09/17/2025September 17, 2025
Merz tells lawmakers Germany needs an ‘autumn of reforms’
has told parliament that the country faces a critical moment and that major decisions are to be made about three major threats.
Merz cited direct dangers posed to freedom, such as from . In addition, he said, there was pressure on Germany’s free-trade economy and the risk of political forces dividing society.
Merz told the Bundestag that Germany needed to prepare for sweeping reforms.
“Our country stands at a crossroads this autumn. We all sense it: the decisions ahead are not about small details but fundamental questions,” the leader told lawmakers during the general debate on the chancellor’s budget.
He said this was about “nothing less than the future of our country — how we live, how we live together, how we work, how we do business, and whether our values will endure.”
“We must strengthen our resilience and our defense capability. We must deter further aggression and, at the same time, bring allies and partners closer together — as the federal government is consistently doing.”
Merz also warned that Germany’s economic model was pressured by “a new protectionism aimed against free trade and open markets.”
He added that domestic and foreign political forces were questioning unity, disparaging democracy, and seeking to divide society and the government.
“On all these fronts, the federal government is working with great focus. After a very short summer break, we immediately set a dense agenda.”
“I ask all those who are watching us closely and critically, and all those impatient for change, for the necessary perseverance,” said Merz. “We have only begun.”
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