Overview
- Speaking to roughly 900 guests at the CSU New Year reception in Gut Kaltenbrunn, Chancellor Friedrich Merz cast 2026 as a year for renewed effort to overcome Germany’s structural growth weakness.
- He argued that prosperity will not be achieved through work‑life balance or a four‑day week alone, calling for a stronger national economy to safeguard peace and freedom.
- He pointed to late‑2025 increases in orders, inflation below two percent, and a record number of start‑ups as reasons for cautious optimism, saying growth forecasts for 2026 are being revised higher.
- He acknowledged the Union’s share of responsibility for recent structural distortions and said the country must make up ground that others have already covered.
- Security at the event was tight and Merz departed promptly for trade talks in India, as the CDU faces multiple state elections and he installs Philipp Birkenmaier to replace Jacob Schrot as chief of staff.