BERLIN

Former longtime German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the country’s highest order of merit on Monday for her distinguished service to the nation.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the Grand Cross to Merkel at a ceremony at Schloss Bellevue, the presidential palace.

Steinmeier praised Merkel’s leadership and her success in handling multiple crises during her 16 years in office.

“Those who underestimated you have been proved wrong. Because by the end of your term in office, you managed to further strengthen Germany as the largest economy in Europe,” he stressed.

Steinmeier said Merkel steered the country through several crises, including the 2008 financial crash, the European debt crisis, the 2015 refugee influx, and the coronavirus pandemic.

“How to deal with these crises and how to get out of them has always been a contentious issue – sometimes with heated debates. But not many countries have managed to overcome these crises better than Germany,” he said.

Merkel, who became Germany’s first female chancellor in 2005, held the top post for almost 16 years but did not seek reelection in 2021. The conservative politician retired from active politics and has stayed largely out of the public eye.

She is the third German politician to receive the country’s highest order of merit, the Grand Cross. The previous awardees were West Germany’s first leader Konrad Adenauer, and Helmut Kohl, the country’s longest-serving chancellor.