Germany Merkel

FILE – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a news conference after bilateral talks in Dresden, on Oct. 10, 2006. Merkel has been credited with raising Germany’s profile and influence, helping hold a fractious European Union together, managing a string of crises and being a role model for women in a near-record tenure. Her designated successor, Olaf Scholz, is expected to take office Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)