconduct by theFederal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), which is under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Finance, is alleged to have contributed to the longevity of the fraudulent business.[62][63] During Scholz's time in office, the Ministry of Finance was one of the subjects of parliamentary inquiry into the scandal, but Scholz has denied any personal responsibility.[64][65] Having vowed to strengthen financial market supervision, he replaced BaFin presidentFelix Hufeld.[66][67]
In June 2019, Scholz initially ruled out a candidacy for the party co-leadership following the resignation ofAndrea Nahles. He explained that a simultaneous activity asFederal Minister of Finance and party leader was "not possible in terms of time".[68][69][70] However, in August, Scholz announced his intention to run for party chairmanship withKlara Geywitz.[71][72] He said that many of his preferred candidates had not run for office, expressing a sense of "responsibility".[73] Of the six candidate duos standing for election, the Geywitz-Scholz due received the most votes in the first round of the membership elections on 26 October 2019, with 22.7%. They qualified for the runoff election with the second-placed teamSaskia Esken andNorbert Walter-Borjans, which had received 21.0% of the vote.[74]
On 30 November 2019, it was announced that Esken and Walter-Borjans had received 53.1% of the vote in the runoff election, with Geywitz and Scholz only receiving 45.3%.[75] This was seen as an upset victory for the left-wing of the SPD, including skeptics ofthe grand coalition with the CDU. Esken and Walter-Borjans were little-known to the public at large, Esken being a backbencher in theBundestag and Walter-Borjans being the former Minister of Finance ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 to 2017. Scholz on the other hand had the backing of much of the party establishment.[citation needed]
On 10 August 2020, SPD party leadership agreed that it would nominate Scholz to be the party's candidate forChancellor of Germany at the2021 federal election.[76] Scholz is usually grouped with the moderate wing of the SPD,[77] and his nomination was seen byDie Tageszeitung as marking a decline of the party's left.[78]
Scholz was elected as chancellor by theBundestag on 8 December 2021, with 395 votes in favour and 303 against.[82] Hisnew government was appointed on the same day by PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier.[83] At63 years, 177 days of age, Scholz is the oldest person to become chancellor sinceKonrad Adenauer, who was73 years, 253 days old when he assumed office on 15 September 1949.
Scholz and Finnish prime ministerSanna Marin in 2022
Scholz extended into 2022 the suspension of the sale of weapons toSaudi Arabia.[85] The decision was made to "no longer approve any export sales to countries as long as they are directly involved" in theSaudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[86] In September 2022, Scholz visited theUnited Arab Emirates,Qatar and Saudi Arabia, seeking to deepen ties with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and find alternative sources of energy.[87] Saudi Arabia's Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman received Scholz in Jeddah.[88] Scholz's government approved new arms export deals to Saudi Arabia, despite a ban imposed as a result of the Saudi war inYemen and the assassination of Saudi journalistJamal Khashoggi.[89]
Scholz called the US "Europe's closest and most important partner". Upon assuming the chancellorship in December 2021, he stated he would soon be meeting with PresidentJoe Biden, saying: "It is now clear what binds us together."[90]
On 22 February 2022, Scholz announced that Germany would be halting its approval of theNord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Russia'srecognition of two self-declaredseparatist republics within Ukraine.[91] Scholz spoke against allowing the EU to cut Russia off from theSWIFT global interbankpayment system.[92]
In an emergency meeting of theBundestagf on 27 February, Scholz made theZeitenwende speech, announcing a complete reversal of German military and foreign policy, including the commencement of weapons shipments to Ukraine and a€100 billion increase in Germany'sdefense budget.[93] Scholz succeeded in obtaining the two-thirds majority necessary toamend the debt ceiling to allow Germany to establish a 100 billion euro defense fund that would not be subject to the restrictions.[94] One reporter called it a path to "an emergency military modernization, defence spending, energy independence from Russia, lethal assistance for Ukraine and EU financing for weaponry". However, in a press conference on 19 April Scholz spoke about slowing Germany's provision of weaponry to Ukraine, which was seen as reducing the scale of the policy change.[95]
In August 2022, Scholz expressed disagreement with the words of Palestinian leaderMahmoud Abbas, who compared Israel'streatment of Palestinians to "apartheid" in South Africa.[98]
Scholz with Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in New Delhi, India on 25 February 2023
On 14 March 2023, Scholz met with Azerbaijani PresidentIlham Aliyev in Berlin. They discussed theexport of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Germany and the European Union. Scholz said that "Azerbaijan is becoming an increasingly important partner for both Germany and the European Union" and stated that Germany does not recognize the Armenian separatist region ofNagorno-Karabakh as an independent republic.[104]
In early May 2023, Scholz met with Ethiopian Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa to normalize relations between Germany andEthiopia, which had been strained by theTigray War between the Ethiopian government and rebels inTigray.[105]
In May 2023, Scholz called on all parties involved to resolve theCyprus dispute, which escalated after theTurkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the subsequent occupation of the northern part of the island.[106]
Scholz with Israeli PresidentIsaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, 17 October 2023
Scholz condemnedHamas' actions during the2023 Israel–Hamas war, expressed his support toIsrael, and began supporting the nation withmilitary and medical aid.[107][108][109] He criticized thePalestinian Authority and Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas, saying that "their silence is shameful."[110] On 17 October 2023, Scholz arrived in Israel and on the same day warnedIran andHezbollah not to get involved in the war between Israel andHamas. He said that "Germany and Israel are united by the fact that they are democratic constitutional states. Our actions are based on law and order, even in extreme situations."[111] On 12 November 2023, Scholz rejected calls for "an immediate ceasefire or long pause" in Israel's war against Hamas inGaza, saying it would "mean ultimately that Israel leaves Hamas the possibility of recovering and obtaining new missiles".[112]
Speaking at theCOP28 climate summit inDubai in December 2023, Scholz called for aphase-out of fossil fuels, includingcoal,oil andnatural gas, and reiterated Germany's commitment to be climate neutral by 2045, saying, "The technologies are there: wind power, photovoltaics, electric motors, green hydrogen."[113]
In March 2024, Scholz confronted EU foreign policy chiefJosep Borrell over his months-long criticism of Israel, saying Borrell did not speak for Germany.[114] On 28 May 2024, Scholz said that his government has no plans to officially recognise aPalestinian state.[115]
In May 2024, Scholz criticized plannedEU tariffs on imports of Chineseelectric vehicles, saying, "I would like to point out that currently 50% of electric vehicle imports from China in fact come from Western brands that produce vehicles there."[116] In June 2024, Scholz praisedVolkswagen AG's move to develop cheaperelectric cars for the European market.[117]
In June 2024, Scholz welcomed Argentine PresidentJavier Milei in Berlin. Scholz and Milei expressed support for theEU–Mercosur free trade agreement.[118] Scholz criticized European Union's trade policy and called on Brussels to speed up negotiations onfree trade agreements.[119]
Scholz and Polish Prime MinisterMorawiecki in 2021
In December 2021, Scholz rejected the Polish government's claim for furtherWorld War II reparations.[120] As a consequence ofNazi German andSoviet Union aggression inWorld War II, Polandlost about a fifth of its population and much of its industry and infrastructure was destroyed. As a compensation Poland was awarded large parts of eastern Germany at thePotsdam Conference in 1945,[121][122] with Germany finally renouncing its claims to these territories – includingEast Prussia, most ofSilesia, as well as the eastern parts ofBrandenburg andPomerania – in theTwo Plus Four Agreement in 1990. According to the German government, there is no legal basis for further compensation payments.[123] In a meeting with Polish Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki, Scholz said "We have concluded treaties that are valid and have settled the past issues and the compensation".[123] Scholz also pointed out that Germany "continues to be willing to pay very, very high contributions to the EU budget", from which Poland has benefited considerably since its accession to the EU.[123]
In January 2022,The New York Times reported intensifying concerns from the US and other NATO allies about the Scholz government's "evident hesitation to take forceful measures" against Russia in therun-up to its invasion of Ukraine.[124]
The Scholz government initially refused to send weapons toUkraine, citing existing German policy and financial support for the Eastern European country.[125] As late as 15 February, Scholz was quoted byTASS as saying "the way out of the crisis in Ukraine is to implement theSteinmeier formula", a mechanism of granting a special status to the Donbas.[126] On 26 February, following the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz reversed his decision and pledged a supply ofanti-tank weapons andStinger missiles to Ukraine.[127]
Before the 24 February2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz rejected Ukraine's demands for weapons deliveries on 6 February, saying Germany "has for many years taken the clear stance that we do not deliver to crisis regions".[128] The Russian invasion drastically changed German policy with regard to defense spending, aiding Ukraine and the nation's energy security.
