Berlin - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
In his first speech to parliament after being appointed chancellor, Friedrich Merz promised to create a European-American unity that would serve Ukraine. He said he would strengthen the German military's capabilities to make it the strongest in the bloc and would revive the domestic economy.
About a week ago, Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), assumed the office of chancellor following his victory in the German federal elections in February, which ended a six-month period during which parties failed to form a coalition.
According to the Brussels-based Euronews website, Merz has so far succeeded in building good relations with several European leaders. He traveled to Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to reaffirm Berlin's unwavering support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Merz told the Bundestag: "Europe expects something from us," and promised that the new German government would be responsible and live up to its trust. He continued, "The time has passed when Germany abstained from voting on important issues in European politics," referring to the internal conflicts that plagued the three-party government coalition led by his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, before it dissolved in November, paving the way for early elections.
The new government includes the center-right Union bloc, led by Merz, and the center-left Social Democratic Party, led by Scholz.
Merely, Merz emphasized that he aims to maintain American support for Ukraine, as part of a collective process in which his country cooperates with Europe and the United States to protect their common interests.
"We hope and are all working to ensure that this is not just the position of Europe, but also that of the United States," the German chancellor said, adding that he thanked President Donald Trump for his support for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in two recent phone calls. Before taking office, the new ruling coalition quickly adopted legislative measures aimed at increasing defense spending, by easing strict debt regulations and creating a massive infrastructure fund to stimulate the stagnant economy.
The German military had suffered from years of underfunding until, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Chancellor Scholz committed to raising Berlin's defense spending to meet NATO's 2% of GDP benchmark and announced the creation of a special €100 billion fund to modernize the military. Since then, Germany has been able to meet the target through this fund, which is expected to be depleted by 2027.

The new chancellor stated, "We will fulfill our commitments" for the sake of Germany and NATO, but he did not mention the United States' demand that its allies increase their defense investments to 5% of GDP. The German leader acknowledged that Berlin's security and global influence are declining because the economy has become the measure of power.
He pledged to reduce bureaucracy, promote digital transformation, provide tax incentives for businesses, and promote additional trade agreements within the European Union.
He said, "We will do everything to grow the German economy... We want to invest and reform... and through our efforts, we can once again become a growth engine that the world looks up to."
He added, "It is important that we do not see political divisions within the West, so I will make every effort to unite Europeans and Americans."