German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the successes of right-wing populist parties in the recent European Parliament elections a “turning point” in his comments to the German parliament on Wednesday.
Scholz said a number of recent crises have caused people to question their trust and sense of security and to lose faith in government.
“We have to face this,” Scholz said.
“We must restore trust where it is lacking,” Scholz said, referring to both Germany and the European Union.
“There is no going back to the good old days, which by the way were not that good. What we need is a political perspective that will allow us to create a good future in uncertain times,” he told lawmakers.
Responsible politicians should not engage in a “competition with populists and extremists” but instead look for real solutions to the problems facing the people, Scholz said.
He also said that Germany is an open society and a society that sticks together.