Scholz greatly increasedGerman defense expenditure. Three days after the invasion started, he announced in theZeitenwende speech the creation of a one-off€100B fund for theBundeswehr.[129] This represented a major shift in German foreign policy, as Germany had long refused to meet the required spending of 2% of its GDP on defense, as is required by NATO.[130] In addition to increasing defense spending for his own country, in an address to Germany's parliament on 23 March, Scholz emphasized support for aiding Ukraine in its resistance to Russian invasion.[131]
With regard to supporting Ukraine and taking action against Russia, Scholz was trailing behind others. On 26 February 2022, he was the last of several EU leaders to continue opposition against kicking Russia out of theSWIFT international payment system.[132] However, Germany did send some effective weapons to Ukraine. By 17 March about 2,000 portable missile weapons against tanks and aircraft had been sent.[133] In his 23 March speech, Scholz claimed that Germany would "try everything we can until peace prevails again on our continent" including taking hundreds of thousands ofUkrainian refugees across German borders.[131] Like most other NATO leaders, he declined to impose a no-fly zone, as that would probably draw NATO into a direct military conflict with Russia.[131]
Apart from increasing defense spending and aiding Ukraine, the invasion also highlighted the dangers of relying on Russian gas. By 3 March 2022, Scholz had announced plans to build two new LNG terminals.[134] Economy minister Habeck then visited Norway and on 19 MarchQatar, one of the world's largest exporters ofliquefied natural gas.[135][136] Here he signed a long term agreement about importing Qatari gas.[137] Amid pressure to prohibit Russian gas imports across Europe, Scholz still refused to endGerman imports of Russian gas in the first days of April.[138] A few days later, he said Germany was working on ending the import of Russian energy.[139] He opposed a reversal of Germany's scheduled end tonuclear power, saying the technical challenges were too great.[140]
In early April 2022 news of theBucha massacre shocked public opinion in Europe. On 6 AprilGuy Verhofstadt got a lot of attention with a passionate speech about Ukraine before the European parliament. He ended it by accusing the German government of "dragging its feet" with regard to taking action against Russia.[141] That same month, Germany policy changed and the chancellor avowed that Germany would provide Ukraine with more than€1B to spend on military resources.[142] Scholz rejected a plan made byVice Chancellor and Economy MinisterRobert Habeck and Foreign MinisterAnnalena Baerbock to deliver 100MarderInfantry fighting vehicles from German stocks to Ukraine.[143][144]
From May 2022, the aid to Ukraine became increasingly significant. The rhetoric of the chancellor also began to change. On 9 May 2022, Scholz said thatRussians andUkrainians once fought together duringWorld War II againstNazi Germany's "murderous National Socialist regime", but now "Putin wants to overthrow Ukraine and destroy its culture and identity... [and] even regards his barbaric war of aggression as being on a par with the fight against National Socialism. That is a falsification of history and a disgraceful distortion."[145] On 16 June 2022, Scholz visited the Ukrainian Capital,Kyiv, alongside French PresidentEmmanuel Macron and Italian Prime MinisterMario Draghi to meet PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy. They talked about various issues such as thewar in Ukraine andUkraine's membership into the EU.[146][147] This comes as a reverse of his previous stance to not visit Ukraine, after Zelensky rebuked the German President,Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his contribution to stronger Moscow-Berlin ties.[148][149]
International trips by Olaf Scholz
Germany
1 visit
2 visits
3 to 7 visits
8 to 10 visits
11 and more visits
No known visits
By 1 September 2022, the actual volume ofGerman arms deliveries to Ukraine was only exceeded by that of deliveries by the United States and the United Kingdom.[150] The verdict was that, "based on these statistics, Berlin had ultimately positioned itself as a reliable partner of Ukraine."[150] However, it "could also be argued that Berlin's communication to affirm its Ukraine stance and explain its foreign policy goals had been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster".[150]
In January 2023, Scholz announced the decision to sendLeopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.[151]
