Chancellor Merkel and President Bush Meet in Washington
First German EU presidency trip an expression of multitude of common interests and values, EU-US cooperation essential.

On January 1, Germany Assumed the Rotating Rresidency of the European Union
Track progress on key issues like energy security, the environment, and competitiveness right here on Germany.info.

Germany's G8 Presidency Begins
"Growth and Responsibility" is the general theme of the German G8 presidency in 2007.

Former President Ford Remembered as Staunch Transatlanticist, Friend of Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal President Horst Köhler recalled his role in the genesis of today's OSCE and G8 in a letter of condolence to the American people.

New EU Member States Bulgaria and Romania Welcomed
"With their accession to the European Union, these two countries have completed their 'return' to Europe, which commenced with the fall of the Iron Curtain," said German Foreign Frank-Walter Minister Steinmeier.

Former Jerusalem Mayor Kollek Remembered for His Courage, Influence
Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier both remembered the former long-serving mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek.

Five Years of the Euro – More Euros in Circulation than Dollars for First Time Ever
According to the European Central Bank, the value of euro banknotes in circulation reached a record value of €628 billion.

German Automakers Expect Record 2006 US Sales
German firms reported a combined total of 900,000 vehicles sold in the United States for the year just ended.

The Plastic Revolution is Coming to Dresden
Dresden has attracted a $100 million dollar investment in a new technology that could revolutionize the electronics industry – the plastic semiconductor.

Putting the Focus on Protection of Biological Diversity Worldwide
State Secretary Matthias Machnig: "Besides climate change, the destruction of ecosystems worldwide is the biggest global environmental policy challenge. ... We have to place the topic on the global political agenda."

Readings: A Roundup of German Themes on the Web
Wim Wenders on Giving Europe a Soul (signandsight)
"Despair is something vast" (signandsight)
Dragon-Slayers, the London Review of Books on Hannah Arendt

Rock Music Exhibit Comes to Berlin
The exhibition looks at rock music’s early history through the fractured lens of a divided Germany.

Max Pechstein Redux: Remembering a Primitivist Painter of Stark Sensuality
The German Language Council has published the surprising and amusing results of its international contest “Word Migrations.”

St. Louis-born Songstress Grace Bumbry turns 70
Grace Ann Bumbry made history in 1961, when the American singer was invited by Richard Wagner's grandson to perform in Bayreuth, the Bavarian locale of Germany's acclaimed annual Wagner festival. She turned 70 on January 4.

German Cinema Roundup: US Screenings
Films from Germany, Switzerland and Austria on show in Washington and San Francisco
De Niro, Clooney & Co. head for Berlin
Franka Potente makes her own movie