Muhamad Yehia
The centre-right CDU’s leader has committed himself to taking a more active role in the bloc in the midst of what he says is declining transatlantic interest in Europe.
After winning the German federal elections on Sunday, leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz has no time to celebrate.
His government — as soon as he manages to form it — has a long to-do on their hands.
How Germany positions itself in Europe, which faces increasingly tense rhetoric from US President Donald Trump and his administration, is at the top of that list.
Merz dubbed this “five to midnight for Europe,” speaking at a press conference the day after results showed he had led his party to victory with 28% of the vote
“All the signals we are getting from the US indicate that interest in Europe is clearly declining, and the willingness to get involved in Europe is dwindling,” Merz concluded.
When pressed on how the continent should respond to Washington suggesting that Europe should not rely on the US for its security, Merz mentioned his good relations with a strong line-up of the continent’s leaders could offer a solution.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are all on the same page, together with him
“Europe is united,” the chancellor-in-waiting insisted.
“If those who really do not just make ‘America First,’ but almost ‘America Alone’ their motto prevail, then it will be difficult,” Merz added.
Further than Scholz in support for Ukraine
In recent weeks, European allies have scrambled to show unity in the face of a push from US President Donald Trump to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, seemingly without Kyiv involved in negotiations.
The CDU leader has typically said he was prepared to go further in supporting Ukraine than German Chancellor Scholz, suggesting he could be willing to send long-range Taurus missiles to the war-torn country — something Scholz repeatedly ruled out
Macron and Starmer have floated the idea of sending European peacekeeping troops in the event of a deal brokered between Russia and Ukraine.
Merz has not outright rejected the idea but told public broadcasters ARD and ZDF prior to the election that it was “too early to think about it”. The war in Ukraine would end with a “Ukrainian army that can continue to defend itself,” he said
On the NATO military alliance, Merz questioned in a televised debate after the score came out on Sunday whether “we will still be able to speak about NATO in its current form” when the alliance meets for its next scheduled summit in June.
The day after, however, he said the NATO alliance “continues to function well” and that he aimed to make progress on its “European pillar”.
What comes next for Merz?
Merz has made foreign and security policy one of his government’s key priorities. However, he must first negotiate a successful coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and find the money to invest in Ukraine and Germany’s defence and security.
“He seems to recognise the scale of the challenges and sees Germany as a key state in meeting them. It is important that he now succeeds in mobilising the financial resources for a strong German security and defence policy,” said Jana Puglierin, Head of the European Council of Foreign Relations in Berlin.
“However, this may prove to be very difficult. If he wants to relax the debt brake or set up a second special fund for defence, he will need votes from either the AfD or the Left Party,” Puglierin adds.
Both the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Die Linke or The Left party saw gains in the weekend’s elections, and both remain opposed to reforming the country’s constitutionally enshrined debt brake which would allow Merz to raise more money for defence. Combined, they have enough seats to block it.
The AfD, in particular, have campaigned on a “Germany First” slogan and argued that Berlin should disengage from Kyiv and try to re-establish relations with Russia. They are set to be the country’s largest opposition party following the weekend’s election.
Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It has also been Ukraine’s second-biggest weapons supplier after the US.