Chancellor Merz: The World's Future Will Be Decided in Europe

WISE NEWS PRESS / RUST, GERMANY — NOVEMBER 17, 2025

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared in his speech at the 'Junge Union Germany Day' in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, that "The world's future is being created in Europe," emphasizing the strategic importance of the European Union (EU).

Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), clearly distanced his party from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), stating there would be no cooperation. His address highlighted the need for Europe to move away from authoritarian leadership styles and fight excessive bureaucracy, centering his vision on unity, tolerance, and openness.

No Cooperation with the AfD

Merz asserted that there would never be collaboration between the CDU and the AfD. "We are worlds apart from this party. We have nothing in common with them," he stated emphatically. This statement further underscored the CDU's clear stance against the far-right in German politics.

"The European Union Model Has Not Ended"

The Chancellor argued that Europe does not merely look inward but offers a political model and a principle that represents fundamental decisions on how we wish to live together. He stressed that the European Union model is not over, warning against the consequences of neglect:

"If we do not get this right now, if we leave the shaping of this Europe to nationalists, and fundamentally abandon it, then we will one day have to say that we have failed historically."

A Stand Against Authoritarianism and Bureaucracy

According to Merz, it is critical for Europe to "distance ourselves from an authoritarian leadership style" and from those who "believe they can guarantee the security and prosperity of their own people with closed markets." Merz expressed his determination to hold the EU together, not in its current form of "excessive bureaucratization."

He stressed that the European common market was not fundamentally designed as a set of regulations expressing distrust toward citizens and businesses. Merz concluded that the guiding principle of European politics should not be distrust, but "confidence in freedom, openness, and the abilities of people to shape their future under their own responsibility in a liberal, tolerant, and cosmopolitan manner."

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