Schroeder plans to return to being a lawyer

4 November 2005

BERLIN – Outgoing chancellor Gerhard Schroeder clearly has plans for after he steps down as Germany’s leader. In a speech to members of the Foreign Press Association in Berlin Thursday evening, he said that “at some point” he would work again in his old profession as a lawyer.

“You’ve asked me what I’m going to do,” he said, addressing the assembled journalists. “In my whole life there were always two professions I wanted to do: one was to be a lawyer, and the other was to work in politics. I’m in the unusually lucky position to have been able to fulfil both wishes.”

“I’m really a very, very good lawyer,” the chancellor continued, tongue firmly in cheek. “Those of you who are here and need legal advice should remember that.”

“At some point I will work again in my old, wonderful profession,” he said. “But otherwise I haven’t made any decisions about my future plans.”

Earlier the Foreign Press Association had awarded Schroeder its annual media prize, for his openness towards the international press. “You can’t believe how much I’ve earned this prize,” he commented in his irony-filled acceptance speech.

“When there’s somebody who values, I would even say reveres, the journalistic trade, then it’s me. I don’t make any distinction between Germans and foreigners. You are all dear to me.”

The Chancellor, who is currently leading Germany in a ‘caretaker’ capacity until the expected election of chancellor-designate Angela Merkel on 22 November, went on to describe the beginning of the ongoing coalition talks. “At that time, I made a suggestion. Don’t start with the preliminary negotiations, but do it so that on the first evening you have a decent meal, drink a bit of wine, and make sure it’s more than most normally drink. Then the rest of the meetings will go much easier.”

“They are all unbelievably serious people,” he continued. “They didn’t take my advice. That’s why things got off to a bad start. But now it’s going well. You can be sure […] that on 22 November […] Ms Merkel will be elected chancellor.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m happy about that,” he said. “That would be asking a bit much. But I know to respect it. I’m honestly convinced that for this country the grand coalition […] is really the sensible solution.”

Subject: German news