Merkel Champions Democracy as Germany Marks Wall Anniversary
- Chancellor speaks on site of former East-West border barrier
- European values like rule of law must be defended, Merkel says
Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schaeuble place roses into a portion of the wall at Bernauer Strasse on Nov. 9.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Europe to fight harder for its values as Germany marked 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday.
“The values on which Europe is based -- freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, safeguarding human rights -- these are anything but self-evident,” Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, said in a speech at the wall memorial in the center of the once-divided capital.