Friedrich Merz, front-runner to be Germany’s next chancellor, warned that Europe must be united in foreign, security and trade policy, stressing that the EU can’t afford to be weak in its dealings with Washington.
Speaking at a campaign event in his home region of Hochsauerland, in western Germany, Merz argued that Brussels should focus on strategic priorities rather than micromanaging citizens’ lives.
“The EU must not come to Washington as a dwarf — because then it will be treated as one,” he said, urging European leaders to muscle up.
Merz expressed concerns over American President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, effective March 4, which has escalated tensions between the U.S. and its trading partners.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — who comes from the same German conservative Christian Democratic Union as Merz — condemned the move as “unjustified” and vowed that the EU would implement “firm and proportionate countermeasures” to protect its economic interests.
According to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) hold a comfortable lead ahead of the Feb. 23 election, putting Merz on track to win the chancellery — and the hot seat for dealing with Trump’s unpredictable leadership.
The tariffs mark a dramatic expansion of Trump’s protectionist trade policies, effectively canceling earlier tariff deals with the EU, the U.K., Japan and other allies. Trump defended the move, calling it “the beginning of making America rich again.”
The new tariffs have prompted emergency discussions among EU trade ministers, with potential retaliatory measures being considered against American industries.
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