Friedrich Merz

Europe News

EU’s China trade breakthrough risks taking pressure off Beijing

The EU's new trade deal with China has eased fears of an escalating trade war, but it could also weaken the political momentum behind Brussels' plans to take a tougher stance against Beijing's economic practices.

12 October 2026

Europe News

UK PM Andy Burnham meets with Merz in Berlin in first official visit

Burnham's meeting with Merz comes amid increasing warnings of hybrid threats in Europe and follows a drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport in August - which Berlin has accused Russia of orchestrating.

8 October 2026

Europe News

Merz makes surprise Kyiv visit as Germany pledges more aid to Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday. Accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and representatives of German defence and energy companies, he aims to pledge further military and financial support for Ukraine.

4 October 2026

Europe News

Pressure grows on Germany's Merz after bruising election defeats

The string of election debacles comes as Merz has struggled to push through promised economic and social welfare reforms with his coalition partners in the SPD.

21 September 2026

Europe Today

People 'lost their trust' in Merz's government, S&D MEP says

German Social Democrat MEP Sabrina Repp says the German governing coalition, which includes her party and Friedrich Merz’s CDU, is now under “lots of pressure” following the latest regional election results.

21 September 2026

Europe Today

Merz under pressure again, Ukraine's biggest strike hits Moscow

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure again after his CDU party suffered a disastrous result in Sunday's German state elections, as Ukraine launched its biggest-ever drone strike on Moscow. Today on Europe Today we also cover rising Iran-US tensions and Meloni's burqa ban plan.

21 September 2026

Europe News

Left triumphs in Berlin as AfD surges in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Germany’s final state elections of the year have delivered a sharp political shake-up. The Left has won Berlin, while the AfD has come out on top in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with the CDU suffering heavy losses in both elections.

21 September 2026

Europe News

Merz’s party suffering heavy losses in 2 German state, exit polls

Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union is projected to fall to 5.5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. That would be its worst result there since World War II. The CDU is projected to come in second with 20%, behind the Left party at 24.5%, according to the exit poll by public broadcaster ARD

20 September 2026

Europe Today

CDU politician: ‘Not right’ to discuss Merz's future after state vote

CDU politician and German MP Günter Krings calls the Saxony-Anhalt election results “devastating”, saying the situation is “even worse than expected” after the far-right AfD won 43.8% of the vote.

10 September 2026

Europe Today

Merz has done 'very poorly' on communication, says former spokesman

Béla Anda, chief spokesman for the federal government under Gerhard Schröder, says it will be “very hard” for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to regain control after the AfD’s landslide victory in regional elections.

10 September 2026

Europe News

Germany's Merz accuses far-right AfD of promoting 'ethnic cleansing'

The AfD, which fell three seats short of an absolute majority, in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt said it was now in talks with other groups and MPs in an effort to form a state government.

9 September 2026

World

'Turning blind eye' to AfD win further angers voters, analyst warns

Chancellor Merz's government must recognise the far-right AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt and voter discontent that led to the win, or further cement its downfall, an expert on East German politics warned.

8 September 2026

Europe News

Merz 'deeply shocked' after major AfD win in Saxony-Anhalt

Speaking in Berlin on Monday, the German chancellor said he saw a society "longing for disruption" and "fundamental change."

7 September 2026

Economy

Could an AfD victory put Germany’s economic recovery at risk?

AfD’s historic Saxony-Anhalt victory adds a potential new political risk to Germany’s fragile recovery, raising fears that fragmentation in Berlin could delay reforms needed to sustain growth.

7 September 2026

Europe News

Germany's Merz under pressure after far-right election triumph

The ballot box triumph put the pro-Trump and Moscow-friendly AfD, officially listed as "right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, within reach of running its first-ever state government.

7 September 2026

Europe News

Russia behind Leipzig airport drone 'attack,' Berlin says

Germany has for months reported suspicious drone sightings over military and industrial sites, but an incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of 4-5 August raised the alarm as a drone found there carried explosives.

1 September 2026