German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) hands the certificate of appointment as new Finance Minister Joerg Kukies, at the presidential Bellevue Palace in Berlin on November 7, 2024. The day before, the German Chancellor sacked Finance minister Christian Lindner, from the pro-business Free Democrats FDP, leading to the breakdown of his three-party coalition government. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP) (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP via Getty Images)