Friedrich Merz presenting the coalition agreement: Germany is back on the right track
Germany’s incoming conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz, pledged on Wednesday to “move the country forward” by strengthening the economy and defense sectors as he presented an agreement to form his coalition government by early next month.
Merz is set to take over as chancellor of Europe’s largest economic power, at a time when US President Donald Trump is creating global trade chaos and raising major concerns about future transatlantic security ties.
Asked during a press conference what message he might send to Trump, Merz said in English that the country would fulfill its defense commitments and rebuild its competitive economic capabilities.
“Germany is back on the right track,” Merz said.
Following the victory of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) coalition in the February elections, Merz struck an agreement to form a new government with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), led by outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Merz, who won the election with 28.5% of the vote, said, “The coalition agreement signals a new beginning… for our country” while the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) came in second.
In their 144-page coalition agreement, the Conservative Alliance and the Socialists pledged to “significantly” increase defense spending amid growing concerns about the United States’ commitment to European security under Trump.
Both sides stressed that Germany will continue to support Kyiv, while the United States looks forward to reaching an agreement to end the war that erupted with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
The agreement stated, “We’ll provide comprehensive support to Ukraine to enable it to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggressor and consolidate its position in negotiations”.
In presenting the agreement, Merz pledged that Germany would “implement reforms and invest to maintain its stability and make the country safer and economically stronger,” emphasizing that “Europe can rely on Germany”.
