Merz calls for a strong Europe and restoring the alliance with the US

BerlinGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz has championed a strong Europe while calling for the repair of transatlantic relations. "Together we are stronger," Merz proclaimed after noting a "deep rift" between Europe and the United States, at the start of the Munich Security Conference, the world's largest annual forum on international security and defense policy. "The Munich Security Conference has always been a seismograph of the political situation: in its early years, a seismograph of relations between the United States and Europe, and for many years now, a seismograph of the global political situation," Merz recalled. This seismograph, he said, has already detected that "the international order, based on rights and rules, is on the verge of being destroyed. I think it needs to be said even more clearly: this order, however imperfect it may have been even at its best, no longer exists," Merz stated, citing the increasing demand for a leading role on the world stage. Weeks after Donald Trump threatened NATO territory militarily with a possible invasion of Greenland, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also warned Europeans of entering a new era in geopolitics. "The old world is gone—frankly, the world I grew up in—and we are living in a new era in geopolitics, and that will require all of us to re-examine what our role is and what it will be," Rubio said ahead of his highly anticipated speech on Saturday in Munich. The Secretary stated that, in this new geopolitical era, great power politics operates "according to its own rules." "It is fast, hard, unpredictable, unpredictable. The fight for the spheres of influence, the dependencies and the alignment happens to occupy a central place. The first materials, the technologies and the supply chains are converted into instruments of power in the attempt to add zero to the big ones. It is a joc perillos, first for the little ones, but more endavant probably also for the larger ones", the canceller has considered.

In this scenario defined by great power rivalry, Merz has said that his "freedom is no longer guaranteed; it is threatened." And he has also confirmed that "the leadership of the United States is questioned." "Not even the United States is strong enough to go alone," he added.

In light of this reorganization of the world order, Merz sees the need for a "refounding" of NATO, in which Europeans assume greater responsibilities. Recent events, he declared, have forced Europeans to end a "long vacation from world history." A strong Europe, in his view, will be beneficial for both sides of the Atlantic. "Let's repair and revitalize transatlantic trust together," Merz urged his "American friends."

But at the same time, Merz urged Europeans to strengthen themselves "militarily, politically, economically, and technologically." Not as a replacement for NATO, but as a strong and autonomous pillar within the defense organization. And in this regard, he noted that European states have begun to assume greater responsibility within the Atlantic Alliance.

Nuclear talks

Meanwhile, the chancellor admitted that he has begun confidential preliminary talks with France on "European nuclear deterrence." According to the leader, the region must strengthen itself to restore its relationship with the United States. These statements were confirmed shortly afterward by French President Emmanuel Macron, who acknowledged the talks with Merz to see "how to articulate French nuclear deterrence for Europe." France has the only fully independent nuclear arsenal in Europe. Macron was even more explicit in his defense of European unity than his German counterpart. The French president highlighted Europe's "achievements" and the need for its citizens to feel proud. "Look at the indicators of life expectancy, health, education, and freedom. We still believe in science when we talk about health," he said, alluding to the Trump administration. "We are a space not of coercion but of cooperation," he declared. The leader proudly declared that Europe is a "political construct of free and sovereign states" that has managed to "institutionalize peace through economic independence." "It's not an outdated concept; we must advocate for it," he asserted. For all these reasons, Macron argues that Europe must become a geopolitical power by accelerating joint defense strategies, technologies, and "risk reduction": "I'm not saying that France or Germany should become a geopolitical power, but Europe as a whole." Macron also appealed to European responsibility in Ukraine and maintained that "there will be no peace without Europeans." In this regard, he announced that he has initiated a direct dialogue with Moscow: "We will be part of the solution, and we want to be part of the discussions," he declared. He also called for a redesign of the European security architecture: he proposes unifying and standardizing the military industry and accelerating cooperation on joint defense initiatives, such as shared missile systems. "If we use [our money] for national solutions without a clear European perspective, we will be wasting our money and our time," he asserted.