Steinmeier warns Germany’s democracy is facing renewed pressure

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the country’s democracy is facing renewed challenges during his final German Unity Day speech as president. Speaking at the official ceremony in Bremen, Steinmeier said he had once believed the lessons of history had been learned. He said he now saw supporters of right-wing extremism seeking to erase the memory of Holocaust victims.

Steinmeier, whose second and final term ends in March 2027, said his expectations after the political changes that began in 1989 had exceeded what had ultimately been achieved. Those expectations included stronger liberal democracy and greater international cooperation. He acknowledged what he described as bitter setbacks and warned that Germany’s next president would inherit a demanding role.

Promoting social cohesion and preserving the country’s unity, he said, would become more difficult in the coming years. The official celebrations began with an ecumenical service at Bremen’s St Peter’s Cathedral attended by Steinmeier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other senior officials. More than 550 events are being held in Bremen through Sunday.

German Unity Day commemorates October 3, 1990, when the five states of the former East Germany joined the Federal Republic of Germany. Bremen is hosting the central celebrations because it currently holds the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat. The celebrations come amid continuing differences between eastern and western Germany in income, wealth and representation in senior positions.

The government’s commissioner for eastern Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser, has called for the next president to come from eastern Germany. Germany’s Federal Convention is due to elect Steinmeier’s successor on January 30.