German chancellor laments Europe’s diminished global role

BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday expressed concern over Europe’s diminished role in the world.

"What concerns me and, I will admit, also bothers me is the fact that we as Europeans are currently not playing the role in the world that we actually want to play and that we should play to ensure that our interests are adequately protected," said Merz in an interview with his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party channel.

The German leader cited specifically Ukraine diplomacy as an example.

"We are currently unable to exert sufficient pressure on Putin to end this war. We depend on American help," Merz said.

At the same time, countries like China, India, and Brazil are entering into new partnerships with Russia, he pointed out.

Merz, however, welcomed the fact that Europe is returning to a new sense of unity.

"This depends crucially on the commitment of the German federal government, and in this case, crucially on the commitment of the German Chancellor," he said.

"This is not a case of overestimating ourselves; it's the role expected of us. And I'm trying to live up to these expectations because they're also in our own interest," the chancellor added.

Merz’s latest remarks came in the wake of an analysis by the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), which said: “The European Union is increasingly becoming the weaker player in a profoundly changing geopolitical and geoeconomic environment.” ​​​​​​​

“While the United States and Asia are experiencing dynamic growth, the EU is losing competitiveness and economic strength, thereby eroding its most important power factor. The stability in its neighborhood, on which the EU has long been able to rely, is no longer a given,” it added.