19
FEB
2025
Already on the 23rd In January, one month before the upcoming Bundestag election, the CDU chairman and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz had formulated his position on the "international challenges of our time" in a foreign policy keynote speech. 1] The framework for this was provided by the Hamburg Körber Foundation, which has been dedicating itself to foreign policy issues for decades. 2] The timing of Merz's speech to the Körber Foundation fell in the first days of the second term of US President Donald Trump. In it, the Chancellor candidate announced, among other things, the establishment of a National Security Council and the strengthening of the importance of foreign and military policy at German universities through the creation of new university chairs. In addition, he attached importance to the expansion of an independent European defense industry that could compete with the US industry. Merz classified the current world situation as a "break in the era" that goes beyond the "turn of the times" proclaimed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In the event of an election success, Merz announced a three-step from the restoration of "Germany's full foreign, security and European policy capacity", from a recovery of "trust in our partners and allies" and from a consistent implementation of "strategic priorities".
Among the most important elements of a new and expanded National Security Strategy to be adopted in his hoped-for first year in office, Merz's restoration of "deterrence and defense capability", the "strengthening of national capacity and European sovereignty" and the end of the war in Ukraine. A "real European internal market for defence goods" is necessary. The chancellor candidate emphasized that "a strategic foreign economic policy" must be - an allusion to Trump - "much more than pure customs and trade policy"; it is "basically" about "a German globalization policy", guided "by our diverse national interests", which are "frequently", but not necessarily "the interests of Europe". In order to be taken seriously by Washington, Berlin must "put itself in a position to take responsibility for our security". At the European level, the "most urgent" thing, explained Merz is to repair the damaged relations with the "most important neighbors, Poland and France". Among other things, he wants to strengthen Poland's back in his current EU Council presidency. Germany bears "responsibility not only for its own interests, but also for the cohesion of the whole of Europe".
The demand for greater independence of the EU – also, but not only at the military level – has recently been heard again and again by German politicians with functions at EU level. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), for example, declared on 21. January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, "Europe" had to "shift a higher gear". The EU is in an intensifying rivalry of the great powers; in a "world of big players", "joint European action" is Europe's "biggest trump card". 3] The chairman of the EPP group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber (CSU), said at the beginning of February that the EU is economically "almost as strong economically as the Americans" with a share of 25 percent with a share of 21 percent of the global economic output: "When this Europe is united and the will is there, we can tell Trump: Forget this trade war". 4] That "the rest of the world" is irritated by Trump's policy is "a huge opportunity": The EU can now bind "those who want to trade on a contract basis" and thus open up new trade opportunities for us. The chair of the Defense Committee in the European Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), complained about a prominent German role in the EU: Germany is the "largest country" in the EU and must "have a real role model function". 5]
In political practice, the EU's ability to maintain its independence from the United States is currently being tested in the Greenland conflict. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly stated that he is not prepared to make any concessions regarding US President Trump's demand to take over Greenland. "The involability of borders is a basic principle of international law," Scholz said on the 28th. January during a visit by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: "Borders must not be moved by force, 'to whom it may concern'."[ 6] Frederiksen, in turn, openly demanded: "We need a stronger, more determined Europe that is able to defend itself". Meanwhile, even the deployment of EU troops to Greenland is being discussed. At the end of January, the chairman of the EU Military Committee, Robert Brieger, was already in favor of "considering the stationing of EU soldiers in Greenland ... in the future"; this is "a strong signal". 7] Shortly afterwards, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that "if our interests were at stake", a dispatch of troops to the island belonging to Denmark would certainly also be considered.[ 8]
At the military level, the pursuit of independence is now to be substantiated by a financial package, which, according to a report by the Bloomberg news agency, will only be announced after the Bundestag election in order to avoid additional vote losses in the established party spectrum. According to Bloomberg, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, it is a package that has not existed "in this dimension" before; it should be "similar" to the rescue packages in the euro and corona crisis. 9] These had amounted to 500 to 700 billion euros. Last year, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for 500 billion euros to be provided for the forced militarization of the Union over the next ten years. In addition to the rearmament of Ukraine, the now planned financial package also serves the forced militarization of the EU at the highest speed.
More on the topic: "To become capable of world politics".
[1] Foreign policy keynote speech by Friedrich Merz at the Körber Foundation. youtube.com 23.01.2025.
[2] The namesake of the Körber Foundation, Kurt A. Körber (1909 to 1992), was active in the Nazi era in the management of a company to which a concentration camp subcamp was affiliated. Antonia Wegener: Controversial founder Kurt A. Koerber: The philanthropist as a Nazi helper. taz.de 15.03.2017.
[3] Special address by President von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum. Davos, 21.01.2025.
[4] Katrin Pribyl: Weber defends Merz against EU concerns: "This is a necessary cry for help". augsburger-allgemeine.de 06.02.2025.
[5] Strack-Zimmermann plays down FDP internal dispute and criticizes Merz. spiegel.de 03.02.2025.
[6] "For a strong Europe and also a strong NATO". bundesregierung.de 28.01.2025.
[7] EU military chief for stationing soldiers in Greenland. rnd.de 26.01.2025. The Battle for Greenland (I).
[8] Théo Bourgery-Gonse: France mulls sending EU troops to Greenland. euractiv.com 28.01.2025. The Battle for Greenland (III).
[9] Arne Delfs, Andrea Palasciano, Jenny Leonard: EU Seeks a Military Revival Under Pressure >From Putin, Trump. bloomberg.com 17.02.2025. Michael Maier: Baerbock babbers: After the election billions for Ukraine. berliner-zeitung.de 17.02.2025.