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Tag: German Chancellor

  • ‘Harmonious’ meeting between Merz, Lula despite Belém controversy

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met on the sidelines of G20 talks in South Africa on Saturday, after the German leader sparked outrage with comments on the Brazilian city hosting the COP30 climate talks.

    Sources close to the chancellor described Saturday’s meeting, which focused on the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, tropical rainforest protection and the war in Ukraine, as “very harmonious,” though it was unclear whether Merz’s controversial comments were discussed.

    Merz had travelled to the Amazon city of Belém for a summit two weeks ago ahead of the annual climate conference. On his return to Berlin, the chancellor said he had asked journalists who accompanied him whether any of them wanted to stay.

    “No one raised their hand,” Merz said. He argued that the reporters were “happy” to return to Germany, which he described as “one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”

    The statement triggered anger in Brazil, including from President Lula.

    At the time, Lula said Merz should have gone to a bar in Belém, danced and tried out the local cuisine.

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  • Merz hosts big meeting in bid to boost flagging German car sector

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the German Cabinet meeting at the German Chancellery in Berlin. Michael Kappeler/dpa

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will hold talks on Thursday in Berlin with representatives of the car industry, including manufacturers, suppliers, trade unions and state officials.

    Germany’s famous automotive sector is grappling with declining sales, competition from China, the transition to e-mobility, and EU regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

    Additionally, higher tariffs on US imports are adding to the challenges. Many companies are reporting sharp drops in profits, implementing cost-cutting measures, and reducing jobs.

    According to the German government, the two-hour meeting will focus on finding joint solutions to position the car industry successfully for future technologies. The aim is to secure jobs while meeting climate targets.

    Merz, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) Hildegard Müller and IG Metall union chairwoman Christiane Benner will provide updates following the meeting.

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  • Merz: Germany should boycott Eurovision if Israel is excluded

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that Germany should pull out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna if Israel were to be excluded.

    Asked in an interview programme on public broadcaster ARD whether Germany should voluntarily forgo participation in that case, the conservative politician replied: “I would support that. I think it’s a scandal that this is even being discussed. Israel belongs there.”

    The musical extravaganza sees countries from Europe, but also beyond, each submit a song to compete for the title, with performances judged by national juries and public voting.

    Pressure on the song contest’s organizers has been growing for weeks, with several broadcasters, including from from Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, threatening to withdraw if Israel is not barred from taking part, citing the country’s military action in the Gaza Strip.

    National broadcasters play a central role in Eurovision, as they are the official representatives of their countries within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), responsible for selecting their entries, coordinating the live broadcasts and overseeing voting procedures.

    The EBU said late last month that it will hold an online meeting of all member broadcasters in November to vote on participation in the 2026 contest.

    The next Eurovision is scheduled to take place in Vienna in May 2026.

    Large public protests against Israel’s Eurovision participation occurred this year and last.

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  • Chancellor focuses on future as Germany marks reunification

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to give an address on Friday as the nation celebrates reunification, 35 years after the event.

    On October 3, 1990, the states that made up East Germany were integrated into the Federal Republic of Germany – the formal name for West Germany – ending the long division of the German nation after World War II.

    This year, Saarbrücken is hosting the main event and Merz said he does not plan to focus on the past so much as to address the issues he sees as urgent to solve the country’s problems.

    As a guest of honour, French President Emmanuel Macron is also due to give a speech at the ceremony held in the south-western state which borders France.

    The two halves of Germany were reunited after more than 40 years of division, about a year after the peaceful revolution in East Germany and the opening of the borders.

    Living conditions differed significantly at the time but have since become much more similar, though disparities remain in terms of wages, wealth and productivity, all of which are lower in the East.

    And as views on many political issues diverge, polls suggest many people presently see more differences than commonalities between the two parts of the country.

    Merz is also heading to eastern Germany in the evening for a concert in Halle an der Saale. It is part of a series of choral events held simultaneously in villages and towns nationwide, recalling the prayers and peaceful revolution of 1989.

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  • Merz to travel to Madrid amid major differences in stance on Israel

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due to travel to Madrid on Thursday for his inaugural visit to discuss cooperation between the two countries, European political issues and security policy with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

    Although the relations between Germany and Spain are generally considered good, there are significant differences on one particular issue – their stance on Israel.

    While Merz, like Sánchez, sharply criticizes the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Germany has so far rejected imposing sanctions on Israel, apart from restricting arms exports.

    In contrast, Spain took concrete measures early in the Gaza conflict. In 2024, it became the first EU member to join South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

    At the beginning of September, Sánchez announced a complete arms embargo and a travel ban “for all those individuals directly involved in the genocide, human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza.”

    On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clarified her proposals for sanctions targeting Israel.

    Free trade benefits should be revoked, and punitive measures should be taken against extremist Israeli ministers and settlers, von der Leyen said.

    From the European Commission’s perspective, the country is violating human rights and international humanitarian law with its military offensive and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe.

    Merz has not yet taken a position on the proposals.

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  • German opposition slams government’s budget plans

    Members of Germany’s opposition on Tuesday ripped into the government’s plans for the 2025 budget, which are set to be at the heart of parliamentary debate this week.

    Lawmakers are to vote on this year’s budget in the coming days, after failure to agree on how to plug a multibillion-euro hole brought down the previous administration of chancellor Olaf Scholz in November last year.

