Bettina Vestring
Bettina Vestring writes a weekly column on German and international political issues for Berliner Zeitung. She returned to Berlin in 2003 after spending seven years as a Brussels correspondent, first for Reuters and then for Berliner Zeitung.
Europe’s shrinking giant
Germany’s steadily falling population means that by 2050 it could be only the fourth largest EU member – a development that will transform the political and economic map of the continent. Bettina Vestring reports
Not friends, barely partners
The cooling of Franco-German relations is down to more than the personal antipathy between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, writes Bettina Vestring
Unassailable Angela
She lacks support in her party and her government has lost voters’ trust. Yet the German chancellor looks set to remain in power after next year’s elections, writes Bettina Vestring
The remarkable Mrs Merkel
Germany’s chancellor has had a good year, clinching major EU deals on climate change and a new treaty. But as Bettina Vestring reports, her coalition’s record on domestic reform has been less impressive
