The first newspaper for Europe to come from Germany, "The German Times," launches simultaneously with the German EU-Parliamentary Presidency. Executive Editor Theo Sommer is today handing over the first copy of the monthly newspaper to Hans-Gert Pöttering, the new President of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, with German Chancellor and current President of the Council of Europe, Angela Merkel, and Martin Schulz, head of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament in attendance. In the evening he will present "The German Times" in London.

Newspaper for decision makers from politics and business

The circulation of the English-language newspaper is 50,000 and each month will reach all 7,265 members of the parliaments of the EU's 27 member states. In addition, "The German Times" is going to all national governments, all members of the European Parliament, the EU Commission and, last but not least, Europe's most important business decision makers. In addition, the some 1,000 parliamentarians in Switzerland, Norway and Turkey will also receive the newspaper.

Editor in Chief Waltert: "We want to accompany Europe's coalescence"

""The German Times" will be a platform and place of European dialog and give the German EU-Presidency tailwind," emphasizes Executive Editor Theo Sommer, former Editor in Chief and Executive Editor of Die ZEIT. "We want to accompany Europe's coalescence, in that we are creating a medium from Germany for all of Europe," says Editor in Chief Bruno Waltert, former Editor in Chief of the Berliner Morgenpost. The former Executive Editor of the FAZ, Jürgen Jeske, who will write for "The German Times" as a columnist, says, "Our aim is to inform not just about Germany, German viewpoints and interests, but also to provide a platform to well-known journalists from all of Europe."

Positive experience with "Atlantic Times" and Hauptstadtbrief

"We have already had very positive experience with the "Atlantic Times" and made a contribution to transatlantic dialog," says publisher Detlef Prinz. The "Atlantic Times" has appeared monthly in Germany and the USA since October 2004 with a circulation of some 50,000. "The success in the USA has given us a great deal of courage to launch an ambitious project that puts the European idea at the center," continues Prinz. In addition, since 1999 Prinz has been publishing the "Hauptstadtbrief," which provides background information for decision makers in business and politics and has now achieved a circulation of 5,000.