All posts tagged: Merz

Germany’s Merz arrives in Kyiv to finalize drone deal, release aid

Germany’s Merz arrives in Kyiv to finalize drone deal, release aid

Published by Sam Flores

dpatop – 04 October 2026, Ukraine, Kiew: Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) arrives early in the morning at the main train station in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where he is greeted by Boris Ruge, the German ambassador to Ukraine. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images) Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, accompanied by CEOs from German defense companies, in a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. Merz will announce a package of measures that includes the release 1 billion euros in military aid and 350 million euros for repairs in the energy sector, German government officials said. The visit is also expected to finalize a deal for joint production of various kinds of drones. “I travelled to Kyiv today because Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks,” Merz said, saying that Russian forces were bombing towns, residential buildings and heating plants. “If Russia is not stopped, sooner or later its …

Support for Merz plunges after CDU’s losses to Germany’s right and left | Elections News

Support for Merz plunges after CDU’s losses to Germany’s right and left | Elections News

Published by Sam Flores

Stuttgart, Germany – Minutes after the results of the first exit polls flashed across German screens, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) declared in a televised statement at the party’s headquarters that he was going nowhere. “It’s a disaster,” he said of the state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 20. “What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness and patience. I will muster them – as party chairman of the CDU and, above all, as chancellor of our country.” Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list But pressure on Merz is mounting. On Thursday, a survey by Germany’s public broadcaster ARD found that only one in 10 respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with his work. That is the lowest figure for any chancellor since the survey began in 1997. His party crashed out of the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, failing to clear the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats – the first time this has happened since the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in …

Germany’s Debt King Merz Gets a Greek Lesson in Fiscal Policy

Germany’s Debt King Merz Gets a Greek Lesson in Fiscal Policy

Published by Jenni Sidey

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe Revenge is sweet. It tastes all the sweeter the longer one has had to wait for it to arrive, and the deeper the pain of the humiliation that preceded it. Some may still have the images of the great debt crisis of a decade and a half ago before their eyes: German politicians, led by then-Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, traveled to Athens at regular intervals to make sure everything was in order. Greece, the supposed sinner of the debt crisis, had gone off the rails, accumulated too much debt and was quickly made the scapegoat for the financial-market and sovereign-debt crisis. It was convenient – because it diverted attention from Germany’s own failures. That someone had apparently left a score to settle was made clear by Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis in an interview with Handelsblatt on Monday. When the conversation turned to the debt question, Pierrakakis, who also serves as president of the Eurogroup, noted that reforms in fiscal policy might be painful at first, but would ultimately pay off …

Sorbonne Professor Hans Stark: ‘Merz is in a very, very fragile situation’ – Perspective

Sorbonne Professor Hans Stark: ‘Merz is in a very, very fragile situation’ – Perspective

Published by Sam Flores

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: PERSPECTIVE © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 21/09/2026 – 14:25 11:23 min From the show Reading time 1 min The far right AfD claims it has become Germany’s new “people’s party”. The statement comes after AfD claimed its second regional election win in as many weeks, ramping up pressure on the poorly performing CDU and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The far-left party also advanced, winning its third regional election thanks to its latest victory in Berlin. Perspective spoke to Hans Stark, professor in contemporary German civilization at Sorbonne University, who said that Merz is now in a very fragile situation, but that there is no obvious candidate to take over from him. By: Source link

Merz to press ahead with reforms after German state election defeat

Merz to press ahead with reforms after German state election defeat

Published by Sam Flores

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a bruising electoral setback in two state elections on Sunday, including a historic defeat for his party, but vowed to press ahead with potentially painful reforms to Europe’s biggest economy. Projections by public broadcaster ARD on Sunday night indicated that Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, came in with just 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — the party’s lowest result in any state since World War II. The anti-migration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party made significant gains Sunday. ARD television based its projections on exit polls and partial counting. If the CDU stays below 5% in the final vote count, it would mean the party would fail for the first time to win seats in a state legislature anywhere in Germany. Merz acknowledged his party’s result as a “disaster,” but struck a defiant note, rejecting any retreat from his government’s reform agenda. He argued that Germany’s economic and political problems made difficult and potentially unpopular reforms more urgent, not less so, and pledged to press ahead. “What needs …

Germany’s Merz vows to press ahead with reforms after historic state election defeat : NPR

Germany’s Merz vows to press ahead with reforms after historic state election defeat : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks to media at the Christian Democratic Union party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. Markus Schreiber/AP hide caption toggle caption Markus Schreiber/AP BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he plans to stay in office after his party’s losses in two state elections on Sunday, and again doubled down on the government’s plans for potentially painful reforms to Europe’s biggest economy. Exit polls by public broadcaster ARD on Sunday night indicated that Metz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union came in with just 5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — the lowest result ever since World War II for the party in any state. The anti-migration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany party made significant gains Sunday. Merz acknowledged the CDU’s result as a “disaster” but struck a defiant note, rejecting any retreat from his government’s reform agenda. He argued that Germany’s economic and political problems made difficult and potentially unpopular reforms more urgent, not less, and pledged to press ahead with “backbone, steadfastness and patience.” In Berlin, the CDU was projected to come …

Germany: Merz vows to “push on despite setbacks” – Spotlight

Germany: Merz vows to “push on despite setbacks” – Spotlight

Published by Sam Flores

German voters have delivered a fresh setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz in two key regional elections. In Berlin, exit polls put the left-wing Die Linke ahead of Merz’s CDU. And in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD is projected to finish first, narrowly ahead of the Social Democrats. For Merz, the results are a warning after just 16 months in office. The Chancellor himself called the CDU’s performance a “disaster”, but vowed to push ahead with his reform agenda. Source link

Germany cuts energy tax to lower petrol prices as Merz faces state key elections

Germany cuts energy tax to lower petrol prices as Merz faces state key elections

Published by Sam Flores

The German government has agreed to tax reductions that will cut gasoline prices by €0.17 ($0.1952) ​a litre in response to soaring fuel prices, people with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The move includes a €0.14 cut in the energy tax and an additional €0.03 cut from ​the sales ‌tax, the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The ⁠decision came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised this week to offer relief to consumers hit by soaring gasoline prices. ‌It followed extended negotiations between the federal government and state governments over ⁠how to finance the cuts. As the Iran war has helped push benchmark oil prices over $100 a barrel, gasoline prices have become a pressing ​political issue for Merz, whose approval ratings have plunged to record lows. ‌Earlier this week, the nationwide daily average price for a litre of E10 gasoline hit a record €2.286 ($10 per gallon). On Sunday, the capital Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, ‌a sparsely populated and heavily rural region where many people rely on …

Germany’s Merz Shocked by Far-Right State Election Triumph but Doubles Down on Unpopular Reforms

Germany’s Merz Shocked by Far-Right State Election Triumph but Doubles Down on Unpopular Reforms

Published by Sam Flores

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down Monday on pushing through unpopular reforms to Europe’s largest economy after a far-right party surged to a landslide victory in a regional election, with a very good chance of forming the first far-right state government since the Nazi era. Merz said his center-right Christian Democratic Union was “deeply shocked” by what he called “the most serious election defeat that the CDU has had for years, for decades.” But he indicated that he’s determined to stay at the helm and said that “giving up is not an option for me.” The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, fell just short of a majority in Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, a small eastern state that gained outsized prominence as AfD eyed power there. Its regional branch is one of several considered a proven right-wing extremist group by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. Merz says Germany will stick to its values and Russia stance Merz said he wanted to assure Germany’s allies that “our institutions are resilient and stable” …