Germany’s Merz says EU must be transformed into European defense union

BERLIN

Amid growing international security challenges, the European Union must transform into a European defense union, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday.

Speaking at a business summit sponsored by major daily Suddeutsche Zeitung, Merz said Europeans must take new steps in response to the war in Ukraine, shifts in Euro-Atlantic relations, and China's increasingly aggressive posture.

"We can no longer rely on the US to defend us, on China to supply us with raw materials, or on Russia to eventually return to the path of peace. The world is changing, and Europe must respond," Merz said.

“It’s a necessity to transform this European Union into a European defense union. We face international challenges that we as Europeans must address together – with the ability to defend ourselves,” he emphasized.

Merz emphasized that Germany, as the EU's strongest economy and most populous country, must take on greater responsibility for Europe. "We bear a far greater responsibility than anyone else to assume leadership within this EU. But that remains an empty phrase if it is not filled with substance," he said.

Rifts with major global players

The conservative leader described Russia as the greatest threat to Europe, arguing that Moscow's actions extend far beyond Ukraine's borders through daily hybrid attacks targeting European liberal democracies.

“This threat to Ukraine isn't just a territorial threat to a European country. It's a constant threat to our democracies, our freedoms, our way of life and work,” he said, accusing Russia of drone incursions into European airspace and cyberattacks on European and German businesses.

Russia has consistently denied claims it is behind the incursions and other incidents, which have grown more frequent in recent months.

Turning to transatlantic relations, Merz emphasized deteriorating ties under US President Donald Trump, citing his administration's unilateral foreign policy decisions and tariffs targeting European economies.

"The tariff dispute with the US is far more than a trade disagreement. It has opened a deep rift across the Atlantic, calling into question much – indeed almost everything – that we have considered right and necessary in transatlantic relations over the past decades," he said.

Merz also raised concerns about geopolitical developments in Southeast Asia, arguing that "China is becoming inwardly more repressive, outwardly more aggressive,” putting Europe's relations with Beijing on an increasingly difficult path.

’A new world order is emerging’

Concluding his speech, Merz stressed that this generation is witnessing the end of the current global order and the emergence of a new one – a shift that brings Europe to a crossroads.

"We are experiencing such a fundamental shift in global political and economic power that we must decide whether we want to remain passive objects or become active participants in shaping the future political order," Merz said.

"We don't yet know what it will look like in a few years. But we know with considerable certainty that the order we in the West have experienced over the last 80 years has now come to an end," he said, underlining that the EU must reform and strengthen unity among members to become a major player in this new world order.

"If we want to shape this new world order, then that can only be done in Europe, only together with our European neighbors," he said, reiterating his earlier calls for closer economic and defense cooperation with non-EU members such as the UK, Türkiye, and Norway.