German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Europe should become more strategically independent from the United States, warning against allowing the continent to be sidelined in a shifting global order.
Speaking at a local election campaign event in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Merz said the United States was moving away from a rules-based international order toward a more power-driven approach.
“We must not bury our heads in the sand or try to survive in some niche,” Merz said. “This calculation does not work.”
In order to be respected, Germany must learn to defend its interests, Merz said.
Turning to domestic challenges, Merz said Germans would need to work more and for longer in the years ahead to safeguard the country’s industrial base.
Without a strong economy, he warned that Germany, the largest economy in Europe, would struggle to address the political and social challenges it faces.
“We have confidence that we can solve these problems, because the solutions are also in our own hands,” he said.