The Latest Breaking News from Friedrich Merz

As Germany's Friedrich Merz gets closer to becoming chancellor, many asylum seekers live in fear of what his promised crackdown on irregular immigration will mean for them.

THE INDEPENDENT VIEW: Editorial: Britain was notably absent from the EU’s emergency defence summit – but Sir Keir Starmer has already assembled a ‘coalition of the willing’ to support Ukraine, and established himself as the nearest thing to a replacement leader of the free world

To counter the crisis caused by Trump, Friedrich Merz has little choice but to abandon decades of military and economic caution

Massive German spending pledges and uncertainty caused by US trade policy are fuelling expectations the European Central Bank could on Thursday signal that a pause in interest rate cuts is in sight, analysts said.

Editorial: The chancellor-elect’s proposals for gamechanging spending on defence and infrastructure are the right response to a new era

Chancellor-in-waiting accused of taking part in ‘debt orgy’ after proposing loosening rules to boost defence

In February 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was time to reflect on the European dimension of French nuclear deterrence. He proposed a strategic dialogue as well as joint nuclear exercises between European partners. Five years later, Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, responded to this call, advocating an extension…

Germany is set to rearm in a way not seen since World War II after likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would vastly increase defence spending.

Berlin’s ‘big bazooka’ proposal sends industrial stocks surging but fiscal sea change also hikes borrowing costs