    Subsequent early elections in February meant this year’s budget had to wait until a new government was in place, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative-led alliance taking the helm in May.

    Thanks to the delay, the 2025 budget is only set to be in effect for three months if lawmakers approve the plans at the end of the week – which has made it comparatively easy for Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil to come up with a draft.

    Regardless, opposition lawmakers accused the government of relying too heavily on borrowing after the coalition moved to exempt spending on defence and infrastructure from the country’s strict debt rules.

    According to Michael Espendiller, chief budgetary officer for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the government is “unabashedly pursuing the most extreme level of debt this country has ever seen.”

    His party, the biggest opposition force, advocates complying with Germany’s debt rules known as the debt brake, and has proposed cutting funding for climate measures, EU contributions and arms deliveries to Ukraine instead.

    Ines Schwerdtner from The Left party, meanwhile, said the money was not reaching those needing it the most.

    “Never before has a government spent so much money, and never before has so little reached the people,” the far-left party leader said.

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  • Merz tries to boost industry’s confidence in German government

    Chancellor Friedrich Merz is appealing for Germany’s manufacturing community to have confidence in his government.

    “We know that we have to solve problems from the political centre of our country,” Merz told representatives of Germany’s mechanical engineering industry gathered in Berlin on Tuesday.

    “We have a stable government that has accepted the task of leading this country successfully,” he added, and asked the engineering association to critically monitor the government’s performance, but with the necessary degree of confidence.

    Germany’s coalition of Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left SPD is united in its goal of making Germany a competitive location again, the chancellor said.

    He said that it was vitally important to keep Germany’s manufacturing industry in the country, and reiterated the need for reforms of the welfare state in view of rising costs.

    He told the meeting that he had announced an “autumn of reforms,” and promised to dismantle many existing regulations. “I imagine that in October we will hold a Cabinet meeting in which we will not pass a single new law, but rather abolish a whole series of existing laws and regulations,” he said.

    Earlier, the president of the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA), Bertram Kawlath, had called on Merz to implement fundamental reforms to ease the burden on companies. “We are at a tipping point today, not only economically, but also socially,” he said, adding that if the democratic centre failed to deliver, Germany’s political fringes would benefit.

    Kawlath described the situation in the industry as serious, and said political hesitation on reforms comes at a high price. “More and more companies are facing deep cuts,” he said. He called for lower taxes and levies, less bureaucracy and faster investment approvals.

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  • Merz: Putin is ‘perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time’

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is “perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview set to air on Tuesday evening.

    “He is a war criminal,” Merz told the broadcaster Sat.1, referring to the Russian leader.

    “We simply have to be clear about how to deal with war criminals. There is no place for leniency,” he added.

    Merz has levelled severe criticism against Russia since taking office in May, accusing Moscow of “the most serious war crimes” and “terror against the civilian population.”

    The personal description of the Russian president as a war criminal, however, is new.

    Merz’s comments came after he was asked what name he would give Putin after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the Kremlin leader as a “predator” during a trip to Poland.

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  • Macron, Merz tout renewal of close ties between Paris and Berlin

    French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the restoration of close ties between Paris and Berlin as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at his summer residence on Thursday before high-level talks between ministers from both states.

    After years of strained relations with Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, the French leader said the successful restart of relations can serve as a driving force for strengthening Europe.

    Following the change of government in Berlin earlier this year, the two leaders have “opened a new chapter in Franco-German relations,” Macron said after welcoming his German counterpart to the Fort de Brégançon on the Côte d’Azur.

    “I believe that the Franco-German tandem is now perfectly coordinated to create a stronger Europe in the areas of economy, trade and currency,” he stated.

    Merz also emphasized the importance of the “axis” of the two countries’ ties, saying “Germany and France play a central role in this European Union, on this European continent.”

    He also highlighted the crucial role of unity among all 27 EU member states. If this unity is achieved, “then we are truly strong, and Europe becomes a factor in the world,” Merz said.

    “The developments in this world show how important it is for us to become a powerful factor in the world — economically, politically, and also in terms of security policy.”

    Macron added that the relationship would be key in establishing “a Europe that asserts its geopolitical position in the Ukraine conflict in light of Russia’s war of aggression, and a Europe that has decided to rearm itself to ensure its protection.”

    The relationship between Macron and Merz is considered significantly better than with predecessor Olaf Scholz.

    However, a long list of differences in policy remains between the two countries, including the nuclear energy debate, France’s support for joint European debt and Germany’s backing for the MERCOSUR trade deal with South American countries.

    Ministerial Council on Friday

    Merz arrived in southern France on Thursday ahead of the two governments holding consultations on economic and security policy against the backdrop of a political crisis in Paris.

    On Friday, half of Merz’s Cabinet will participate in the Ministerial Council in Toulon.

    Among those expected to attend on the German side are Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

    A Franco-German Defence and Security Council will later convene to discuss, in a smaller circle, the production of weapons systems in Europe as well as joint Franco-German armament projects.

    But the meetings may be overshadowed by a deep government crisis in France.

    Prime Minister François Bayrou has called a vote of confidence in parliament on September 8.

    The government is expected to fall, and new elections cannot be ruled out. Although the crisis does not directly affect the presidency, it weakens Macron.

    Merz and his German ministers will therefore be negotiating on Friday with a French Cabinet whose tenure remains uncertain.

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