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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that the European Union must transform into a European defense union as the continent faces growing international security challenges.
Speaking at the Suddeutsche Zeitung Business Summit, Merz said Europe must take new steps in response to the war in Ukraine, changes in Euro-Atlantic relations, and China’s increasingly aggressive posture.
“It’s a necessity to transform this European Union into a European defense union,” he said, adding that Europeans must address international challenges together, “with the ability to defend ourselves.”
Merz said Germany must assume more responsibility within the bloc.
“As the strongest economy and most populous country in this European Union, we bear a far greater responsibility than anyone else to assume a degree of leadership,” he said. “But that remains an empty phrase if it is not filled with substance.”
The conservative leader described Russia as the greatest threat to Europe, arguing that Moscow’s actions go far beyond Ukraine through hybrid attacks targeting liberal democracies.
He accused Russia of drone incursions into European airspace and cyberattacks on European and German businesses. Russia has denied involvement in such incidents.
“This threat to Ukraine isn't just a territorial threat,” Merz said. “It's a constant threat to our democracies, our freedoms, and our way of life and work.”
Merz criticized deteriorating transatlantic relations under U.S. President Donald Trump, pointing to unilateral foreign policy decisions and tariffs aimed at European economies.
“The tariff dispute with the U.S. is far more than a trade disagreement,” he said. “It has opened a deep rift across the Atlantic.”
Merz also expressed concern over developments in Southeast Asia, saying China is becoming “inwardly more repressive, outwardly more aggressive,” complicating Europe’s relations with Beijing.
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