After meeting his French (see EUROPE 13635/32) and Polish counterparts, the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, demonstrated his commitment to the European Union’s institutions by visiting Brussels on Friday 9 May, Europe Day and the 75th anniversary of the ‘Schuman Declaration’.
Outlining his government’s political priorities at his meetings with the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament, Mr Merz spoke of continuing political, economic and military support for Ukraine to help the EU candidate country resist Russian military aggression and achieve a just and lasting peace.
He also supported the proposal by US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a 30-day ceasefire, a proposal which he described as “a test of Vladimir Putin’s credibility”.
The Chancellor also stressed the importance of Member States increasing their defence spending to help Ukraine and strengthen the security of the European continent in the face of the Russian threat. In this respect, he alluded to the lifting of national budget restrictions decided before the German legislative elections. On the other hand, he opposed more ambitious European budgetary instruments than those already on the table, such as the SAFE instrument.
“I don’t want us to get into the habit of contracting common debts at EU level. Common debt must remain completely exceptional”, he said, echoing the position of the previous ‘Scholz’ government. He said he was aware that there would be “differences of opinion between Germany and the Nordic countries and other EU countries” on this issue. But, in his view, it is already difficult to establish how the EU will pay the interest on the debt already incurred in the context of the European recovery plan, NextGenerationEU.
Following his meeting with the President of the European Council, Mr Merz said that he had asked António Costa not to lose sight of the issue of “efficiency gains” in the discussions on strengthening the European defence industry.
Transatlantic relations. Mr Merz and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also discussed trade negotiations between the European Union and Washington. The Commission can count on Germany’s support in its efforts to negotiate and take retaliatory measures, assured Friedrich Merz.
Ursula von der Leyen gave no details of the progress of discussions with the US administration, merely reiterating the Commission’s consistent line: priority to a negotiated solution to bring down tariffs, while preparing the response in the event of failure (see EUROPE 13636/1).
No tool available to the EU will be “taken off the table until we achieve a satisfactory result”, she also warned. Regarding Donald Trump’s invitation to Washington, Ms von der Leyen said that she would only go if “a package” is agreed by both parties.
The German Chancellor stressed the importance of reaching an agreement with the United States. In his view, it should not only be a question of customs tariffs, but also of an agreement on the recognition of standards, particularly technological standards.
“There is real untapped potential”, he said.
Migration. After several attacks by migrants in Germany this winter, Mr Merz intends to put into practice his campaign promises of a stricter migration policy. This will involve maintaining controls at Germany’s borders with Member States and efforts to help secure the EU’s external borders.
“The Dublin Regulation stipulates that asylum seekers must lodge their application in the country where they first entered the EU. In general, it’s not Germany”, he justified, saying that he was simply continuing the previous government’s policy.
Announcing €3 billion in aid for national migration policies (see EUROPE 13637/4), Ms von der Leyen pointed out that Member States can introduce controls at the internal borders of the Schengen area provided that these measures are “limited in time and taken in coordination with the Commission and neighbouring countries”. She described as a “dilemma” the fact of still having to apply “the old legal framework, which has its limitations”, while the Pact on Migration and Asylum will provide other solutions in the future.
At the end of his meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the Chancellor stressed that immigration was “a desirable phenomenon”, especially in Germany, which is looking for workers to fill its labour market. “It is illegal immigration that we don’t need”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion with Léa Marchal)