BERLIN: Germany’s next leader, the conservative Friedrich Merz, vowed Wednesday to “move the country forward again” by boosting the economy and defence 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 future 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 defence obligations and rebuild its economic competitiveness.
“Germany is back on track,” he added.
Following the February election victory of his CDU/CSU alliance, Merz has struck a deal to forge a new government with the centre-left Social Democrats (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. The far-right AfD took second place.
In their 144-page coalition contract, the two big centrist parties vowed to “significantly” boost defence spending amid growing concerns about US commitment to European security under Trump.
The parties also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine as the United States looks to encourage a deal to end the war started by Russia’s full-scale 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”.
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.