BERLIN: Germany will need sweeping change to remain free and prosperous, Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned, calling on the country to unite in the face of Russian aggression, economic woes and rising extremism. "We all have to agree on where our country stands and where our country wants to go in coming years," the conservative Merz told parliament, promising an "autumn of reforms".
Addressing Russia's war in Ukraine and Moscow's hostility towards Nato and the European Union, Merz, who has vastly stepped up German defence spending, said that "our freedom is being threatened". Days after drones from Russia violated Polish airspace, Merz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had long been "testing" Europe's and Nato's resilience. "Russia wants to surreptitiously undermine our free democracy," he said. "We have to strengthen our capacity to resist and to defend ourselves."
Merz then turned to the "economic model under pressure" as Europe's export powerhouse has suffered in recent years, hit by higher energy prices following Russia's full-scale attack of Ukraine. "Political forces at home and abroad are making our democracy contemptible and sowing discord," Merz said. "Our cohesion is openly being called into question." — AFP
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