German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Image: keystone
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on the European allies to become an independent power in a new world order with unity and self-confidence.
01/29/2026, 10:5601/29/2026, 10:56
Europe will only be able to implement its ideas “if we learn to speak the language of power politics ourselves, if we ourselves become a European power,” he said in his government declaration in the Bundestag in Berlin.
Merz emphasized that a new world order of major powers was taking shape at high speed. “There is a harsh wind blowing in this world, and we will feel it for the foreseeable future,” he said. However, the changes could also create opportunities for a Europe that operates on the basis of law and is committed to international cooperation.
Europe as an alternative to imperialism and autocracy
“We are also a normative alternative to imperialism and autocracy in the world,” said Merz. “We have something to offer our partners around the world economically and, above all, ideally.” Europe can be a power, “particularly on the basis of the values that we do not want to give up.”
For the German head of government, there are three areas in which Europe must prove itself.
- Europe must take its security into its own hands. To do this, dependencies in the technological area and defense capabilities would have to be reduced. This refers to the dependencies on the USA, on whose nuclear protective shield Europe, for example, will depend for the foreseeable future.
- The European economy must be made competitive. The growth gap with China and the USA is increasing. This dynamic must now be reversed.
- Europe must appear united. In recent weeks, Europe has shown what can be achieved through unity, said Merz, referring to the conflict over the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark. US President Donald Trump finally gave in and dropped his tariff threats against Germany and other European countries. “Unity is a power factor in the world,” said the Christian Democrat.
Making something of Europe’s new self-confidence
“Let’s do something with this emerging self-confidence among Europeans,” demanded Merz. However, he did not suggest any concrete measures in his speech – such as which reforms the European Union would need to make to make it more capable of acting. He also did not address the debate about Europe’s own nuclear deterrent. French President Emmanuel Macron initiated it years ago.
In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Merz had already urged the European allies to prepare for a new era of great power politics. “A new era has already begun,” he said last week. “The new world of great powers is based on power, strength and – if necessary – violence. It’s not a cozy place.”
The appearance was reminiscent of the turning point speech in which the then German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the epochal upheaval after the Russian attack on Ukraine in the Bundestag in 2022.
Tougher tone towards Trump
Merz is now taking a much tougher tone towards the USA than before. He sharply criticized US President Donald Trump’s statements that the US never needed NATO troops in Afghanistan. “We will not allow this effort, which we have also undertaken in the interests of our ally, the United States of America, to be despised and denigrated today,” he said.
The conservative Chancellor pointed out the 59 Bundeswehr soldiers who lost their lives during the operation in Afghanistan, as well as well over 100 who were injured, some seriously. “I would rather say to our soldiers on deployment and in the locations: their service was and is valuable,” he said. «He stands for our freedom and for peace in the world. The federal government always has your back.”
Merz makes it clear that Germany does not want to subordinate itself politically to the USA. “As democracies, we are partners and allies and not subordinates,” he said. The hand of cooperation with the United States will always be extended, but this must be the guiding principle.
Part of a network of sovereign states
This also results in an openness to new partnerships. “We want to be part of a dynamic, agile network of sovereign states that want to continue to adhere to a rules-based order.” There must be free trade and no or at most only low tariffs, “because we know from experience that only open markets and free trade are the right path for the prosperity and security of the nation.”
That is why it is so important to put the Mercosur agreement with the South American states of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay into force and to conclude a trade agreement with India.
Merz once again sharply criticized the voting behavior of German Green MPs in the European Parliament, who, together with the Left and the right-wing populist AfD, tried to the end to prevent the Mercosur agreement. That was “more than irritating”. (sda/dpa)