Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Council President Antonio Costa hosted Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz for discussions before a key summit on supporting Ukraine and boosting European defence.
Berlin will be represented at the Special European Council meeting by departing chancellor Olaf Scholz. Still, there is already much focus on Merz after he stated he was ready for radical reforms to help strengthen Europe’s security, with US guarantees looking increasingly weak.
A few days ago, European Council President Antonio Costa congratulated Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), for succeeding the German elections. He said that he looks forward to working with Merz to make a more successful and “autonomous” Europe in challenging times.
How will Merz’s leadership impact Europe’s defence strategy?
Following a handshake in front of photographers, Antonio Costa, who leads the European Council of member states, entered into private conversations with Merz.
The likely next chancellor stated this week he intended to reform the country’s strict constitutional “debt brake” to grow defence spending and follow massive infrastructure investments.
Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats are in discussions to form a new government, but the two flanks have agreed to try to push through the differences before a government is formed.
On the summit’s eve, Merz also had a meeting with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who has put forward a bloc-wide plan to strengthen EU defences by hundreds of billions of euros, especially by freeing member nations to spend much more.
European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arranged a separate meeting with Merz, posting afterwards that his statements on German defence were “leading the way.” And Merz also met with NATO chief Mark Rutte, who noted that his administration will be “crucial” for the coming problems.
“Germany and Europe must now invest massively in their own defence capabilities. That is the best protection for Europe’s security,”
Merz noted afterwards.
It was great meeting you today in Brussels, @_FriedrichMerz.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) March 5, 2025
Your recent announcement to increase Germany’s defence spending is leading the way. We must all rise to the challenge.
Germany’s support for Ukraine has been invaluable, and together, we will take it further. pic.twitter.com/s2Arg7wsIb