In July 2024, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin warned of aCold War-style missile crisis and threatened to deploylong-range missiles within striking distance of the West after the United States announced its intention to deploy long-range missiles in Germany starting in 2026 that could hit Russian territory within 10 minutes. US weapons in Germany would includeSM-6 andTomahawk cruise missiles and developmentalhypersonic weapons.[153][154] Scholz supported the decision to place US long-range missiles in Germany,[155] but his government's move was criticized by the political opposition as well as within Scholz's coalition.[156] Critics say the move would trigger a newarms race. Biden and Scholz's plan to deploy long-range missiles in Germany has been compared to the deployment ofPershing II launchers in Western Europe in 1979.[157][153]
In a phone call in November 2024, Scholz urged Putin to withdraw his forces from Ukraine and begin talks aiming at a "just and lasting peace". The call was sharply criticized by Zelenskyy, who considered it as undermining efforts to isolate Putin. Several European officials were said to have cautioned Scholz against the move.[158]
On 6 November 2024, Scholz removed Finance MinisterChristian Lindner from his position, citing loss of trust. Lindner's removal led to the collapse of thegoverning coalition.[159] The government crisis was complicated by the fact that the German economy entered itssecond consecutive year of recession.[160] Germany also faced a severe housing crisis in 2024, leading Scholz to describe housing as Germany's most pressing social issue.[161]
In October 2024, Scholz warned of thedeindustrialization of Germany.[162] In December 2024, Scholz criticizedVolkswagen's plan to close factories in Germany.[163] He proposed a Europeansubsidy programme for electric vehicles.[164] He also pledged support for the German steel industry, which was facing highenergy costs.[165]
In September 2024, pollsterInfratest dimap found that Scholz's approval rating was 18%, one of the lowest ever recorded by a German chancellor.[166]
During his campaign in the 2021 election, Scholz opposed aCOVID-19 vaccine mandate. Since late November 2021, he has expressed support for mandatory vaccination for adults, scheduled to be voted during the first months of 2022 by the federal parliament, and for the closure of non-essential retail stores to unvaccinated adults, based on the2G-Regel, decreed by state governments in December 2021.[167][168][169][170][171]
On 13 January 2022, Scholz told lawmakers in theBundestag that Germany should make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all adults.[172] Later that month, he warned that thecoronavirus would not "miraculously" disappear, and said Germany would not be able to get out of the pandemic without compulsory vaccinations.[173] The oppositionChristian Democratic Union criticized the government for not taking a firm decision on avaccine mandate. The far-rightAlternative for Germany party wanted Scholz's government to ban vaccine mandates.[174]
In December 2021, Scholz said that Germany was a country of immigration and pledged to reduce barriers toimmigration to Germany and make it easier for immigrants to obtain German citizenship.[175] 352,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2023, the highest number since 2016, when 722,370 people applied for asylum. People from Ukraine are not included among asylum seekers. Most asylum seekers in 2023 were fromTurkey,Syria andAfghanistan.[176] In September 2023, more than 120 boats carrying approximately 7,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the island ofLampedusa within 24 hours.[177] Some of the migrants were relocated to Germany.[178]
In 2023, 1,933,000 people immigrated to Germany, including 276,000 from Ukraine and 126,000 from Turkey, while 1,270,000 people emigrated. Net immigration to Germany was 663,000 in 2023, down from a record 1,462,000 in 2022.[179]
In 2022, Scholz stated that Russian deserters and draft evaders who refused to take part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine should be protected in Germany. However, in 2024, German authorities ordered the deportation of Russian nationals who wanted to avoidmobilization and criticized Putin's government on the grounds that they would not facepersecution in Russia.[180] On 11 September 2024, he declared that Germany must remain open to immigration to maintain economic growth, and also said that Germany would offer protection to those who are politically persecuted, telling opposition political parties that the issue is non-negotiable.[a][185]
In August 2024, in response to adeadly attack in Solingen by aSyrian asylum seeker, Scholz has called for stricter immigration measures and expedited deportations. The incident has reignited debates over migration policies in Germany ahead of upcoming regional elections.[186]
