First posted on Instagram
Chancellor Friedrich Merz used a conference of the Christian Social Union in Munich on Saturday to call for unity in his struggling coalition, telling delegates that Germany is facing extraordinarily serious challenges from extremists at home and foreign powers abroad.
Merz, whose Christian Democrats govern with the CSU as their Bavarian sister party, said Russia was seeking to destabilise Germany on a daily basis, through cyberattacks, sabotage and pressure on critical infrastructure. "We are facing a massive threat in the east of our continent," he said. "We see Russia trying to destabilize Germany every single day."
The chancellor framed Germany's defence buildup as necessary to prevent Europe from returning to an era in which power overrides law. "I do not want a return to the darkest periods in the history of our continent," he said.
Merz also used the speech to vow firm opposition to antisemitism and hostility toward Israel, whether it comes from the political right or the left, and to criticise the Social Democrats and the Greens over their coalition talks with Die Linke in Berlin, saying recognition of Israel's right to exist should be self-evident and should apply to anyone who wants to live in Germany.
On industry, Merz said Germany and France had helped move the European Union toward loosening its planned 2035 phaseout of new combustion-engine cars, and that if the remaining European approval process is completed, the "combustion-engine ban" could be considered off the table by the end of the year.
The speech follows weeks of tension in the ruling coalition after heavy regional election defeats in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany came first in two states and the far-left Left Party topped the poll in Berlin. Merz's approval ratings have fallen to record lows, and tensions have surfaced both between the coalition partners and between the CDU and CSU.
Relations between Berlin and Moscow have fallen to their lowest level since the Cold War following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Russia rejects accusations that it is conducting a hybrid campaign against Germany and other European countries.
Delegates broke into loud applause when Merz mentioned Ilse Aigner, the CSU politician the party has proposed as successor to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is due to step down next year. The CDU has so far stopped short of endorsing Aigner, and party sources say it has not abandoned hopes of putting forward its own candidate for the largely ceremonial post of head of state.