Merz promises that Germany will have "the strongest army in Europe"

BerlinGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised on Wednesday that his government would "provide all necessary financial resources" to turn the Bundeswehr – the German army – into the strongest "conventional" armed forces – without nuclear weapons – in Europe. He said this in his first government statement. his troubled investiture.

Faced with the Russian threat and a possible withdrawal of support by US President Donald Trump towards Ukraine and European security, Merz believes that Germany must "assume more responsibility within NATO and the European Union," as it is the most populous country. "Do so," said the conservative chancellor, eighty years after the end of the Second World War and the capitulation of Nazi Germany.

Merz defended increased defense spending because "strength deters aggressors." "Weakness, on the other hand, invites aggressors," he added. Currently, . a percentage considered the minimum by NATO.

On foreign policy, Merz assured that Germany stands "without ifs or buts" with Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression. Ukraine or with the annexation of parts of the country, is wrong," he warned in the Bundestag.

Merz also reiterated Germany's "unwavering" support for Israel, due to his country's historical responsibility following the Holocaust. "Israel's existence and security are and continue to be.

He also called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and stressed that it is a humanitarian obligation of all parties involved to "avoid famine in Gaza as soon as possible" in the face of Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid.

A week after the launch of the coalition government between conservatives and social democrats, Merz has promised Germans tax cuts, reduced bureaucracy, a modernization and digitalization of public administration, and significant investment in infrastructure.

Economy and immigration

The chancellor wants to create better conditions to pull the battered German economy out of the turmoil it finds itself in after two years of recession. "We can use our own strength to once again become an engine of growth that the world looks up to with admiration," said Merz, who promised Germans "well-being for all."

"I want you, the citizens, to notice it already in the summer: something is changing for the better here, things are moving forward!" dreamed the chancellor, whose party won the federal elections in February after the breakup of the traffic light coalition in November 2024.

Merz criticized, without naming them, the migration policy of his predecessors, the conservative Angela Merkel and the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz. When Merkel was chancellor, she opened its doors to 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers, mostly Syrians, between 2015 and 2016. Germany is and will remain a country of immigration, Merz has said. But to better combat the "uncontrolled immigration" of recent years, the conservative chancellor has promised to toughen immigration policy, with more border controls and more returns, while facilitating and requiring greater integration for migrants.

Merz's first speech as chancellor before the Bundestag did not impress far-right Alice Weidel, the main opposition leader. According to Weidel, Merz bears "the stain" of having needed two votes in the Bundestag to be elected chancellor. All his predecessors in the position had succeeded on the first.

"You are weak, and you are weak for a reason: you are a chancellor of the left," she reproached him. the leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), aware that there are many conservative voters who are unhappy with Merz governing with the Social Democrats.