How high are your country’s hopes for 2021 in light of the vaccine announcement/s?

People in our country place great hope in a vaccine against the virus. At the same time, even if it is approved, distribution and vaccination will take time. Until a high percentage of our citizens are vaccinated, we need to be as careful as we are today, to slow down the spread of the virus and to protect the health of our fellow citizens. From an economic point of view, I believe it is crucial to ratify the EU’s budget and recovery fund, which was designed to prevent more serious long-term damage to the European economy, as soon as possible.

What does a Biden-Harris presidency mean for your country’s ties with the US?

With the Biden-Harris administration at the top of the US, we are looking forward to a comeback of multilateralism in US foreign politics. This is fundamental. As President Biden has declared, he intends to re-enter the Paris climate agreement and will stop the withdrawal from WHO. For our part, we are determined to strengthen transatlantic ties. Europe and the US are indispensable partners to master global challenges including climate, trade, health, security, and promote democracy.

How are Christmas and NYE celebrations in your country going to be different this year?

Christmas is that time of year we like to spend with our families in larger groups than just with those we share the household with, including grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Often we rotate between different parts of the family during the holidays. Seeing them involves traveling, and therefore, especially for the elderly, an extremely high risk of infection. If we have to abstain from seeing them this year, this will definitely cause many of us great pain. Going to church is also part of celebrating Christmas in Germany, even for those who don’t attend services on a regular basis.