German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the successes of right-wing populist parties in the recent European Parliament elections a “turning point” during comments to the German parliament on Wednesday.
Scholz said a series of recent crises have caused people to question their trust and sense of security and lose trust in government.
“We have to face this,” Scholz said.
“We need to restore trust where it is lacking,” said Scholz, referring to both Germany and the European Union.
“There will be no return to the good old days, many of which were never so good, but what we need is a political perspective where we can win a good future in uncertain times,” he told lawmakers.
Responsible politicians should not engage in “competition with populists and extremists” but rather seek real solutions to the problems facing the people, Scholz said.
He also said that Germany is an open society and a united society.
