German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas proposes close cooperation in the fight for democracy, following the invasion of the Capitol in Washington by protesters.
«We must not give space to the enemies of liberal democracy. This applies to Germany and Europe as well as to the US,» Maas told the German News Agency.
«We are ready to work closely with the US on a joint Marshall Plan for democracy’, he added.
The Marshall Plan was an American programme that helped the countries of Europe rebuild their economies after the Second World War. Germany particularly benefited from it.
Hundreds of rowdy Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, a symbol of American democracy and the seat of its legislative branch, on Wednesday. Shots were fired and five people died in the violence, including a police officer.
Maas and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among those who said Trump was partly responsible for the escalation.
President-elect Joe Biden, whose inauguration will take place on 20 January, called it an unprecedented attack on democracy.
Maas said that Biden can count on Germany's support and underlined that there is no democracy in Europe without democracy in the US.
«To understand the social divisions of our countries at their roots - this is one of the greatest future goals for Americans and Europeans,» the German Foreign Minister stressed.
