In the midst of high-stakes budget negotiations and an impending challenging SPD party conference, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has a significant personal engagement lined up on Thursday evening. This private affair is a celebration of the Chancellor's and his wife Britta Ernst's 25th wedding anniversary, set to take place in a close-knit circle for maximum privacy, as reported by German Press Agency.
The timing of this event is intriguing, as it coincides with a break in the marathon negotiations on the significant 17 billion euro budget gap for 2024 due to Finance Minister Christian Lindner's international commitments. The Chancellor's schedule will continue with his participation in the SPD party conference on Friday, followed by his Saturday speech.
Back in February, discussing his anniversary, Scholz shared with "Bild am Sonntag" that his love for Britta Ernst is the most valuable aspect of his life. He also mentioned that his life would be vastly different without her presence, hinting at an immense impact she has on him as a person.
Britta Ernest, aged 62, is a fellow SPD politician who previously served as Minister of Education in Brandenburg. However, her tenure came to an end in mid-April due to a lack of internal support for her policies. Since then, she has made more public appearances alongside Scholz, including their joint trips to Japan and New York for the G7 summit and UN General Assembly, respectively.
Enrichment Data: - While Scholz's wedding anniversary celebration is gaining attention, German media outlets are focusing on other topics. Art exhibitions, design events, and German federal elections are among the current hot topics in the news[1]. - Scholz and his wife's relationship remains private, leaving little information available regarding the personal impact of his celebration on his political agenda[2].
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [>Olaf Scholz assembled a team of experts and was intent on introducing more ambitious climate policies than his predecessor, Angela Merkel. But the draft, which has been seen by Reuters, lags behind the ambition of the European Union, which has set benchmarks for countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Trade union leaders voiced alarm.] (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy-transition-chancellor-scholz-faces-criticism-german-climate-plan-2023-04-20/)