Scholz supportsreplacement migration to combat the decline and aging of Germany's population.[187] He said that Germany would have to accept 288,000 foreign workers every year.[188] On 14 September 2024, Scholz and Kenyan PresidentWilliam Ruto signed an agreement that opened the German labour market to up to 250,000 skilled and semi-skilledmigrant workers fromKenya.[189] There are concerns aboutbrain drain in Kenya, as professionals such as doctors and nurses could leave for better-paying jobs in Germany.[190] Scholz's government has already signed migration partnerships with several other countries,[191] includingMorocco,Uzbekistan andNigeria.[192] Scholz and Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi agreed that Germany would accept 90,000 skilled workers fromIndia each year.[193]
During negotiations on the next German cabinet, Scholz and the presumptive German ChancellorFriedrich Merz reached an agreement to reform thedebt brake by changing sections of theBasic Law to exempt defense spending exceeding 1% of GDP.[194] Scholz also agreed to create a special fund of €500 billion for "investments in infrastructure and for additional investments to achieve climate neutrality by 2045".[195]
In March 2025, German lawmakers approved anamendment to the Basic Law,[196] allowing the German government to implement the most massive rearmament of Germany sinceWorld War II.[197] The spending package was approved before the21st Bundestag was constituted on 25 March 2025, whereThe Left andAfD would have the ability to block it.[198] A two-thirds majority was required to change the German constitution.[199] The plan was supported by the SPD, CDU, and the Greens.[200]
In November, various SPD legislators and leading figures – most prominently former party leaderSigmar Gabriel – began publicly calling fordefence ministerBoris Pistorius to be designated the party's chancellor candidate owing to its and Scholz's poor polling.[201] Polling forARD showed Pistorius as the most favourably viewed national politician: 60% of voters thought he would be a good chancellor, compared to 42% for Merz and 21% for Scholz.[202] In a video released on 21 November, Pistorius ended what had become two weeks of public debate by disavowing any interest in running for chancellor and expressing his full support for Scholz.[203] Such a protracted and public debate, and party leadership's apparent inability to quickly control or restrain it, was seen as embarrassing and damaging;Jusos president Philipp Türmer directly called out party leadersSaskia Esken andLars Klingbeil for the "shitshow" at their national congress the following weekend. Nonetheless, Scholz was unanimously renominated as chancellor candidate by the party's executive, a group which includes Pistorius, on 25 November.[204] Scholz's nomination was confirmed at a party congress on 11 January; as is usual for sitting chancellors, the vote was byacclamation rather than secret ballot and he received little opposition.[205]
Exit polls showed that the SPD fell to third place and fell below 20% for the first time since1933, while also achieving its worst result in terms of vote share since the1887 federal election, held in theGerman Empire. After the first exit polls were published, Scholz announced he would not seek to be part of a government led byFriedrich Merz. As a result, Co-party leader Lars Klingbeil also became parliamentary group leader of the SPD, while Co-party leaderSaskia Esken is currently still in this office. Scholz was elected to the21st Bundestag by winning his constituency through thefirst vote in the 2025 German federal election. He has said that he intends to take up his mandate.[208]
Within the SPD, Scholz is widely viewed as forming part of the moderate wing of the party.[7] Because of his flat enunciation and mechanical-sounding choice of words in press conferences and interviews, Scholz has been nicknamed "the Scholzomat" by some media outlets. In 2013, he said that he found the nickname "very appropriate".[209][210]
Scholz and US Secretary of the TreasuryMnuchin in 2018
Scholz has been campaigning for afinancial transaction tax for several years. Experts have criticized parts of this plan, arguing that it would disproportionately affect small shareholders.[211][212][213][214] In December 2019, Scholz pushed for the introduction of this tax at European Union level. According to a draft legislation, share purchases should be taxed when they involve shares in companies with amarket capitalization over€1B.[215] JournalistHermann-Josef Tenhagen criticized this version of the transaction tax on the basis that it would disproportionately affect lower-income individuals.[216] A report by theKiel Institute for the World Economy commissioned by the Federal Government in 2020 certified the same deficiencies in the tax concept that Tenhagen had already pointed out.[217]
