Speaking before the German Bundestag, Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a stronger NATO within Europe, extending a hand of cooperation to the United States.
“The military alliance and the trust that has been built within NATO over more than seven decades remain the best guarantee of freedom, peace, and security for everyone on both sides of the Atlantic. That is why we Europeans want to preserve NATO and strengthen it within Europe, and why we will always extend a hand of cooperation to the United States of America,” Friedrich Merz stated.
Merz said that Europe has rediscovered its self-respect by defending a rules-based global order.
“More and more countries around the world are acknowledging that the current global reorganization also represents an opportunity for all actors who prefer rules over arbitrariness and who see greater advantages in free and fair trade than in the pursuit of narrow, unilateral interests,” the Chancellor said.
The German Chancellor added that Europe will no longer be intimidated by tariff threats, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump has retreated from using tariffs as a tool to gain control over Greenland, the autonomous territory of Denmark. Merz praised the European Union’s trade agreements with the Latin American trade bloc Mercosur and the recent agreement with India as examples of Europe’s progress, adding that the bloc must accelerate its reforms.
