2w ago

Germany's Merz strikes sharp tone with Europe as he cozies up to Trump

www.cnbc.com

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been growing increasingly critical of the European Union.
His tone marks a notable shift compared to his more EU-friendly predecessor.
Meanwhile, Merz has been building a relationship with EU-critical U.S. President Donald Trump.

The historically EU-friendly Merz, a former member of the European Parliament, now has a long list of complaints about the bloc. This has included objections to an increase in the EU’s new long-term budget that was proposed last month, as well as calling the bloc out for sluggishness and complex bureaucracy. Germany was also among the louder critics of the EU-U.S. trade agreement.

47 comments

For fuck's sake, what fucking happened to "let's be more independent of the US", you 1 fucking Pimmel?
- Anzeige ist raus!
  
  Oh boy oh boy I get to ride the green-white partybus!
- You did not really believe a single word that Merz said? I'd not even ask him for the time.
  
  Hope springs eternal.
Well, as a former(?) BlackRock lobbyist, you have to keep the transatlantic channel open. 🤷‍♂️
- Its so damn transparent too. Everything he does is just corrupt to the core. Exactly the kind of politician fascists love to use, because nothing helps them more than a leader with no spine.
Wow.. Imagine a German Chancellor complaining about buraucracy in the EU...
That reminds me i need to make an appointment to go into to an office to file paperwork to change my address instead of just updating it online like a normal fucking country...
- Yeah, the irony is palpable.
  I myself need to make an appointment to see if they will let me sign up for an unrelated appointment…
- You actually can do that online. Did so myself some month ago.
  
  As registration is managed on a local level, this entirely depends on where you (are going to) live.
  
  Aparrently its only available for German citizens, or maybe EU citizens depending on the region.. So not helpful for me
Merz personally was the reason I voted Greens. Cunt.
- That's a bit extreme, IMO. Commiting suicide, mass murder, joining a death cult, ok. But voting green? Never. Seriously, you could vote FDP as well, if you've got a faible for liars, traitors, opportunists, antisocial politics and open corruption. That at least has some taditional value and the FDP is some sort of constant and controlled factor of corruption and criminal intentions. That's OK if you accept that no society will ever exist without self-destructive elements. But green? Why? Because they're too incompetent to cause real damage? These days are over.
  
  Voting for "die linke" is the only right Thing imo. But Green is way better then cdu afd FDP bsw or even SPD... But Tell US what you would vote
Remember when people thought Merz was to stand in for Ukraine, because he had made many claims towards that during his campaign?
Yeah...
- It is in Germany's security interest to keep Russian as a mayor military power as far away as possible. It is also in Germany's interest to build a rules based international order, where wars of aggression are punished, although Germany's hypocrisy around the US and especially around Israel is undermining that independently of Ukraine/Russia.
Merz sucks, the conservatives suck, and I hope Germany can survive this corporate illness long enough to vote in people who care about improving Germany and the world. The CDU will worsen this country until the AFD win unless the people push back at every level.
We can have a better life in Germany, if we don't vote for the defenders of the rich and wealthy.
I hope somebody is making Hindenburg comparisons.
as well as calling the bloc out for sluggishness and complex bureaucracy.
Uhh, the German is saying this?
Can't read this without registering, but there is no such thing as an EU-US trade agreement.
This appears to be more CNBC trying to appease Trump than news.
- https://archive.is/vfT5X
  
  Thank you.
  Is it formatted like that in the original, with no paragraphs? Because my brain refuses to read that wall of text.
- there is no such thing as an EU-US trade agreement
  Maybe this? https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_25_1930
  
  Read the text to the end.
  The political agreement of 27 July 2025 is not legally binding. Beyond taking the immediate actions committed, the EU and the US will further negotiate, in line with their relevant internal procedures, to fully implement the political agreement.
  Emphasis mine.
  There is no agreement yet (other than an agreement to negotiate).
Germany? Cozying up to genocidal fascist freaks? Shocked!
Anyway, there is no saving that wretched place, death and misery are the only thing they are able to envision it seems.

47 comments