Angela Merkel
What will your life be like after your chancellorship?
What will Angela Merkel look like as a former German Chancellor?
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Retirement, travel and the office: what will Angela Merkel’s life look like after her end as chancellor?
The time of Chancellor Angela Merkel (67) will be history in a few hours – but what comes next after the 16-year high point of her political career?
Merkel had already revealed in July what her time would look like after handing over office: calmly. After receiving an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, she told those present that she would “not accept the next invitation right away because I am afraid I have nothing to do and no one wants me”.
Think, read, sleep
Instead, she wanted to think about what actually interests her because she hadn’t had time for it in recent years. The rest looks like many people would probably organize their first days off after a work-intensive time: “And then maybe I’ll try to read something, then my eyes will close because I’m tired, then I’ll sleep a little, and then let’s see. “
Merkel now has all the time and peace in the world to “take a look” – she doesn’t have to worry about financial issues. Initially, she will continue to receive her salary for three months, which should total around 35,000 euros per month. She then receives a maximum of half for a further 21 months.
Noticeably large office plans
However, it is unlikely that she will really stop working. She has applied for an office with a total of nine employees. The CDU politician asked for an office manager, a deputy office manager, two specialist officers, three clerks and two drivers. The Budget Committee decided in 2019 that former Chancellors will only be paid five employees. Sounds like Merkel still has big plans.
More time in Italy?
Visits to Italy should also be at the top of Merkel’s leisure wish list. At a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (74) in Rome in October, Merkel expressed her love for Italy.
Just one day in Rome would have shown her “that you have to spend a whole life here to grasp everything that can be seen in world history”. In this respect, she will “certainly return to Italy, albeit in a different way.”
So it fits well that her husband, quantum chemist Joachim Sauer (72), will have to travel to Italy more often in the future for work. The professor, who works at the Humboldt University in Berlin, will travel to Turin more often in the future. Sauer has been a Foreign Member of the University of Science there since June 2021.