German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the country is undergoing “profound change” but warned against pessimism, arguing that Germany has repeatedly proven its ability to overcome major challenges.
Speaking in the western city of Dortmund, the conservative leader said Germany faces significant pressures, including in the labour market, social security systems and foreign and security policy.
“Of course, we are confronted with a fundamental shift in the global order,” he said.
Merz urged Germans to draw confidence from the country’s post-war history.
“Who says we can’t do it again?” he asked, recalling how earlier generations rebuilt the country after the World War II despite widespread destruction without complaining.
Referring to current debates about working conditions, Merz added critically: “They did not talk about work-life balance or four-day weeks.”
He highlighted the industrial Ruhr region and the western state of North Rhine–Westphalia as examples of successful transformation, stressing that immigration has long been central to their development.
“The history of this region, where we are now, would not have been written like this without immigration.”
Addressing an event organized by the Western Bakers’ Guild Association, Merz underlined the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises, skilled trades and family-owned businesses to Germany’s economic model.
Borussia Dortmund football club president Hans-Joachim Watzke praised Merz for his support of skilled trades and urged the public to show greater patience with the work of his governing coalition.
Watze, who has known Merz him for 50 years, said people should not “always just complain.”