Overview
- Speaking at a CDU campaign event in Heddesheim on January 16, the chancellor argued the United States is moving away from international law toward power- and interest-led policy.
- He said criticism will not alter President Donald Trump’s course and warned that Europe should not accept becoming a plaything of great powers.
- Merz called for Europe to act from a position of strength with coordinated partners who "speak the same language."
- He linked foreign policy credibility to domestic reform, urging greater competitiveness, longer working hours, and preservation of Germany’s industrial base.
- He dismissed the EU’s internal wrangling over the Mercosur trade deal as small-scale, noting an European Parliament vote is due next week after governments cleared the path last week.