Overview

• Speaking at an Augsburger Allgemeine event marking the ten-year anniversary of her 2015 phrase, Merkel endorsed the prospect of a woman as Germany’s next head of state.
• She said there are many women with substantial political experience who could fill the role.
• Merkel rejected turning asylum seekers away at the border and urged European cooperation to address migration and its causes.
• She argued refugee integration has achieved notable results, with many from 2015 now in work, while acknowledging there is still more to do.
• She admitted underestimating how difficult deportations can be and warned against granting the AfD interpretive authority or using rhetoric that pits regions or social groups against each other.