During his tenure as minister of finance, Scholz prioritized not taking on new government debt and limiting public spending.[53] In 2018, he suggested the creation of an EU-wide unemployment insurance system to make theEurozone more resilient to future economic shocks.[218]
In September 2019, Scholz negotiated the climate package in a key role for the SPD. To this he said: "What we have presented is a great achievement", whereas climate scientists almost unanimously criticized the result as insufficient.[219][220][221][222][223]
In August 2020, Scholz held a phone call with US Secretary of the TreasurySteven Mnuchin, discussing a lift of US sanctions on theNord Stream 2 pipeline, one of 23 gas pipelines between Europe and Russia.[224] In exchange, Scholz offered€1B in subsidies toliquid gas terminals in northern Germany for US liquid gas imports.[225][226][227] The move sparked controversy with regards to the SPD's stance towards renewable energy.[228][229]
The revised Climate Protection Act introduced by Olaf Scholz's cabinet as Mayor of Hamburg provides for a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, an 88% reduction by 2040 andclimate neutrality by 2045.[230]
Scholz has advocated for the expansion ofrenewable energy capacities to replace fossil fuels.[231] In May 2021, Scholz proposed the establishment of an international climate club, which should serve to develop common minimum standards for climate policy measures and a coordinated approach. In addition, uniform rules for the carbon accounting of goods should apply among members.[232]
As part of the coalition agreement that led to Scholz becoming chancellor, the Social Democrats, Free Democrats, and Green party agreed to accelerate Germany'sphaseout of coal to the year 2030, in line with the target set by thePowering Past Coal Alliance. The country's previous target had been to end the use of coal by 2038. In addition, the agreement set a phaseout of power generation from natural gas by 2040. The agreement also included provisions for the prohibition on natural gas heating in new buildings and replacement of natural gas systems in existing buildings. An end to the sale of combustion vehicles would come in 2035, in line with the target set by theEuropean Commission.[233]
In January 2019, Scholz stated that he sees China primarily as an economic partner.[234] He tried to persuade Chinese Vice PremierLiu He that China should be more open to German firms,[235] and he supported theComprehensive Agreement on Investment between the EU and China.[236] In September 2022, he condemned thetreatment of ethnicUyghurs in China'sXinjiang.[237]
In December 2019, Scholz criticizedUS sanctions on Russia'sNord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, saying: "Such sanctions are a serious interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe and their sovereignty."[238] Scholz has expressed support for a longstanding agreement that allows Americantactical nuclear weapons to be stored and maintained on American bases within Germany.[239][90]
Scholz was raised in theProtestant Church in Germany and later left it.[254] At his inauguration as chancellor in 2021, Scholz took the oath of office without a reference to God (the second chancellor to do so afterGerhard Schröder). He is the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany who is not a member of a church.[255]
On 4 September 2023, Scholz announced that he would be wearing aneyepatch following a jogging accident.[256][257][258]
^The right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution is a human right, as defined in article 14 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights by theUnited Nations (UN).[181] Germany became a fullmember of the UN on 18 September 1973. Furthermore, article 16a of theGerman constitution states that politically persecuted persons have the right to asylum (Politisch Verfolgte genießen Asylrecht),[182] and as Chancellor of Germany Scholz is sworn to "uphold and defend the constitution" ("das Grundgesetz [...] wahren und verteidigen"),[183] as set out in article 56 of that same constitution.[184]
^abFeldenkirchen, Markus; Sauga, Michael (26 November 2007)."Rückkehr eines Bauernopfers".Der Spiegel.Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved2 October 2024.
^"Kein ärztlicher Eingriff mit Gewalt" [No forced medical intervention].Pressestelle der Ärztekammer Hamburg (in German). 30 October 2001. Archived fromthe original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved13 September 2021.
^"Germany stands firmly alongside Israel".Bundesregierung. 22 December 2023.Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved12 February 2024.The Federal Government is also supporting Israel by providing military and medical equipment.
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