Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
Chancellor of Germany, German Federal Government
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's two-party government faces public infighting, far-right pressure and a cultural shift that treats deliberation as weakness rather than strength.
Berlin says it will decide on troop deployment only when US engagement and negotiation framework are clear, while Trump presses Europeans to halt Russian oil purchases.
Germany's new chancellor needed two ballots to win confirmation, exposing deep fractures in the CDU-SPD coalition as France drifts and Ukraine presses for stronger European leadership.
Friedrich Merz takes office leading a CDU-SPD coalition that has already torn up the debt brake, promising a €500bn off-budget fund for infrastructure and defence while pledging to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Emergency Brussels summit agrees 150 billion euro loan facility and fiscal flexibility but splits remain on nuclear deterrence, Hungarian veto and how to replace US military aid worth 40 percent of Kyiv's support.
Conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz promises four-year fix for Europe's largest economy while far-right AfD surges to second place and migration dominates the campaign.
The February 23 vote follows the collapse of Olaf Scholz's traffic light government. Polls point to a CDU-led administration, but the shape of the next coalition depends on whether smaller parties clear the five percent threshold.
Conservatives lead polls at 30 percent but AfD's 20 percent blocks simple majority, forcing CDU/CSU into complex negotiations with SPD or Greens as migration policy fractures traditional alliances.
European Commission president targets sustainability directives she helped create, promising a 25% cut in reporting burdens while green groups warn of a deregulation precedent that could unravel the Green Deal.
German defence minister says Europe must shoulder more security burden regardless of US administration, while permanent Bundeswehr deployment to Lithuania targets 2027 combat readiness.
Foreign minister says Germany has lost its role as a driving force for European peace policy while a €3 billion package remains blocked by a dispute over constitutional borrowing limits.
Germany, France, UK and Norway condemn X owner's support for far-right AfD before February vote, as Scholz government dismisses influence on 84 million voters.
Chancellor's letter to von der Leyen demands regulatory rollback and subsidies, drawing accusations of plagiarising conservative platform weeks before February vote
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