Germany’s next leader, the conservative Friedrich Merz, vowed on Wednesday to “move the country forward again” by boosting the economy and defense as he presented a deal to launch his coalition government by early next month.
Merz is set to take over as leader of Europe’s top economy just as US President Donald Trump has sparked global trade turmoil and raised deep fears about transatlantic security ties.
Asked at a news conference if he had a message for Trump, Merz said in English that the country would meet its defense obligations and rebuild its economic competitiveness.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Germany is back on track,” he added.
Following the February election victory of his Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CDU/CSU) alliance, Merz quickly struck a deal to forge a new government with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) of the now-caretaker Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“The coalition agreement is a signal of a new beginning... for our country,” said Merz, whose party won the elections with 28.5 percent of the vote.
In their 144-page coalition contract, the two parties pledged to “significantly” boost defense spending amid growing concerns about US commitment to European security under Trump.
The parties also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine as the US looks to encourage a deal to end the war started by Russia’s invasion over three years ago.
“We will provide comprehensive support to Ukraine so that it can effectively defend itself against the Russian aggressor and assert itself in negotiations,” the agreement said.
Presenting the deal, Merz pledged that Germany would “reform and invest to keep Germany stable, make it safer and make it economically stronger again,” adding that “Europe can rely on Germany.”
He also pledged that his government would “largely end irregular migration” and promised a “repatriation offensive” after an election campaign marked by a bitter debate on migration and a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The swift conclusion of the talks — a process that has in past years dragged on for months in Germany — is the result of “extraordinary external pressure,” said political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder of Kassel University.
“The pressure is coming from Trump, the pressure is coming from the AfD, the pressure is coming from [Merz’s] own ranks,” he told news channel NTV.
The far-right AfD came second in February’s election with a record 20 percent of the vote.
Support for the party has since continued to rise, with one survey by the Ipsos polling firm released on Wednesday rating it as Germany’s most popular party at 25 percent — ahead of the CDU/CSU at 24 percent.
Under the coalition deal, the conservatives are set to take over the foreign and economy ministries, while the SPD would get finance and defense, with German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius widely expected to retain his position.
While the SPD plans to ask its members to sign off on the final deal, the CDU plans only to seek the approval of senior party figures.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS