Olaf Schultz After the Coalition Committee: With Small Eyes in Rotterdam – Politics

It’s still light outside, but Olaf Scholz doesn’t notice much of it. The Dutch government invited its guests from Germany to the Boijmans van Beuningen art depository in Rotterdam. 151,000 exhibits are stocked in the imposing building with plenty of modern industrial concrete. Well protected, of course – also from daylight. Among the sculptures, the oil paintings, and the old furniture behind the glass, the counselor covers up his intermittent bouts of fatigue with some skill, even if his little eyes speak a different language. The warehouse is a workplace, as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte explained, “And that’s what we do today.”

By this point, his guests had spent 19 hours negotiating in alliance and slept the night behind. Opinions differ as to whether the fourth government consultation between the German-Dutch government is called work or rotation.

After the landing, Scholz described it as a “really nice break” as he and some of his night negotiating partners were “together in Holland to talk to our good friends about Europe and the future”. Of course it wasn’t planned that way. With an early afternoon departure, they thought they were on the safe side – but negotiations to speed up the planning turned out to be much more tedious than expected.

Thus, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, Foreign Minister Annalina Berbock, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth of the Greens, Minister of Finance Christian Lindner and Minister of Transport Volker Wessing of the Free Democratic Party, together with the Social Democratic Chancellor and his Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, enshrined. They themselves referred to the relations with Holland on colored chairs in an art frame, which Scholz praised as “close associates and good friends”.

Rota offered Schultz to answer for him, but the chancellor would rather he do it himself

The friendship was immediately confirmed. In any case, the liberal Rutte jumps to his guest’s side in a very genteel fashion when asked if he’s been able to sleep a bit after the tough coalition talks. He can take over the answer right away, Rota shows, which he confirms with a friend’s handshake. He is familiar with difficult horoscopes. The Dutchman states that his coalition includes four parties, not just three.

Schulz prefers to answer the question himself, and says, “No, I couldn’t sleep, and as you can see, I’m fine.” Again he praises the “sweet point of the break”. Most of his traveling companions negotiated through the night and “worked extensively with him to advance modernisation”. It is about “very clear definitions” in order to achieve the necessary speed. The traffic light’s decision not to negotiate at night if possible was forgotten. That’s just part of it, Schulz says, and it’s also a common experience. “I’ve been talking about it for a long time,” Schulze says excitedly.

But it also applies to Germany and the Netherlands. Schulze and Root praised the two countries’ close military cooperation. “The long-term mutual integration of our armed forces is unique in Europe,” said Schultz. Within three days, the full integration of all three brigades of the Dutch army into the structures of the German army will be completed. This is a “teacher and motivator”. The chancellor and prime minister also pledged more arms assistance to Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia. “We’ll do it for as long as necessary,” Rutte promises.

He then thanks Scholz for the invitation to “this wonderful museum building”. He always wondered where the “you never see” works were. At the end of this long day, he notes, there is “open, unbiased access to art and culture, which is exactly what we need as an open human society.” “In this sense, we will also be inspired by this place,” he believes. Then it continues on Tuesday at exactly nine o’clock in the chancellery.

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