At the beginning of the week Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the German government's guest house in Schloss Meseberg. The Franco-German meeting focused, among other things, on the future of Europe and how to ensure fair competition in the globalised economy.

On the domestic front the highlight of the week was the budget debate in the German Bundestag. During the debate the Chancellor urged parliament to help strengthen Germany's economic recovery.

The Chancellor also welcomed the Argentinean presidential candidate, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, attended the annual reception of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces and opened the International Motor Show Cars (IAA) in Frankfurt.