German Chancellor Angela Merkel accomplished much but leaves Germany’s toughest challenges for her likely successor, Socialist Democrat Olaf Scholz.
But on big structural issues, she was an incrementalist—shunning big reforms and hewing to fiscal conservatism as much as circumstances permitted.
Though a champion of the Paris Climate Agreement, she leaves Germany poorly situated to eliminate CO2 emissions. After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, she impulsively decided to phase out nuclear power, but Germany still lacks an adequate grid to transfer enough wind and solar power from the north to the industrial south. It still uses too much coal and natural gas.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has worked with four U.S. presidents. From George W. Bush giving her shoulder rubs to Donald Trump refusing to shake her hand,…
