Paul Kirby Europe digital editor RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP Friedrich Merz hopes to form a new government by late April Friedrich Merz, who’s expected to become Germany’s next chancellor, has announced a political deal to raise hundreds of billions of euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure. “In view of the threats to our freedom and…
Getty Images Friedrich Merz says he is eager to re-engage with international partners Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, didn’t wait for the final results of his country’s election on Sunday to herald a new era in Europe. Declaring the US indifferent to this continent’s fate, Friedrich Merz questioned the future of Nato and demanded Europe boost its own…
Production at the VW plant in Emden. Sina Schuldt | Picture Alliance | Getty Images The struggling German economy has been a major talking point among critics of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ government during the latest election campaign — but analysts warn a new leadership might not turn these tides. As voters prepare to head to…
Friedrich Merz, Union candidate for chancellor and CDU federal chairman, joins the “Quadrell” TV round in the Bundestag election campaign. Michael Kappeler | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Friedrich Merz, migration hardliner and longtime rival of Angela Merkel, is expected to become Germany’s next chancellor. His party the Christian Democratic Union is leading polls alongside…
Italian lender UniCredit‘s “very aggressive, very opaque” bid for Commerzbank has been criticized by Germany’s Finance Minister Jörg Kukies, who stressed that hostile takeovers don’t usually work. “In the government, we need to protect the safety and stability of a systemic banking sector,” Kukies told CNBC Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Hostile takeovers…
Elon Musk’s plan to host a chat with the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on his X social media platform has angered European politicians— but they’ll struggle to stop him. The tech billionaire is set to speak on Thursday with Alice Weidel, head of the AfD — Germany’s far-right party. It is…
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Economy and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck and Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend debates about the 2024 federal budget at the Bundestag on January 31, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images Germany’s ruling coalition has long been on shaky ground, amid increasing divisions over…
