BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) calls on the European Union to be more self-confident and to use existing means of power. “We Europeans, we must unite and take our security and the defense of our freedom into our own hands,” said Merz in a government statement on the upcoming EU summit in the Bundestag. “And last but not least, we must work together and purposefully to restore the competitiveness of our economy.”
Merz recalled that the EU has around 100 million more inhabitants than the United States of America. In the interests of greater self-esteem, one should be more aware of one’s own strengths. “We no longer want to sell ourselves short,” said Merz.
“We identify our interests and at the same time identify the means of power to enforce these interests,” the Chancellor continued. “We learn: The others are also dependent on us – not just we on them. And we learn that we can use that too, and indeed we have to use it.”
The federal government wants to create more scope for action both internally and geopolitically. More than ever before, a united Europe is “the only guarantee and the most important guarantee we have for our future.” This has never been more noticeable than in these days and weeks, said Merz, also against the background of the price pressure in Germany caused by the Iran war./bw/DP/jha
