Speaker(s): Christian Odendahl,Professor William Paterson,Dr Natascha Zaun | Editor's note: We apologise for the poor audio quality of this podcast. The forthcoming elections in Germany have important implications for Germany, for Europe and international politics. For the UK, the next German Chancellor will likely have a crucial impact on the ‘BREXIT’ outcome. The re-election of Angela Merkel would further strengthen her international status – not to be underestimated by Moscow or Washington. But recent elections in different countries have produced surprises, on occasions. The elections may give a signal as to the current appeal of the centre-left in Europe and the prospects for social democracy. The outcome will be watched closely also in Paris, with President Macron keen to assert Franco-German leadership to revive the EU. Christian Odendahl @COdendahl is Chief Economist, Centre for European Reform. William Paterson is Honorary Professor of German and European Politics, Aston University. Natascha Zaun is Assistant Professor in Migration Studies at the LSE European Institute. Waltraud Schelkle is an Associate Professor of Political Economy at the LSE European Institute. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector.