German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer bid farewell to her predecessor and new EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the traditional Grosser Zapfenstreich military ceremony on Thursday evening in Berlin.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the ceremony at the Defence Ministry and approached von der Leyen personally to thank her before leaving in a motorcade.
Von der Leyen chose song “Wind of Change” by Scorpion for the ceremony, which was played by the German army band.
On July 16 2019, von der Leyen was elected as EU Commission President, resigning from her ministerial duties shortly beforehand. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new leader of Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, was sworn in as Defence Minister on June 24 by the German federal parliament.