The Latest Breaking News from Friedrich Merz

Presumed future chancellor says coalition has ‘strong plan’ after negotiations as polling shows popularity of far-right AfD

Conservative and center-left parties will present a deal to form a new German government on Wednesday after weeks of negotiations

It’s unlikely many New Zealanders paid close attention to Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ statement late last year that “New Zealand and Germany are committed to enhancing their partnership”.

In this edition of our weekly talk show, participants discuss the EU's attempts to reach strategic autonomy, the impact of Trump's tariffs on the global economy and the debate about how many seats the European Parliament should have.

The country’s so-called political centre has licensed a new era of authoritarianism – to the AfD’s delight, says Hanno Hauenstein, a Berlin-based journalist

The coalition parties most likely to form the new German government have intensified talks.

Far right party doubles its number of seats, while chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, hopes to form government before Easter

US President Donald Trump’s pivot toward Russia amid its war in Ukraine has collided with the stance of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which has always shown unwavering support for Kyiv as well as loyalty to Washington. When Trump came to power, Meloni wanted to appear connected to his…

The package, which will allow for a large increase in military expenditure, passed through the Bundesrat despite objections from several smaller parties.

The prospective next German government’s plans to enable higher defense spending by loosening strict debt rules and to set up a huge infrastructure fund that’s aimed at boosting Europe’s biggest economy have cleared their final parliamentary hurdle with approval by the upper house

A historic vote to boost spending on defence and infrastructure shows the country is shedding its excess of caution – and its complacency, says author John Kampfner