Merz Wins Chance to Fix Germany and Steer EU Through Trump Era

[In ... In addition] Germany seems to have avoided the worst-case scenarios of a minority government, and that the rise of AfD is contained,

Grand continued, referring to the far-right Alternative for Germany party

This minimizes the risk of coalition deadlock forcing Germany to abstain or change its vote on short notice in Brussels negotiations. On the other hand, Merz will likely clash with the European Commission on issues such as climate and migration,

Loss said

I hope that they do it as fast as possible because we really need to move on with the decisions on the European level that require German participation,

she urged

For now there is no substitute to US presence in Europe, to US capabilities that we simply lack. Even if we start spending... 5% right now this year for our defense needs, we cannot build those capabilities even in five or 10 years,

he told DW in Brussels on Monday

The German people have made a choice, and now they need to put together the government,

she said as foreign ministers gathered

Mark RuttenATO Secretary General

Looking forward to working with you in this crucial moment for our shared security,

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote in a post to Merz on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday

Merz will likely take over Germany's Chancellery backed by a more cohesive coalition than Scholz's,

he told DW in an emailed statement

The Franco-German engine… was largely dysfunctional under Scholz, probably an all-time low in the bilateral relationship,

she wrote in a statement on Monday

If NATO collapses, if all the security architecture collapses, everyone is in danger and everyone will face… existential threats,

he said, ... adding that

When you talk to him about flying, his eyes light up,

Resing said

We know what happened in Germany in the '30s, and it feels a bit like this is happening again, and this makes me really afraid of the future,

one protester in Berlin said

I have no illusions at all about what is happening from America,

he told supporters

We are almost the same age ... We grew up completely differently, which was more of an opportunity than an obstacle,

she wrote in her memoir "Freedom."

All the signals we are getting from the USA indicate that interest in Europe is clearly waning and that the willingness to get involved in Europe is decreasing,

Merz told reporters at a press conference on Monday

I am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us,

he told supporters after his victory Sunday night

The interests are so different within the European Union, including the political majorities, that we shouldn't expect a resounding common EU policy,

he said and added

But there was one problem, right from the start: We both wanted to be the boss,

she said

These are difficult starting conditions for a new German government, which is facing Herculean tasks in domestic and foreign policy,

said Cornelia Woll of the Hertie School Berlin

They cannot exclude millions of voters,

she said

The worst thing would be if the CDU were to join forces with the AfD after all,

he said