Friedrich Merz began his first New Year's TV address to the nation with a callback to February 23 and the early election that led to the conservative becoming German chancellor, unseating Olaf Scholz and a Social Democrat-led government. Although the chancellor did not directly connect the idea to either Russia's war of aggression or Germany's increased defense expenditure, he also made reference to changing ties to the US amid Donald Trump's return to the White House. "We are consistently cutting red tape and putting the promotion of competitiveness at the top of the political agenda," he said of his government's efforts in negotiations at the EU level.
Author: Mark Hallam
Published at: 2025-12-30 23:01:00
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