Overview
- JU chief Johannes Winkel told Spiegel it is unusual how often Angela Merkel wades into day-to-day politics and said many in the Union are annoyed.
- He said her remarks would carry more weight if she acknowledged errors, pointing to increased energy dependence on Russia and her Ukraine policy under the Minsk format.
- He questioned her motives after a high-profile appearance with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán in Budapest and her criticism of Poland.
- Merkel has stayed publicly active through interviews and a memoir tour, including a recent Partizán interview and a Budapest event for the Hungarian edition of her book.
- The Junge Union is also pressing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government for bold social and structural reforms, as a Civey poll reports about one in four Germans say they miss Merkel as chancellor.