Agency Report –
“The Europeans must now sit down together quickly and discuss two major issues,” Merz, who is widely viewed as the favourite to be Germany’s next chancellor after upcoming February 23 elections, told Deutschlandfunk public radio on Tuesday morning.
“Firstly: What are we doing for our own security? This is long overdue. This has been necessary for years. And secondly: How do we strengthen our position in trade with America?”
Merz, the chairman of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), acknowledged that Trump appears to get along particularly well with far-right European politicians, “but that doesn’t mean that Donald Trump doesn’t hold sensible talks with everyone else, if it’s in the American interest.”
Germany, together with other NATO allies in Europe and the European Union, must assume leadership responsibility, Merz said.
It is important, for example, that the EU adopt the Mercosur trade agreement with several South American countries, he said.
In addition, European governments should work more closely together on the procurement of military equipment, according to Merz.
“There are many opportunities for Europeans that we are not currently exploiting,” Merz said.
Merz also said that the EU bloc, with its single economic market, should use its size and global heft to act together in talks with the US.
“With 450 million inhabitants, [the European Union] is a market that is larger than America and Canada combined,” Merz said.
