The German government on Wednesday approved the creation of a permanent National Security Council aimed at strengthening the country’s medium- and long-term security planning.
The new body, replacing the Federal Security Council and the Security Cabinet, delivers on a key election pledge by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It reflects growing recognition that Germany had lost its strategic focus on security during the relative calm of the post-Cold War era.
“This is long overdue,” said Stefan Mair, head of the SWP think tank. “Its value lies less in the decisions taken than in ensuring that ministries develop a shared understanding of the security landscape.”
Germany was left unprepared for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with gas reserves only half full, forcing Berlin to rapidly overhaul its energy system to reduce dependence on Moscow. The shock prompted deep reflection among policymakers, with many blaming successive governments for letting the armed forces shrink after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
The new council, based permanently at Merz’s riverside office, will be tasked both with addressing immediate threats and anticipating longer-term risks. It will be chaired by the chancellor, with the finance minister as his deputy. Permanent members will include the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, justice, economy, defence, development and digitalisation.
Additional representatives from Germany’s federal states, allied nations or the scientific community may be brought in when required.
Germany joins a growing list of countries to establish a centralised security committee modelled on the United States’ National Security Council, with Britain among the first to adopt a similar system in 2010.
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The U.S. on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, which ended weeks of deadly border clashes, and called on both countries to fully implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement.
Japan’s tourism sector has experienced a slowdown after China’s government advised its citizens to reconsider travel to Japan, following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.
Italian authorities have arrested nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through Italy based charities, prosecutors said on Saturday, in an operation coordinated by anti mafia and anti terrorism units.
New York placed the state under emergency measures on Friday as a powerful winter storm brought the heaviest snowfall since 2022, disrupting travel across the north-east of the United States.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck offshore near Taiwan’s north-eastern county of Yilan late on Saturday, shaking buildings across the island, including in the capital Taipei, authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States ahead of talks with President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war, as Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine overnight on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 40.
Iran is engaged in a “comprehensive war” with the United States, Israel, and Europe, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Saturday.
Brigitte Bardot, the French actress whose barefoot mambo in And God Created Woman propelled her to international fame and reshaped female sexuality on screen, has died at the age of 91, her foundation said on Sunday.
Voters in Myanmar began casting ballots on Sunday in a general election organised by the ruling military government, the first since a 2021 coup plunged the country into civil war, amid widespread doubts over the credibility of the vote.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck offshore near Taiwan’s north-eastern county of Yilan late on Saturday, shaking buildings across the island, including in the capital Taipei, authorities said.
China has connected the world’s largest offshore solar power project to its national grid, marking a significant step in the country’s push to expand renewable energy generation.
The U.S. on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, which ended weeks of deadly border clashes, and called on both countries to fully implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement.
Japan’s tourism sector has experienced a slowdown after China’s government advised its citizens to reconsider travel to Japan, following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.
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